Introduction
Includes the history and scope of the project
Includes the history and scope of the project
Welcome to the Princeton History Google site, brought to you by the Adult Services Department of the Princeton Public Library. This project has been a number of years in the making, and we are pleased to share it with you.
This Princeton History database is meant to serve as a starting point both for general researchers or for those who might be hunting for a particular piece of information. As this is not meant to be a complete resource, researchers should take this site as a starting point and continue to pursue other sources. The Princeton Room page will connect you to resources held in the library's collection. The other resources on this page are external.
What and Where is Princeton?
We use the term "Princeton history" all over this site, and you might be wondering what that means. What land area are we referring to, what events are included and why, what people or institutions can be found here? Each book, article, or website may choose to define it differently based on the information it contains, but below is a quick guide to the area that is currently the municipality of Princeton in Mercer County, New Jersey.
The Borough of Princeton was incorporated in 1813 on land that at that time was within West Windsor Township (in Middlesex County at that time, although it is now included in Mercer County) and Montgomery Township (in Somerset County).
Mercer County was created in 1838, and the Borough was included in the new county. The Township of Princeton was also incorporated in 1838 on land that surrounded the Borough (the Borough became an independent municipality around 1894) in Mercer County. To further explore changing historical boundaries, visit the Newberry Library's Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
On January 1, 2013, the Borough of Princeton and Princeton Township were dissolved and consolidated into the current municipality.
There are currently two main zip codes covering Princeton: 08540 and 08542. The 08542 code is used mainly for the downtown area, where the library is located, and for what used to be much of Princeton Borough. The 08540 code is used for mailing addresses in multiple municipalities across three different counties. Thus, a mailing address may be listed as "Princeton" even if the property is not actually in the municipality, meaning it may not show up in a Princeton-specific directory. This difference also comes into play when searching census records, land deeds, demographic information, etc. Researchers may need to use multiple resources to determine exactly where something is located at a given point in history.
Indigenous peoples—specifically, the Lenape (also called the Leni Lenape, Lenni Lenape, or Delaware)—resided on the land now known as New Jersey long before Europeans arrived. Three state-recognized tribes continue to live in New Jersey: the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Tribal Nation, Powhatan Renape Nation, and Ramapough Lenape Nation. In addition, many people in New Jersey identify as inter-tribal or members of other Indigenous nations. As of 2020, more than 53,000 people in New Jersey identify as American Indian or Alaska Native. There are also several federally recognized tribes, displaced and now based elsewhere in North America, for whom present-day New Jersey is an ancestral homeland. These include the Delaware Nation, Delaware Tribe of Indians, and Stockbridge-Munsee Community Band of Mohican Indians.
Get to know the area by checking out A Visitor's Guide to Princeton, found on the library's website, and exploring historic sites within walking distance of the library. You can also take advantage of many in-person or virtual Walking Tours.