Orange Key tours of the campus offer access to Nassau Hall
Monday through Saturday at 11:15 a.m., 1:30 and 3:30 p.m.
Sunday at 1:30 and 3:30 p.m.
Tours leave from Clio Hall weekdays
Frist Campus Center Sundays |
Built in 1756, Nassau Hall housed the students, classrooms and offices
of the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) and was one of
the largest buildings in the Colonies. In November 1776, students were
sent home as the Continental Army retreated across New Jersey. On
December 2, Princeton was occupied by the British. Nassau Hall was the
scene of the last stand by the British during the Battle of Princeton, when
artillery commanded by Alexander Hamilton fired on the building. The
Continental Congress later met at Nassau Hall in 1783. So many alterations
have been made to the building's interior that only the Faculty Room retains
a significant portion of its 18th century character. It was modeled after
the British House of Commons, and is where Congress received the news
of the signing of the Treaty of Paris on September 3, 1783. Charles Willson
Peale's "George Washington at the Battle of Princeton, January 3, 1777,"
which the trustees commissioned using 50 guineas Washington donated
to the war-torn college, is on display at the University Art Museum. It was
originally displayed in the Faculty Room.
McLean House (NHL)
Princeton University Campus, Nassau Street, near
Witherspoon Street
Constructed at the same time as Nassau Hall, served as
the official residence of early college presidents. From 1768 to 1769, John
Witherspoon, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and a delegate
to the Continental Congress, lived here. According to tradition, the sycamores
in the front yard were planted in celebration of the repeal of the
Stamp Act in 1766.
Back to the Ten Crucial Days |
