Event Category: Historical

Francis Hopkinson, a member of the Continental Congress and a signer of the Declaration of Independence, was also an inventor, designer, accomplished poet, and multi-talented musician, credited as the first native composer of the United States. This lecture/performance, led by The Practitioners of Musick’s John Burkhalter, will include a rich and diverse selection of music, the same repertory owned and enjoyed by Hopkinson in printed and manuscript copies that survive to this day.

Presented in partnership with Morven Museum & Garden and the Historical Society of Princeton. 

In conjunction with the Semiquincentennial, historian and author Larry Kidder chronicles the experiences and contributions of Princeton residents during the Revolution. Their individual and group stories help us understand the challenges faced by ordinary people and reveal the human consequences, costs, and benefits of the war.

Free, registration is requested, as space is limited.

In honor of America 250, the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, join historical reenactor Richard Moody in his engaging portrayal of French aristocrat Marquis de Lafayette! This performance will detail Lafayette’s “Welcome Home” tour of New Jersey at age 68 at the invitation of President Monroe. You will discover more about this hero and his role in the American Revolution and his significance to American history.

The program takes place on Saturday, March 7 at 2:00 pm at the Robbinsville Branch Library.

Registration is required.

Please Note: Registration opens at 2:00 pm on Saturday, February 21, 2026.

The “Mothers” of America—women whose influence on the early United States echoed for centuries—are often overlooked. Beyond the familiar names of Martha Washington and Abigail Adams, countless women played vital roles in shaping the nation. From soldiers and spies to writers, printers, scholars, farmers, and artists, their courage and contributions—whether during years of war or in a single heroic act—had lasting impact. In this talk, Laura Keyes highlights these remarkable women, exploring their bravery, achievements, and enduring legacies as eyewitnesses to the nation’s founding.

The virtual program takes place on Monday, March 23 at 7:00 pm.

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

Carol Simon Levin portrays Catharine “Caty” Greene, the indomitable wife of Nathanael Greene, one of Gen. George Washington’s most valued officers. Known as a witty raconteur, she enlivened the spirits of officers and troops alike as the war ranged from New Jersey to South Carolina, famously dancing for 3 hours straight with George Washington. Her pluck and spirit carried her through victories and tragedies not only during the war but throughout a remarkable life of resilience and reinvention.

Sponsored by the Friends of the Lawrence Library.

The virtual program takes place on Wednesday, March 18 at 7:00 pm.

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

This presentation covers the period 1763 to 1789 (from the end of the French and Indian War to the establishment of the US Constitution). It explores the critical role our state (and particularly central Jersey) played in our nation’s founding: from the Ten Crucial Days to the Battle of Monmouth Courthouse to the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the ratification of the Constitution. Co-sponsored with the Historical Society of West Windsor.

Southern New Jersey in the Civil War era was a hotbed of fugitives from slavery, freedmen and abolitionists. Activists such as Harriet Tubman, Abigail Goodwin and Benjamin Sheppard assisted runaway slaves along the Underground Railroad in daring flights at night in the forests of the Pine Barrens. Abolitionists flashed lights from their boats in the marshlands of the Delaware Bay to signal to agents on land that fugitive slaves were on board. Please join us with author Ellen D. Alford as she recounts compelling narratives of abolition and the Underground Railroad in South Jersey.

This lecture, “Pre-Revolutionary Land Fraud and Corruption in Hopewell Valley” covers Colonel Daniel Coxe’s land speculation which disenfranchised legal land deeds in today’s Ewing, Lawrence, and Hopewell communities from 1703 to 1760. His royal authority forced settlers to abandon or repurchase their properties.  This talk is being given by public historian Richard M. Durham, who serves as an Advisor with the Ewing Township Historic Preservation Society.

This venue is fully accessible located in classroom #113 in the Education Building of The College of New Jersey.

Thomas Mundy Peterson is celebrated as the first African American to vote under the Fifteenth Amendment. Independent historian and author Gordon Bond will examine Peterson’s legacy beyond the ballot, talking about how on May 30, 1884, citizens of Perth Amboy, NJ, pinned a gold medal to his coat in honor of his having done something that, in another part of the nation, a noose might have been put around his neck for daring. Based on Bond’s book, To Cast a Freedman’s Vote. Sponsored by the Friends of the Ewing Library.