By Anne Levin
Photography Courtesy of The Historical Society of Princeton
World War I had been raging in Europe for three years when the United States finally declared war on the German Empire on April 6, 1917. By the time the armistice was signed over a year later, this global conflict of massive, devastating proportions had claimed more than 17 million lives. more
By Doug Wallack
Art by James McPhillips/JayMcPhillips.com
Sometime in April of each year—typically just in time for campus preview visits for accepted high school seniors—the cold, grey damp of winter at Princeton University gives way to a brilliant spring. Dogwood flowers and daffodils grace the grounds with flecks of gold, and white and pink. Saucer Magnolias bloom, lining the newly verdant up-campus lawns. Following their campus’s botanical lead, students emerge too, and all life at the university becomes more visible. Professors hold classes on the steps of the sundial in McCosh Courtyard, and students take their reading outside. The odd frisbee or slack line appears. more
by Anne Levin
Back in the late eighteenth century when the Rev. John Witherspoon was the sixth president of Princeton University, he was known to end his work day at Nassau Hall when he saw a light in a front window of Tusculum, his country house and tenant farm located just a mile to the north. According to a local legend, one of Witherspoon’s daughters would light a candle in that window, letting her father know it was time to close up shop and head home. more
by Wendy Plump
It is possible to be cowed by Beatrix Farrand even now, over 100 years since her first landscape commission at Princeton University and half a century since her death. There is much to be thankful for in the sylvan, living landscape she put in place to give an austere campus a greener aspect. Two hundred years ago the university was practically a field; there were no trees at all around Nassau Hall. Farrand‘s influence remains most evident today in the twisting blooms of wisteria that climb the great Gothic walls of the Graduate College each spring. Or the Wyman House rose garden. Or the sugar maples and beeches that accentuate—rather than compete with—the university’s soaring architecture. Or for that matter the entire, park-like character of campus. more
By Anne Levin
If you attended a charity auction to benefit McCarter Theatre, Trinity Counseling Service, Princeton Charter School, or any number of other organizations in town last spring, you probably encountered Sebastian Clarke. He’s the lanky, personable guy who runs the show, rattling off the numbers and “filler words” to coax bidders higher and higher—but always with a light touch. more
By Sarah Emily Gilbert
You might have photographed your favorite Jersey diner. Perhaps you’ve snapped a picture of a secret trail in the Garden State. Maybe, you’ve taken an image of a historical location in NJ, or better yet, a historic moment in your life. If you’ve shot a picture of New Jersey that represents your personal vision of the state, we want to see it! more
By Sarah Emily Gilbert
There is one good thing about the sun setting at 4:30 p.m. in December: Christmas lights. A hitherto dark and dreary time, dusk becomes a period of holiday cheer as neighborhoods light up to showcase their Christmas trees, red ribbons, and wreaths. Here, we provide some outdoor decoration ideas to make the season even brighter. For more holiday inspiration, head to the Hopewell House Tour and Quilt Show on Sunday, December 18 from 1 – 4 p.m. more
By Ellen Gilbert
By Ilene Dube
The year was 1868. A few heads must have turned when the house with colossal columns, reminiscent of a Greek temple, arrived by barge in Princeton Basin. From there it traveled up Alexander before settling into an orchard on Mercer Street. The owner, the Rev. George Sheldon, had inherited his family’s Northampton, Mass., home, and when a builder gave the thumbs up to moving it more than 200 miles, the 1830s wooden structure was disassembled, freighted through Connecticut to New York City, then shipped up the Raritan and barged along the D&R Canal. more
By Wendy Plump
Images Courtesy: Special Collections and University Archives, Rutgers University Libraries
The game was held on a November afternoon, so the ground must have been wicked hard. They played without shoulder pads or shin guards. They played without helmets. There were no officials and no referees. The rules of play were adopted that very morning based on the home team’s wishes, and presumably on its strengths. There were uprights at each end of the field but there were no crossbars. more
By Taylor Smith
The play won 11 Tony Awards, including best musical, as well as a Pulitzer Prize for drama and a Grammy Award for best musical theater album. Additional awards include the Kennedy Prize for Drama and a “genius grant” from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. The musical’s creator Lin-Manuel Miranda has freestyled for President Obama and a national tour is set for 2017. more
By Ilene Dube
Whether made from Brazilian hardwood or recycled soda bottles, chances are a boardwalk will be making contact with your feet in the coming months. Boardwalks are about mingling: people-to-people, of course, but also a place where the scent of sauerkraut and mustard meets the sea air; the screams from carnival rides mingle with the crashing surf; and the steady rumble of pedestrians, cyclists and skateboarders overlaps with the serenity of those sitting on benches. more
By Anne Levin
By Sarah Emily Gilbert
There’s no questioning Princeton’s commitment to environmental preservation and conservation. The town is full of bicyclists, pedestrians, and other eco-friendly modes of transportation. There are several health-conscious supermarkets and farm-to-table restaurants and shops. more
By Ellen Gilbert
His Princeton diploma (class of 1908) was signed by Woodrow Wilson and a street in the tony Western Section of town is named for him. On the less decorous side, perhaps, is the fact that Gerard Barnes Lambert (1886-1967) is widely known as the “Father of Halitosis,” for his aggressive marketing of Listerine mouthwash. Good news for guardians of good taste (pardon the expression) is that Lambert’s daughter, Rachel Lowe Lambert Lloyd “Bunny” Mellon (1910-2014), was a great pal of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. more
