Diggin' In The Mudd: 5 Things You Might Not Know About Princeton's (Early) History

Do you think you know all about Princeton's history? Here's a few things you may not know!


1. It was originally called The College of New Jersey and was situated in Newark, NJ. The trustees wanted more space and more buildings, so they decided to move the college to what was then called "Princetown"
-Board of Trustees Minutes 1752
2. Lotteries were used to raise money for the college.
Image Jan 16, 1750 from the Pennsylvania Journal. It was a popular way to raise money at the time.
3. President of College John Witherspoon played a major role in the American Revolution. He was at the Continental Congress and made this plea for independence:








(Probably more well known, there was also a Battle of Princeton during the Revolution)
4. Sports were not always part of the history of Princeton. Just look at this message from the faculty:
(For reference that famous "first football game" between Rutgers and Princeton didn't take place until 1869 and the first college baseball game (under 9-man rules) was played in 1859.)

5. In 1807 there was a "Great Rebellion" which consisted of a barricading of all the doors, among other things. A guard of citizens had to be brought in to protect college property.
125/200 students were suspended, about half returning. Later Aims McGuinness '90 wrote that questions about student's status, residential colleges and, "How to define someone who is neither a child nor fully grown? Or a place that is neither a family nor a civil society?" were the issues that caused the riots.

Images from Princeton Sketches: The Story of Nassau Hall/Public Domain