Princeton Magazine | Celebrating the Heritage of Princeton, New Jersey

Registration Open for Holiday Open Houses at Drumthwacket

(Photo by Andrew Wilkinson)

Rooms festively decorated in holiday spirit by the Garden Clubs of New Jersey await visitors to the official governor’s mansion, Drumthwacket, 354 Stockton Street. Online registration for December Holiday Open Houses at Drumthwacket is now open now.

The Open Houses are free to the public. Guests must register in advance online. Open Houses are offered in one-hour intervals starting at 11 a.m., noon, and 1 p.m. on December 4, 5, 6, 7, and 11.

Click here to Register Now. more

Arts Access Exhibit at Arts Council of Princeton

The Matheny Arts Access Program,based in Peapack, empowers artists with disabilities to create art without limits. Regardless of their disabilities, artists are provided with the tools and materials needed to produce masterful works of art that are distinctly their own.

These works will be on view on Saturday, November 23 from 1 to 3 p.m. at an opening reception for an art exhibition and performance in the Solley lobby at the Arts Council of Princeton. The event is free. Guests will have the opportunity to view and purchase paintings that are as diverse as the artists themselves — from gestural abstractions and rigid, geometric forms to meditative color studies. The variation in styles and themes is representative of the individuality of each artist, and proves that there is no limit to what an artist can create. more

TASK Posts Holiday Wish List

Spread some holiday cheer this year by helping to fulfill the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (TASK) Holiday Wish List. Each year, TASK works to ensure that everyone in the community has a festive and meaningful holiday season. By donating warm winter weather gear, toys, and food, you can help make the holidays even more special for neighbors in need. more

FriendsGiving at Yankee Doodle Tap Room

For those who want to break bread with their families on Thanksgiving (November 28), but also want to spend it with their friends, the Yankee Doodle Tap Room at the Nassau Inn is offering FriendsGiving.

Gather your closest friends and enjoy FriendsGiving at the Yankee Doodle Tap Room, 10 Palmer Square East, on Sunday, November 17 at either of two seatings at 4 or 6:30 p.m. more

Princeton Police Hold Winter Coat Drive

The Princeton Police Department is hosting a Winter Coat Drive through Monday, November 18 for donations of new or gently used winter coats, hats, and gloves to benefit those in need in the Princeton Community. All items will be donated to the Cornerstone Community Kitchen. A drop box is located outside of the Communications Desk at Princeton Police Headquarters, 1 Valley Road. For questions, contact Ptl. Shahid Abdul-Karim at sabdul-karim@princetonnj.gov.

West Windsor Holiday Market is Off the Wall

The Off the Wall Holiday Market hosted by West Windsor Arts is both a juried original art show and a place to browse for affordable, handcrafted items for the holiday season.

This year’s holiday market grand opening is on Sunday, November 17 from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. The holiday market continues on the weekend of November 23 and 24 from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. both days; and on Saturday, November 30 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. It will also be open December 2, 3, 7, 8, 14, and 15 from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. each day. The last day for shopping is Saturday, December 21 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. more

A Gaggle of Gifts at Sauce for the Goose

It’s holiday shopping time! Back for its 30th year, the Arts Council of Princeton (ACP) will hold its annual Sauce for the Goose Outdoor Art Market on Saturday, November 9 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Sauce for the Goose is the destination for unique, high-quality, and handmade gifts. This year’s market will feature more than 95 local and regional artisans selling their wares in ceramics, jewelry, leather, woodwork, glass, painting, and more. The one-day market is an opportunity to purchase handmade gifts directly from local artisans and crafters working in ceramics, textiles, jewelry, fine art, and apparel, and home décor.

For a full vendor list and more information, visit artscouncilofprinceton.org/artists/sauce-for-the-goose.

Vendors will line Paul Robeson Place from the corners of Witherspoon Street to Chambers Street, outside ACP’s Paul Robeson Center for the Arts.

Morven Hosts 1774 Tavern Concert and Dance

John Burkhalter, founder of Practitioners of Musick, performs on the recorder.

An evening in 1774 with a concert and dance will be re-created by the Historical Society of Princeton and Morven Museum & Garden on Friday, November 8 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Morven’s Stockton Education Center, 55 Stockton Street.

Arranged by The Practitioners of Musick, the event will reimagine an actual concert and dance that took place in Princeton on August 22, 1774 at the “Sign of the College” tavern. Located directly across from Nassau Hall, the tavern was leased by William Whitehead from Morven’s Richard Stockton. more

Princeton Battlefield Society Launches Cadwalader Lectures

(Photo courtesy of Princeton Battlefield Society)

The Princeton Battlefield Society (PBS) is launching the Cadwalader Lectures, a new educational series, to showcase issues and authors relevant to the Battle of Princeton and the struggle for independence.

First in the series, celebrated historian and author Richard Brookhiser will discuss his latest book, Glorious Lessons: John Trumbull, Painter of the American Revolution, during the group’s Cadwalader Lecture on Wednesday, November 6 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Nassau Club. Tickets for the lecture may be secured at pbs1777.org.

Brookhiser will discuss the significance and meaning of artist John Trumbull’s works, which chronicled the American Revolution and the early days of the fledgling American nation. Trumbull’s Death of General Mercer at the Battle of Princeton is one of the nation’s most famous American Revolution paintings. A historian and the senior editor at the National Review, Brookhiser is the author of 15 books and a recipient of the National Humanities Medal. He will also sign copies of Glorious Lessons before the talk. more

Bucks County, Pa., Town Cited for Foliage

(Photo Courtesy of Visit Bucks County)

When the New York Times published a list of seven places to see fall foliage that are not in New England on September 17, one Bucks County town was on the list: New Hope, Pa.

The listing by Derek M. Norman recommends New Hope along with out-of-New England area New River Gorge Park in West Virginia; Fayetteville, Arkansas; Bas-St.-Laurent in Quebec, Canada; McKenzie Pass-Santiam Pass Scenic Byway in Oregon; Kebler Pass in Colorado; and Tahquamenon Falls State Park in Michigan. The article notes that New England is known for fall foliage, but other locales have stunning views as well.

As for New Hope, the article touts the borough’s antique shops, historic buildings, museums, Bucks County Playhouse, and its popularity as an LGBTQ destination. It notes that Bucks County once had more than 50 covered bridges (of which 12 remain), and that the New Hope Railroad offers a two-hour train ride through the foliage on weekends through November 3.

From the Publisher, Fall 2024

Dear Readers,

Welcome to your Fall issue of Princeton Magazine. Very much like the previous issue, it features articles about Princeton but also demonstrates the historic impact of this small town on the nation.

Our cover story is about the amazing Belle da Costa Greene who, just by happenstance, seems to have been written for this year’s presidential election. Just imagine a Black woman living the lie that she is white in a world that, at the time, was very much tied up in racism, sexism, and classism. more

Belle of the Books

Theodore C. Marceau (1859–1922), Belle da Costa Greene, May 1911. (Biblioteca Berenson, I Tatti, The Harvard University Center for Italian Renaissance Studies)

Overcoming Racism, Sexism, and Classism In the Gilded Age

By Ilene Dube

As the personal librarian to financier J.P. Morgan, Belle da Costa Greene was one of the most influential people in the art and book world. She was courted by dealers, embraced by the socially powerful, and profiled for her accomplishments at a time when working women were rare.

Even before women won the right to vote, Greene was one of the most prominent career women of the early 20th century. She pursued and curated a collection of rare books, manuscripts, and art that became world-renowned. She was regarded as an authority on illuminated manuscripts, and because of her work, the Morgan Library became known as a collection of rare books, manuscripts, and art that competed with such esteemed institutions as the British Museum. more

All Birds, All the Time

Snowy owl (shutterstock.com)

Live Bird Cams Bring the Outside In

By Taylor Smith

With programs like Google Earth, anyone anywhere in the world can transport themselves into another scene, another habitat, and another place. Similarly, bird cams serve as a virtual window into the lives of birds. The trend of streaming bird cams really heightened during the COVID-19 pandemic, when many people felt shut indoors and disconnected from the world around them. Webcams showcasing divergent bird species became voyeuristic, fun, and educational.

One of the leading bird cam websites is CornellLab Bird Cams at allaboutbirds.org/cams. Viewers can watch albatross chicks stretching their wings, elder ospreys devouring a fish, red-tailed hawks curiously staring into the camera, and pileated woodpeckers (indigenous to New York state) foraging for larvae and ants within some tree bark. more

Exploring Historic Princeton Cemetery

“The Westminster Abbey of the United States”

By Laurie Pellichero | Photography by Jeffrey E. Tryon.

Referred to as “the Westminster Abbey of the United States” by John F. Hageman in his 1878 history of Princeton, Princeton Cemetery sits on almost 19 acres near the center of town and is the final resting place of a plethora of famous figures along with many members of the Princeton community. The cemetery, owned by Nassau Presbyterian Church, was established in 1757 and is still an active burial ground.

When first entering the non-denominational cemetery, one immediately notices the many different styles of headstones and monuments, the oldest of which is for Aaron Burr Sr., the second president of the College of New Jersey, now Princeton University. Burr died in 1757. Right in front of that is the grave for his son, U.S. Vice President Aaron Burr Jr. (1756-1836), even better known for his duel with Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton. According to Linda Gilmore, business administrator at Nassau Presbyterian Church and Princeton Cemetery, who also leads tours of the cemetery, it has become a very popular site since the debut of the Broadway show Hamilton. There is even a person who has sent flowers a few times to be placed at the grave with the message “Death doesn’t discriminate between the sinners and saints, it takes and it takes and it takes. Love, Alex.” more

Research Center Reimagined

The Renovated Center of Theological Inquiry Lets in the Light

By Anne Levin | Photography by Jeffrey E. Tryon

Just across Stockton Street from Morven Museum and Garden, an unpretentious red brick building has sat on land owned by Princeton Theological Seminary (PTS) for the past 40 years. Some passersby have assumed it is part of the Seminary. Others haven’t noticed it at all.

Modeled after the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) as an independent nonprofit, the Center of Theological Inquiry (CTI) has never been an attention-getter. Year after year, the interdisciplinary program has quietly hosted scholars and scientists from different parts of the world, in Princeton for a year to investigate the nature of religious beliefs and how they relate to global issues. more

Book Scene: The People’s House

A Peek Inside The Home of the President and First Family

By Stuart Mitchner

This White House Book Scene features a remarkable first couple who bonded through books and reading, a shared interest that led to the creation of the first White House library. Equally remarkable is the rags to political riches back story of one of the most obscure American presidents, Millard Fillmore (1800-1874), whose personal history has a backwoods, born-in-a-log cabin, reading-by-candlelight charm that prefigures the story of Abraham Lincoln, who moved into the White House a decade later.

As Princeton University history professor Sean Wilentz points out in the lead essay in Catherine M. Parisian’s The First White House Library (Penn State University Press 2010), Fillmore “had a greater appreciation for literature and letters than most presidents.” Having grown up in rural poverty, he “prized books and libraries as the chief vehicles of his own ambitions,” and his courtship of his “doted on” teacher Abigail Powers (1798-1853) was “nourished by books.” On his various business and political journeys as a self-made lawyer and member of Congress, Fillmore “made it a point to bring books back to his wife, carton loads at a time, as presents; and well before he became president in 1850, “he had accumulated an impressive library of his own.” During his brief time in office (1850-1853), the Fillmores entertained cultural celebrities of the day, including Washington Irving, the visiting English novelist William Makepeace Thackeray, and the Swedish nightingale Jenny Lind. more

From Cafeterias to Culinary Meccas

TenBerke designed the new dining hall at Yeh College of Princeton University. (Photo by Chris Cooper)

How College Dining Has Evolved

By Wendy Greenberg

Chef Michael Gattis has the same philosophy whether he is introducing kale to Princeton elementary school students or working as executive chef at Princeton University’s Rockefeller College and Mathey College dining halls: “Our mission is to tie in what is going on here at Princeton (University), and that’s education. We have that gift to be able to do that through food,” he noted in a 2018 Dining Services strategic plan.

As a volunteer for Garden State on Your Plate, Gattis helps educate young students to be open to new tastes, comparing raw and cooked vegetables drizzled with lemon, salt, and pepper. “We are starting a healthy dialogue at an elementary school level,” he said of the 15-year-old program, which brings fresh produce to school cafeterias at lunchtime. more

Princeton Garden Theatre

Princeton Garden Theatre on right. (Photo courtesy of the Historical Society of Princeton)

Historic Movie House Celebrates 10 Years as a Nonprofit

By Donald H. Sanborn III

First opened more than 100 years ago, the Princeton Garden Theatre is celebrating its 10th anniversary as a nonprofit. Subsequent to Renew Theaters taking over the management of the Princeton University-owned movie house a decade ago, NJ.com declared that it is “without question, the best movie theater in New Jersey.”

“The Garden has been a part of the Princeton fabric since 1920,” says Christopher R. Collier, executive director of Renew Theaters. “We’ve had the good fortune to be able to run the past 10 years of its operation, and we hope to continue for years to come.” more

A Well-Designed Life, Fall 2024

Savor the Past: It’s Tea Time at Morven

(Photo courtesy of Morven Museum & Garden)

Travel back in time with an afternoon cream tea service in Morven’s historic Garden Room on Thursday, September 26.

Experience cream tea within the walls of the over 200-year-old mansion overlooking the museum’s gardens. The “Secret Tea Room” takes particular pride in its collection of chinaware, which complements the Georgian architectural style of Morven Museum & Garden, 55 Stockton Street. Cream tea includes refreshments most often associated with the English West Country, such as Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, and Somerset. more