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This Week in Princeton History for March 1-7
In this week’s installment of our recurring series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, a transit strike stops the Dinky, the state legislature prohibits gaming near Nassau Hall, and more. March 2, 1983—In response to a retroactive pay cut, New Jersey Transit workers go on strike, halting commuter…
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This Week in Princeton History for February 22-28
In this week’s installment of our recurring series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, campus proctors help local police apprehend men burning crosses in town, new transportation options draw comment, and more. February 22, 1971—Proctors Bruce Beattie and Steven Verish see three men burning a cross at the…
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The “Down South Kitchen” and Family Life in Princeton University’s Isabella McCosh Infirmary
When I wrote about the myth of slave quarters in Princeton University dormitories, there wasn’t room to tell you about the service workers who did sleep under the same roof as Princeton students for half a century. Today’s post considers the home one Black family made at Isabella McCosh Infirmary while they cooked and cleaned…
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This Week in Princeton History for February 15-21
In this week’s installment of our recurring series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, the Class of 1899 dons mourning clothes, protesters urge an end to sweatshop labor, and more. February 15, 1899—To honor Ralph Wilson Simonds, formerly a member of their class, the Class of 1899 will…
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This Week in Princeton History for February 8-14
In this week’s installment of our recurring series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, the Bric-a-Brac has a new cover, an employee at an eating club protests unfair treatment, and more. February 9, 1931—The new Bric-a-Brac subscribers receive today has a new cover design. February 11, 1874—The Hampton Singers,…
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Songs of the Freed: The Hampton and Jubilee Singers at Princeton
In the 1870s, Princeton students were exposed to a form of entertainment new to them: African American choirs. Many of the singers in these choirs, who were raising money for Black colleges, had formerly been enslaved. Their performances met with a mixed reception among Princetonians and on balance appear to have been a negative experience…
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This Week in Princeton History for February 1-7
In this week’s installment of our recurring series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, house carpentry helps pay student expenses, Joline Hall opens, and more. February 1, 1830—Philadelphia’s Christian Advocate reports that a student “with no relations to aid him, except a brother from whom he receives some…
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Dear Mr. Mudd: How Did Princeton Students Treat Campus Servants?
This post is the second in a two-part series. Dear Mr. Mudd, If Princeton University dormitories could not have housed enslaved persons, why does the rumor persist that they did? What were the experiences of campus servants really like? How did students treat them? Last week, I outlined the factual evidence that proves that…
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This Week in Princeton History for January 25-31
In this week’s installment of our recurring series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, a photographer finishes a series of images of places and people on campus, an alumni accent is criticized, and more. January 25, 1877—The Princetonian reports that a “female servant” is working in Witherspoon Hall.…
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Dear Mr. Mudd: Did Enslaved People Live in Princeton’s Dormitories?
This post is the first in a two-part series. Dear Mr. Mudd, Rumor has it the dorms at Princeton were designed to allow students to bring enslaved people with them to live in adjoining rooms and serve them. Is this true? Though one often hears a rumor about enslaved people accompanying students to…
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