"People have taken notice because we got on the list,' said Theresa Suanno, preservation coordinator at the church. "We're thrilled, because it has brought us some much needed recognition because we are in need."

Suanno said the listing has helped the aging and financially strapped parish get the notice it needs to move forward with restoration plans and a host of other projects that will help maintain its historic sanctuary.

"We're hoping this will generate some interest in some former parishioners who want to come back, but also help the public get involved in the restoration we hope to get started in the future," Suanno said.

St. Michael's problems are not unique, but are shared by many older churches in New Jersey's cities. ITS CONGREGATION IS DWINDLING AND AGING, its resources are far from sufficient enough to keep up the maintenance of the historic building. So it has postponed maintenance over a long period to pay bills and keep the doors open.

The years have taken their toll on St. Michael's which prompted Preservation New Jersey to put the church on its endangered list. The church needs serious structural work and other problems corrected, all of which now threaten to overwhelm the congregation.

But St. Michael's church is as important to Trenton's history and landscape as the Trent House itself. Indeed, it is a significant part of the nation's history as well.

St. Michael's roots date back to 1703, when the church stood on the grounds of the present-day Trenton Psychiatric Hospital and was known as the Hopewell Church. William Trent, the man who gave Trenton its name was a parishioner there and local legend insists he is buried in the old graveyard still present on the grounds. The parish was then moved to its present location on North Warren Street.

The day before the Declaration of Independence was signed in Philadelphia and publicly read from the courthouse steps down Warren Street, St. Michael's closed its doors because of the strong anti-British sentiment that was present throughout the country and in Trenton. Many of the early parishioners at St. Michael's were Tories--loyal to the British crown.

Days before the first battle of Trenton, Hessian artillerymen took up residence inside the church, and set up their artillery in the graveyard that still surrounds the church.

After Washington's troops were fully engaged with the Hessian troops, two counter assaults were made by the Hessians in and around the church.

After the battle American troops tore up the pews inside the church to construct makeshift operating tables and hospital beds for the wounded. As a result, the church was spared much of the fighting during the second battle of Trenton on Jan. 2, 1777.

After the war, St. Michael's returned to its place as an important house of worship in the capital city.

Inside its graveyard are buried many historically significant figures from Trenton's past -- most notably David Brearley, a signer of the U.S. Constitution, and the illegitimate daughter of exiled King of Spain Joseph Bonaparte, brother of Napoleon Bonaparte. The king's daughter died at a young age and is buried along with her mother who was the former king's mistress.

St. Michael's is also significant as an architectural treasure. The building dates back to 1748. Although it has been remodeled several times over the years, the present structure offers an extraordinarily rare glimpse at what is known as the castellated Gothic Revival Style, so named because of its castle-like spires.

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