The City of Trenton opened the first museum here in 1889, closing several years later. Ellarslie has been a restaurant, ice cream parlor and monkey house. The building itself has been home to several noted Trenton families over the years, and in 1971 renovations began to create the Trenton City Museum. The Trenton City Museum opened in 1978 in Ellarslie Mansion with an exhibition from our permanent collection of Trenton cultural history. Ellarslie Mansion is included in the National Registry of Historic Places. The Trenton City Museum at Ellarslie Mansion houses a fine collection of art and artifacts related to Trenton's historical and cultural past and present.