This blog includes text and images drawn from historical sources that may contain material that is offensive or harmful. We strive to accurately represent the past while being sensitive to the needs and concerns of our audience. If you have any feedback to share on this topic, please either comment on a relevant post, or use our Ask Us form to contact us.

This Week in Princeton History for October 4-10


In this week’s installment of our recurring series, Esther Edwards Burr mourns the death of her husband, two students are fined, and more.

October 5, 1989—Dial Lodge and Cannon Club complete a merger, becoming Dial and Cannon Club.

October 7, 1757—Not long after moving with the institution and their family to Princeton, Esther Edwards Burr writes of the unexpected death of her husband, Aaron Burr, president of the College of New Jersey, “My loss, shall I attempt to describe it? … I have lost all that I ever set my heart on, in this world.”

Esther Burr. Image from Office of the President Records (AC117), Box 1, Folder 6.

October 8, 1878—Richard Cloyd Lee, Class of 1880, is on board the Wollaston train derailment. The accident kills 19 people, but Lee emerges unscathed.

October 9, 1855—William H. Simmons (Class of 1857) and William Knight (Class of 1858) are fined $20 each for assaulting police officers. The Trenton State Gazette will report: “The Chief Justice made an impressive address to the defendants, in pronouncing sentence, in which he said they were convicted of an offence [sic] which had no moral turpitude or dishonor attached to it, and that he hoped the impression would not exist, that the fact that they were Southerners had anything to do with the trial; that Princeton College had been greatly instrumental in creating a good feeling between North & South, &c.”

For the previous installment in this series, click here.

Fact check: We always strive for accuracy, but if you believe you see an error, please contact us.


One response to “This Week in Princeton History for October 4-10”

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.