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This Week in Princeton History for April 15-21
In this week’s installment in our recurring series, some students withdraw from housing assignments in protest, the new library design is under discussion, and more.
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My Travels with Darley
Last July I spent an hour with Darley Newman, a PBS travel documentarian who has one of the most enviable jobs in the world. She was in Princeton filming “New Jersey: Revolutionary Road Trip” for her Travels with Darley series, and her producer had reached out to me earlier to ask if I would be…
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This Week in Princeton History for October 30-November 5
In this week’s installment of our recurring series, major renovations bring indoor plumbing to all dorm residents, a self-identified “group of queers” refuses to be silenced, and more. November 1, 1902—Town & Country reports that Princeton has made significant renovations to modernize, after a summer during which over 300 employees were focused on the dorms.…
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This Week in Princeton History for July 17-23
In this week’s installment of our recurring series, fears of violence turn out to be unwarranted, a student is bewildered by the behavior of the locals during a visit from the U.S. President, and more. July 20, 1867—Physician George McCulloch McGill, Class of 1858, dies alone of cholera by the side of the road, having…
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This Week in Princeton History for June 12-18
In this week’s installment of our recurring series, a new library has opened, bathing facilities are available, and more. June 13, 1970—Because Princeton University has taken over the building, the Princeton Inn will close today. It’s longest-residing guest, J. S. Van Syckel, will at last check out after 31 years.
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This Week in Princeton History for December 26-January 1
In this week’s installment of our recurring series, immigrants are required to be fingerprinted, faculty are investigating mysterious explosions, and more. December 26, 1940—Under the recently passed federal law known as the Alien Registration Act, all local non-citizens must complete registration with the Princeton post office by this date. All will fill out five forms…
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This Week in Princeton History for January 24-30
In this week’s installment of our recurring series, an alum urges Americans to put the Civil War behind them in order to defeat a new mutual enemy, the local newspaper advocates scrapbooking, and more. January 24, 1817—The New York Commercial Advertiser reports that students at Princeton “are in a state of revolt.” January 25, 1764—Around…
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This Week in Princeton History for December 27-January 2
In this week’s installment of our recurring series, a Hoboken woman endows a professorship in mathematics, Congress faces criticism for tariffs on books imported for higher education, and more. December 29, 1823—The Trenton Federalist expresses shock that any newspaper “should publish such extravagant reports as are stated in some of the Philadelphia papers respecting the…
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This Week in Princeton History for August 23-29
In this week’s installment of our recurring series, dog-powered butter churns are available locally, Princeton University celebrates an alum’s achievement in a new way, and more. August 23, 2011—Princeton University’s website announces a ban on freshman rush for Greek organizations. August 27, 1835—James Petrie and Donald McCay invite interested residents of Princeton to order dog-powered…
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Dear Mr. Mudd: Why Do You Have a Piece of a Railroad Track in the Library?
Dear Mr. Mudd, Why do you have a “cross section of railroad” in your Memorabilia Collection (AC053)? In 1855, for the second time in its near-century of existence, Nassau Hall suffered a devastating fire. At the time, Nassau Hall still served in part as one of Princeton’s dormitories. An undergraduate had gone to Maclean…
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