Event Category: Historical

Join the Historical Society of Princeton and Morven Museum & Garden for a free panel discussion exploring John Witherspoon’s complex legacy in Princeton. Witherspoon was a signer of the Declaration of Independence, a president of Princeton University, an enslaver, and religious figure. 

Panelists include Dr. Gordon S. Mikoski (Princeton Theological Seminary), Dr. Peter Wirzbicki (Princeton University), and Principal Jason Burr (Princeton Middle School), who will discuss Witherspoon as well as movements to challenge naming and memorials connected to him in Princeton. An audience Q&A follows. 

Tickets are free, though pre-registration is requested.

The program is a part of the Historical Society of Princeton’s 250th anniversary series, in conjunction with Morven Museum & Garden’s exhibition, Five Independent Souls: The Signers from New Jersey.

This event is sponsored by the Princeton Federal Credit Union.

Morven is pleased to host author and PBS host Darley Newman for a free panel discussion featuring her new book, “Revolutionary Road Trip: Hidden Stories from America’s Founding Journey.” 

Joining Darley are Leslie Bramlett (Old Barracks Museum), Will Krakower (Princeton Battlefield State Park), and Beth Allan (Morven Museum & Garden), sharing New Jersey’s unique “hidden stories” from America’s founding. The panel is moderated by Dan Linke (Princeton University). 

Tickets are free, though pre-registration is requested. 

Copies of “Revolutionary Road Trip” will be available for purchase from Labyrinth Books. Light refreshments will be provided. 

This program is organized by the Princeton Public Library in partnership with Morven Museum & Garden, the Historical Society of Princeton, and the Princeton Battlefield Society. 

During your lunch break, go behind-the-scenes at Morven Museum & Garden with this free virtual talk by the museum’s Deputy Director & Curator Elizabeth Allan, who will discuss a special collection item currently on view in the landmark exhibition Five Independent Souls: The Signers from New Jersey.

Allan will share insights on the 1797 painting Prospect, the Seat of Mr. Morgan at Princeton and its artist Maria Templeton (1775-1851), as well as the work’s recent conservation treatment. The watercolor depicts Prospect Farm, which was home to Col. George Morgan during the Revolutionary War, and is currently the site of Prospect House on the Princeton University campus. 

A Zoom link will be provided at registration. 

Image: Prospect, the Seat of Mr. Morgan at Princeton, 1797. Maria Templeton (1775–1851). Watercolor. Morven Collection. Gift of Harriet, Carry, and Bryan Morgan Oliphant, in memory of their father, Richard H. Oliphant, 2014.

Help transcribe the papers of author and patriot Mercy Otis Warren (1728–1814), held by the Massachusetts Historical Society. The collection includes her correspondence, dramatic writings, and poetry, offering insight into her views on the American Revolution, relations with England, and the formation of the new government.

Participants are encouraged to bring a laptop; a limited number are available on site.

Registration is requested.

Unearthing History, One Page at a Time is a collaborative transcription series where volunteers convert historical documents into searchable digital text, supporting researchers, genealogists, and the preservation of history for future generations.

During the American Revolution, more battles were fought in New Jersey than anywhere else. South Jersey had its share, with their own characters and legends! Join South Jersey native, Tony DiGerolamo, screenwriter, novelist, and comic book writer, as he takes you on a journey through the little-known history of the patriots in the Pine Barrens!

Registration with an email is required, so we can send you a link to connect through GoToMeeting. You will receive the link approximately 24 hours before the program.

Joel Farkas will tell the tale of why and how the Pilgrims set sail on the Mayflower. Learn about the history of explorers, beginning with the Ancient Greeks through the voyage of the Mayflower to the wives of Henry VIII, as well as the first Thanksgiving, the Wampanoags, and the Mayflower legacy.

Sponsored by the Friends of the Hickory Corner Library.

About the Speaker: Mr. Farkas has lectured extensively on the American Revolution. He is a lecturer at the Lifelong Learning Institute at Fairleigh Dickinson University and a volunteer docent at Washington’s headquarters in Morristown, NJ. He received the National Park Service Centennial Volunteer Challenge Award. A collector of original historical autographs, Mr. Farkas is a graduate of Ohio State University and served as an officer in the United States Army.

Registration with an email is required, so we can send you a link to connect through GoToMeeting. You will receive the link approximately 24 hours before the program.

Historic Local Resources

Using our free MCLS resources and with your library card, learn about the history of you through both genealogy tools and the history of our community via local newspaper archives dating back to 1846. Includes: Ancestry, Fold3, Heritage Quest, Heritage Hub (New!), Hightstown Digital Newspaper Archive, Trenton Times Archives, & the Trentonian Archives.

Please bring your own tablet or laptop.

This program takes place on Tuesday, September 8, 7:00 pm at the Hickory Corner Branch Library.

Registration is requested.

Curated by Judith K. Brodsky and Rhinold L. Ponder, this powerful exhibition features works by Black women artists with connections to New Jersey. It focuses on the contributions of Black women artists across generations, and features the work of 14 historical and living printmakers. Voices in Print joins robust programming throughout Princeton under the umbrella Re-Visioning America: 1776–2026, which commemorates America’s 250th with narratives highlighting the nation’s diversity and showcasing the work of female artists of color. 

Artists include Emma Amos, Camille Billops, Vivian E. Browne, Nanette Carter, Nefertiti Goodman, Gladys Barker Grauer, Diane Victoria Horn, Carmen Cartiness Johnson, Nell Painter, Sondra Perry, Janet Taylor Pickett, Mickalene Thomas, Nette Forné Thomas, and Bisa Washington.

Voices in Print will be the inaugural exhibition in Morven’s Stockton Education Center. 

Image: The Get Together, 2005. Carmen Cartiness Johnson (b. 1954). Color lithograph on Somerset paper. Collection of Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University, Gift of the Brodsky Center (formerly RCIPP), 2007.0065

Cool off under the majestic trees on a hot summer day. Interact with plein air artists and mural artists. Listen to blues and classic rock by the Paul Plumeri trio. Catch a glimpse of Trenton’s history as told on the tombstones. Food trucks available

Join historian Dr. Carolina Castillo Crimm as she explores Spain’s critical but often overlooked role in the struggle for American independence. Learn about Bernardo de Gálvez, the Spanish governor whose campaigns against British forces along the Gulf Coast helped weaken Britain’s hold on North America. Discover how events unfolding in Texas, Louisiana, the Caribbean, and beyond were deeply connected to the fight for independence taking place throughout the American colonies.

Registration with an email is required, so we can send you a link to connect through GoToMeeting. You will receive the link approximately 24 hours before the program.