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This Week in Princeton History for August 26-September 1
In this week’s installment in our recurring series, the president addresses rumors that Princeton will close, students hold a “war meeting,” and more.
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This Week in Princeton History for January 9-15
In this week’s installment of our recurring series, a student expresses concern about staff wages, faculty warn seniors that they have to attend classes, and more. January 11, 1889—A student writes in a letter to the editor of the Daily Princetonian about his concerns about dorm fees not being used to pay staff appropriately. With…
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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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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 November 11-17
In this week’s installment of our recurring series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, the Princetonian suggests students start making their own beds on Sundays, a new highway cuts Nassau Street’s traffic in half, and more. November 12, 1941—Noting that the staff is not being paid well and will not…
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This Week in Princeton History for September 23-29
In this week’s installment of our recurring series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, the Princetonian complains about a change in staffing, a new kiosk is under construction, and more. September 24, 1899—Today’s issue of Nature refers to the “Libbey Deep” off the shores of Newfoundland, newly named in…
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This Week in Princeton History for June 17-23
In this week’s installment of our recurring series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, a gas shortage causes headaches in town, the baseball team begins a tour playing against New England colleges, and more. June 18, 1882—Marquand Chapel is dedicated.
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The Princeton Pullman’s “Filipino Boys”
We’ve previously told you about the Princeton Pullman, a specially-designed railroad car that took faculty and students across North America in the 1920s and 1930s to collect geological specimens and fossils. Today, we’d like to highlight one aspect of these journeys: the Filipino staff who attended to the practical needs of the travelers, one of…
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“Studying Is Fine, but Living Has Been Another Problem”: Mary Procter *71 and Coeducation at Princeton
Earlier this year, I began telling the story of the female graduate students who paved the way for undergraduate coeducation at Princeton University starting in 1961. This blog continues that story with a focus on Mary Procter *71 (often misspelled as Mary Proctor *71) and her unusually influential role while a Princeton graduate student. Procter…
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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…
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