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.

Author: April C. Armstrong *14

  • This Week in Princeton History for January 23-29

    In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, a drawing is held for room assignments in a new dorm, the basketball team plays its first game ever, and more. January 23, 1767—Jonathan Baldwin secures an affidavit from Job Stockton to defend himself…

  • Ask Mr. Mudd: “Levee Song” and Princeton’s Minstrel Shows

    Q. Dear Mr. Mudd, Is it true that the University of Texas school song, “The Eyes of Texas,” has a Princeton University connection? Where did the song come from, and why don’t Princeton students sing it anymore? A. “The Eyes of Texas” is set to a tune best known today as “I’ve Been Working on…

  • This Week in Princeton History for January 16-22

    In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, a riot paralyzes the campus, a senior performs for the U.S. president, and more. January 18, 1893—The faculty approve a resolution ending supervision of exams, provided that students sign a pledge stating that they…

  • New Year’s Greetings

    By Xinxian Cynthia Zheng GS In the first post in this two-part series about a file of 72 “Chinese New Year cards” I found in the Princeton University Library Records (AC 123), I wrote about the Christmas and New Year’s greetings sent by sent by missionaries and non-profit organizations to Dr. Nancy Lee Swann (1881–1966), one…

  • This Week in Princeton History for January 9-15

    In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, Dod Hall opens, Albert Einstein attends the first Jewish services on campus, and more. January 9, 1891—The Daily Princetonian reports that Dod Hall has opened.

  • This Week in Princeton History for January 2-8

    In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, the nation mourns Claiborne Pell, the Triangle Club loses their rehearsal space, and more. January 2, 1884—Physics professor Cyrus Brackett testifies as an expert witness in a lawsuit between American Bell Telephone Company and…

  • This Week in Princeton History for December 26-January 1

    In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, the Christmas holiday is extended to 9:45AM, a graduate eulogizes George Washington, and more. December 26, 1944—The President of Princeton University generously allows for an extension of the Christmas holiday, dismissing students from classes…

  • This Week in Princeton History for December 19-25

    In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, the campus gets its first bathtubs, an undergraduate spends a contented Christmas Eve alone, and more. December 21, 1889—Two stained glass windows later to be installed in Princeton’s Marquand Chapel are on display in…

  • Celebrating Christmas and New Year’s Day in the “Chinese” Way

    By Xinxian Cynthia Zheng GS Recently, I found a file of 72 “Chinese New Year cards” in the Princeton University Library Records (AC 123). Looking through them, I saw that they were a syncretic fusion of Chinese and Western elements, rather than the kind of Chinese New Year cards I usually receive from friends now. Dated…

  • This Week in Princeton History for December 12-18

    In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, the debate team wins its argument over football with Harvard, a yearbook cover change draws complaint, and more. December 12, 1896—First Lady Frances Fulsom Cleveland draws student notice as she shops for a house…