Robert L. and Edwin A. Stevens signed Deed - 1848 dated Autograph

Edwin Augustus Stevens (July 28, 1795 – August 7, 1868) was a prominent American engineer, inventor, and entrepreneur whose legacy contributed to the founding of the Stevens Institute of Technology.

In his will, Stevens allocated the majority of his wealth to his wife and children, while also bequeathing land adjacent to the Stevens family estate, along with a donation of $150,000 for the construction of a building and an endowment of $500,000 to establish an "institution of learning." Given the Stevens family's strong connections to the field of engineering, the executors of his estate determined that the institution would focus on the "mechanical arts." This vision materialized as the Stevens Institute of Technology, which commenced operations in 1870. The university has since grown to encompass a comprehensive hilltop campus with views of Manhattan, and the original structure financed by Stevens's endowment, now known as Edwin A. Stevens Hall, remains a key facility for the School of Engineering, the oldest of the university's four academic divisions.

The United New Jersey Railroad and Canal Company (UNJ&CC) originated from the significant Camden & Amboy Railroad (C&A), which traces its roots back to 1830, making it one of the earliest permanent railroads in North America. It was among the first common carrier transportation enterprises that primarily focused on providing fast passenger services to compete with stagecoaches operating between New York Harbor and Philadelphia-Trenton. Among the earliest chartered railroads, only the Mohawk and Hudson Railroad and the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad were established with a specific emphasis on passenger services. Following a series of mergers, the UNJ&CC became a subsidiary of the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) system in New Jersey in 1872, which included the acquisition of several predecessor companies and the PRR's main line to New York City, now part of Amtrak's Northeast Corridor. Before 1872, its primary lines included the Camden and Amboy Rail Road and Transportation Company (C&A), recognized as the first railroad in New Jersey and one of the earliest in the United States.

The Camden & Amboy Rail Road and Transportation Company (C&A) was chartered on February 4, 1830, concurrently with the Delaware and Raritan Canal Company, following a compromise between the two competing entities. Both the C&A and D&R aimed to connect the Delaware River, which served Philadelphia, with the Raritan River for access to New York City—one through a tow-path canal with innovative solutions to navigate the hills, and the other utilizing the emerging railroad technology from Europe. Both projects were deemed risky and required right-of-way grants from the legislature along the riverbanks, necessitating negotiations and design compromises before either could secure a land rights charter.