The Historical Society of Princeton, located at 158 Nassau St., is open to the public free of charge Tuesday- Sunday from 12 to 4 p.m.; winter hours may vary. For further information, please call (609) 921-6748

Princeton, New Jersey is one of the country's most historic communities. Settled in the late 17th century, Princeton produced two signers of the Declaration of Independence and was the site of one of the Revolutionary War's crucial battles. It served briefly as the nation's capital when the Continental Congress met in Princeton in 1783. A center for learning and culture since the colonial period, it has been home to world-renowned scholars, scientists, writers, and statesmen. George Washington walked its streets and three other United States presidents, James Madison, Woodrow Wilson, and Grover Cleveland, lived in Princeton. Thomas Mann, T. S. Eliot, and F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote in Princeton, and actor Paul Robeson grew up here. World-renowned scientists Albert Einstein and Robert Oppenheimer made the town their home. Throughout its history Princeton has been a dynamic community. Each wave of immigrants to the United States, from early Irish and Germans to eastern Europeans and Italians at the turn of the ce tury, brought an influx to Princeton. Later arrivals included World War II refugees, Hungarians, Koreans, Southeast Asians, Haitians, East Indians, and Guatemalans.

Historical Society of Princeton

The mission of the Historical Society of Princeton is to collect and preserve materials pertaining to the town and its environs, and to interpret the history of the area through exhibitions, educational programs, and publications. Since its founding in 1938, the Historical Society has amassed, recorded, and exhibited a collection of over 40,000 artifacts, manuscripts, photographs, decorative arts objects, artworks, and articles of clothing dating from the 17th century to the present, and has offered a broad range of educational services and activities to local residents, students, scholars, and visitors from around the world.

Programs

The Society presents a broad range of programs for adults and children of all ages including two to three temporary exhibitions each year, four to six annual lectures, weekly walking tours of the town, and monthly out-of-town trips to other historic sites and museums. The Society publishes an award-winning journal, Princeton History, as well as a newsletter that is distributed three times a year. Children's programs include special tours, hands-on exhibitions, and a traveling trunk program. Highlights of recent programs include Building a Community: Italian Americans of Princeton and The Way We Really Were: A Princeton Family, c. 1825. The Society also sponsors exhibitions and public programs that take place outside Bainbridge House, such as A Pleasant Likeness: Portraits and Landscapes of Central New Jersey, 1770-1920, an exhibition of more than eighty historical paintings of New Jersey people and places presented at The Squibb Gallery.

Collections

At the heart of the Society's ability to serve the community are its important museum and library collections. Used by scholars, students, genealogists, architects, local business people, and the general public, the collections document daily life in Princeton from early settlement to the 20th century. Items include furniture, paintings, clothing, household objects, photographs, maps, and manuscripts, and range from a 1760s tanner's account ledger to a silver boudoir set owned by the daughter of Grover Cleveland. The Society's library and photo archives comprise more than 38,000 manuscripts, photographs, glass-plate negatives, maps, and architectural drawings. The extensive manuscript holdings include the papers of the Stockton and Olden families, two of the town's founding families; the papers of pioneering geologist Arnold Guyot; and the records of local organizations such as the Friendship Club, an early 20th-century African-American women's civic group.

Bainbridge House

Built in 1766 by Job Stockton, a prosperous tanner and cousin of Richard Stockton, signer of the Declaration of Independence, Bainbridge House is one of the oldest surviving buildings in Princeton and one of the area's best preserved examples of mid-Georgian architecture. Located on Nassau Street, the town's busiest and most historic thoroughfare, it is situated directly across from Princeton University. Bainbridge House has been home to several Stockton families; it was the birthplace of William Bainbridge, hero of the War of 1812; in 1783 it was listed as providing accomodations for the Continental Congress; during the late 19th century it served as a boarding house for university students; and for more than fifty years it was home to the public library. The exterior of Bainbridge House was restored by the Historical Society in 1969 to its original 18th-century appearance. Nearly 70% of the original interior woodwork remains, including original panelled walls and flooring. With the exception of circa 1814 a terations to the main parlor and a late 19th-century addition at the rear of the house, almost all of the 1766 structure remains. From 1991-1992, Bainbridge House underwent a complete renovation, with the addition of new structural supports, climate controls, new electrical work, and upgraded safety and security features. The interior trim was restored to original paint colors, the pine flooring was refinished, and portions of the brick facade were replaced with 18th-century bricks and repointed. An exterior ramp was installed for access by wheelchairs.

In 1967, the Historical Society established its headquarters in Bainbridge House, one of the finest surviving examples of Georgian architecture in the area, and since that time the building has served the public as both a museum and library. Its main floor comprises temporary and permanent exhibition spaces and a museum shop. The second and third floors house the library and photographic archives, as well as administrative offices and meeting rooms. The facilities of Bainbridge House also serve as an information center and the headquarters for the Society's far-reaching programs.

Preservation

The Historical Society is concerned with the future of Princeton as well as its past. As the Princeton area continues to grow dramatically, the Society is dedicated to preserving both an archive of local history and the best physical characteristics of the town. The Society has played a major role in passing preservation ordinances for Princeton borough and township, and its preservation revolving fund has been used to save several significant buildings from destruction. Each year the Society presents preservation awards in recognition of individuals and businesses that have made a special effort to preserve and restore Princeton buildings. Currently the Society is actively involved with the preservation of the Beatty House. Built in 1780, it is the former home of Colonel Erkuries Beatty, an aide to General Lafayette during the American Revolution, the second mayor of Princeton, and a state legislator in the General Assembly.

Membership

The Historical Society of Princeton is a private, non-profit organization. Its activities are made possible through individual contributions; grants from corporations, foundations, and government agencies; and earned income. The largest single source of income for the Society is membership fees. In addition to supporting one of Princeton's most important historical and educational resources, members enjoy the following benefits: free publications, invitations to exhibition previews and special events, discounts on Society-sponsored programs and outof -town trips, and discounts in the museum shop.