Prospective University students often get their first glimpse of campus after driving along the winding, scenic Route 206. In their eagerness to reach the grandeur of FitzRandolph Gate, however, many may not notice another, equally historic — if somewhat less imposing — gate: the white picket fence surrounding the grounds of Drumthwacket, the official residence of the governor of New Jersey.
Built in 1835 on land originally owned by William Penn and later incorporated into the Princeton Battlefield, Drumthwacket is one of dozens of historical sites within walking distance of campus. Collectively, these locations give the Princeton area a rich historical legacy spanning from the revolutionary era to the 20th century.
"It gives Princeton a sense of itself," John Mills, chief historian for Princeton Battlefield State Park, said of the town's historical legacy. Studying Princeton's history, he added, "lets you know where you've come from, why we're here, why this street is here, why the University was built here."
Martin Flaherty '81, a Fordham Law School professor who occasionally teaches courses at Princeton, wrote his senior thesis on the area's local history. As a cross country runner, he found his curiosity sparked during jogs around town and decided to look more closely at Princeton's past.
His thesis made him intimately acquainted with historical sites foreign to most students, Flaherty said. "Even if Princeton were in the middle of nowhere, students would have the sense that it is an important place," he said, "but when you place the history of the University in the history of a town and region that is just as significant ... it helps gives students a sense of where they are."
On campus, Flaherty added, most students are ignorant of the historical offerings in their own backyard. "I don't think students are very aware [of Princeton's history], quite frankly," he said. "I think students tend to confine themselves to campus for the most part with rare excursions to Small World Coffee."
Tim Keeler '11 noted that the University could do a better job of making students aware of Princeton's rich historical offerings off-campus. "Orientation did a great job of letting you know what's on campus," he said. "As far as off campus, the Orange Bubble definitely applies."
Brian Gurewitz '09 offered an alternative explanation for the lack of student interest in historical sites around Princeton. "I'm aware that they're there," he said, "but I don't think that students have time to visit them. If they do, they'd rather spend it doing work and their own activities."
Erin Dougherty, executive director of the Historical Society of Princeton, said the society's office, museum and archives in the Bainbridge House at 158 Nassau St. see "a fair share" of students visiting with their families. She added that she is always striving to expand the site's ties to the University.
"We would love to increase our connections to professors and students in any way possible," Dougherty said, citing the society's extensive library, exhibitions and sponsored lectures — many of which occur in conjunction with the University — as attractions that should intrigue Princetonians.
She added that she hopes the opening of the new University bookstore on Nassau Street, slated for next month, will "bring students to our part of the block."
For students eager to commune with the past, with or without the added lure of textbooks, a number of sites around town await their perusal.
112 Mercer St.
Only one aspect of the house on 112 Mercer St. seems unusual: its unobtrusive "Private Residence" sign. Aside from this placard, the cozy, early 19th-century black-and-white house within walking distance from campus is unremarkable from the street.
In reality, though, the house is anything but ordinary. Though now privately owned, the residence was once the home of Albert Einstein, who worked at the Institute for Advanced Study after his flight from Nazi Germany in 1932. Einstein spent almost 20 years in this house before his death in 1955.
55 Stockton St.
The house and gardens of Morven give students a chance to explore a historical site without trekking a long distance from campus. In fact, it's only a block away. For an entrance fee of $4, visitors can take a guided tour of this 18th-century building, which was home to Richard Stockton III, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
Visitors with limited pocket change can simply stroll the gardens and read the explanatory signs sprinkled throughout the grounds. Those placards highlight the house's 200-year historical legacy: Following renovations made in the 1850s by Commodore Robert Stockton, a U.S. senator, the home was donated to the state of New Jersey to be used as a governor's mansion or a museum. It housed four governors until nearby Drumthwacket assumed Morven's official role in 1982.
72 and 82 Library Place
Off Stockton Street, on Library Place, a historic residential pocket of Princeton awaits exploration. The homes on Library Place are immaculate, Tudor-style luxury residences.
It is no surprise that Woodrow Wilson chose to spend his time and money here. Originally moving into the house at 72 Library Place in 1889, he later built an even larger one at 82 Library Place in 1895. This later home is built in the Tudor revival style and is enough to make any architecture student drool. Both houses are privately owned.
Princeton Cemetery
Those wishing to commune more directly with souls from the past need only turn onto Witherspoon Street and pass through the gates of the Princeton cemetery. Within a short metal perimeter, historical figures like Jonathan Edwards — whose "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" speech has been read by high school students across the country — lie in raised stone coffins engraved with corroding, but often still-legible, epitaphs.
Following handy maps positioned at the entrance to the cemetery, visitors can view the remains of Aaron Burr, Class of 1772, who served as the third vice president of the United States and is perhaps most famous for killing Alexander Hamilton in a duel. Other notable souls at rest in the cemetery include Grover Cleveland, the only U.S. president to serve two nonconsecutive terms, and George Kennan '25, whose famous "Long Telegram" prompted the Cold War doctrine of containment.
John Witherspoon — sixth president of the University, signer of the Declaration of Independence and chaplain of the Second Continental Congress — is also buried here. Students may recognize him as the man represented by the green statue between East Pyne and the University Chapel.
Princeton Battlefield and the Clarke House
Farther from the University, a classical Greek portico rests covered in pine needles from the overhanging trees on Mercer Street. Once the entrance to Mercer Manor, the colonnade serves as a memorial to the British and Continental soldiers killed in the battle of Princeton on Jan. 3, 1777.
Tourists who visit the park for its historical value, though, often fail to realize the battle's significance, Mills said. The Battle of Princeton, he explained, was a major turning point in the American Revolution, part of what are known as the "Ten Crucial Days" that began with George Washington's crossing of the Delaware.
Before the end of 1776, Washington was seen as little more than a would-be general whose only experience came from the French and Indian War. The Battle of Princeton helped change that impression. On Jan. 3, 1777, the grassy plain — from which the steeple of Nassau Hall was visible — saw the first field defeat of British forces in the Revolutionary War.
Thanks to this victory, Mills noted, Washington cemented his previously tenuous position as head of the Continental forces. British soldiers were forced to abandon central New Jersey, and the Revolutionary Army stayed in the field.
Visitors to the site can also tour the Thomas Clarke House, which was a field hospital for men on both sides, including General Hugh Mercer, for whom Mercer Street was named. It was here that the wounded Mercer died after being declared in recovery by Dr. Benjamin Rush, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, in a notorious case of mis-diagnosis.
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