USA > New Jersey > Mercer County > Princeton > Guide to Princeton, the town, the university > Part 3
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The seal of the University is a shield resting upon a circle; in the upper part of the shield an open Bible with Latin char- acters signifying the Old and New Testa- ments; in the lower part, a chevron denot- ing the rafters of a building; between the sides of the shield and circle, the motto "Dei sub numine viget"; on the outside of the circle the words "Sigillum Universitatis Princetoniensis." The heraldic description of
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the shield is: Or, a chevron sable; on a chief of the second an open book proper with the words Vet Nov Testamentum. The official colors of the University are Orange and Black. This seal was adopted October 22, 1896, when the name of the college was changed to Princeton University. It was taken in part from the old seal.
CAMPUS AND BUILDINGS
The campus originally was a four and a half acre lot on the highroad, given by Nathaniel FitzRandolph, a resident of the village (see tablet in Holder Hall arch). It now comprises over eight hundred acres including land held in the interest of the University, with fifty-six buildings devoted to instructional, laboratory, and dormitory purposes, and over fifty others used for clubs, athletics, and various university pur- poses.
Nassau Hall. Erected in 1754-1756 on the land given by Mr. Fitz Randolph and named in honor of William of Nassau, (Prince of Orange, William III of England ) as "champion of British liberties," the build-
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ing was planned to contain the college refec- tory, recitation rooms, chapel, library, and students' apartments. Excepting the presi- dent's house (see Dean of the Faculty's house) certain out-buildings (fire engine shed, kitchen, steward's house, etc.) it was until the beginning of the 19th century the only building on the campus. Here all of Princeton's 18th century students roomed. The green in front of it has been the scene of several historic happenings. In the sum- mer of 1770 the students burned here, at the hands of the public hangman, the letter of the New York merchants breaking the Non-Importation Agreement. In January 1774 here took place the Princeton Tea Party when a bonfire was made of the en- tire college supply of tea, with an effigy of the unpopular Governor Hutchinson of Massachusetts in the center, a canister of tea about his neck. On July 9, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was read here, salutes fired, and the building was illumi- nated. The surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown in 1781 and the announcement of the cessation of hostilities in April 1783
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were duly celebrated on the front campus ; and here an interesting ceremony took place in September 1824 when the Marquis of Lafayette revisited Princeton after forty- nine years, and was received by the college and town. Recent memorable scenes on the steps of Nassau Hall have been the review of the torchlight procession of alumni on October 22, 1896, by the President of the United States (Cleveland) at the Sesqui- centennial Celebration of the founding; the conferring of honorary degrees on the Pres- ident of the United States (Taft) and the Chief Justice (White) at the inauguration of President Hibben in 1912; and the con- ferring of honorary degrees at Commence- ment in 1917 on the Secretary of State (Lansing) and the Ambassadors of the Allies.
The front campus is the scene of "senior singing" on spring evenings (from about 7.30 to 8.30) the seniors occupying the steps and the audience grouping in a semicircle under the trees. The tablets set in the walls of Nassau Hall mark the ivy planted at Commencement by graduating classes. The
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earliest stone is that of the Class of 1870. The ivy thus grown had virtually covered the entire face of the building but was win- ter-killed in 1917-1918. The glacial boulder fragment lying beside the steps is from Neu- chatel, Switzerland, the birthplace of Pro- fessor Arnold Guyot of Princeton, the re- maining portion of the boulder being used in the tablet to his memory in Marquand Chapel.
The bronze tigers on the steps, modelled by A. P. Proctor, are the gift of the Class of 1879. The tablet set in the front of the steps records a significant passage in the speech of the Chief Justice at the inaugura- tion of President Hibben. On one side of the doorway is a bronze tablet setting forth the successive stages in the corporate devel- opment of the University; on the other, a bronze tablet erected by the New Jersey Chapter of the Sons of the Revolution epi- tomizing the history of Nassau Hall. In the vestibule is a bronze tablet erected by the New Jersey Chapter of the Society of the Colonial Dames of America in memory of the first presidents and charter trustees of
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the college. Opposite are a heroic bronze bas-relief of Elias Boudinot (by W. O. Partridge) trustee of Princeton, and Pres- ident of the Continental Congress at the time of its session in this building, and one of John Witherspoon, Signer of the Declara- tion of Independence, and President of Princeton University during the Revolution- ary period. The central entrance hall or atrium is to be remodelled and dedicated as a Memorial Hall to Princetonians who gave up their lives in the War, and will contain the memorial tablets in their honor. The record of Princeton men in service is at present temporarily posted on the walls.
Military occupation during the Revolu- tion completely ruined the interior of Nas- sau Hall and restorations were not com- pleted for several years after the war. The interior was destroyed by fire in 1802 and again in 1855, but in each case the walls remained. Until the restoration after the fire of 1855 there were three entrances, one on each side of the central entrance with corresponding exits in the rear. The tur- rets at the ends of the building containing
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the stone staircases, date from the restora- tion of 1855, as does the high cupola. The bell rings the curfew every night during the term time, a college rule dating from the be- ginning of the occupancy of Nassau Hall and broken only during the existence of the Student Army Training Corps in the autumn of 1918, when virtually the whole student body was under military or naval jurisdiction. The clock in the cupola is the gift of the Class of 1860.
Before 1855 corridors ran through the en- tire length of the building; the prayer-hall or chapel was smaller; and the interior of the east end has been greatly altered to pro- vide space for the offices of administration ; but the interior of the west end has pre- served closely the original arrangement and appearance.
During the Revolution the building was occupied as barracks and hospital by British and American troops in turn. Evacuated by the college in November 1776 and held as a British post until the Battle of Prince- ton (Jan. 3, 1777), it was recaptured by Washington at the close of the Battle,
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Alexander Hamilton's battery firing the shots that led to the surrender of the gar- rison. Abandoned later in the day by Washington, it was re-occupied for a few hours by Cornwallis who was succeeded by American troops, the latter remaining until almost the end of the war.
The first State legislature of New Jersey met in Nassau Hall in 1776, adopted the first State constitution, inaugurated the first governor of the State and adopted the State seal. Here in the college library room over the main entrance, the Continental Congress sat during the summer and autumn of 1783 at ordinary sessions, adjourning to the prayer-hall on the main floor on special oc- casions.
The prayer-hall or chapel (now the Fac- ulty Room) is historic. Here in former times were held the daybreak and vesper chapel services at which attendance was compulsory. George Whitefield, the fa- mous 18th century evangelist, once preached to the college in this hall at 5 o'clock in the morning; the death of George II was com- memorated here with solemn exercises; the
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funeral services of Presidents Aaron Burr, Samuel Davies, Jonathan Edwards and John Witherspoon, and of Richard Stockton, an- other Princeton Signer of the Declaration of Independence, and of Colonel Aaron Burr, former Vice-President of the United States, took place in this room; here too the Continental Congress received General Washington in a public audience in August 1783 and tendered to him the thanks of the nation for his services during the Revolu- tionary War; later in the summer Con- gress also received in this room Peter van Berckel, the Minister Plenipotentiary from the Netherlands, the first foreign minister accredited to the United States after in- dependence had been acknowledged ; and on the same day the first authentic news of the signing of the Definitive Treaty of Peace was delivered to Congress by a special cour- ier from Europe. In later years the room was first the library and then the college museum. Ex-President Cleveland, a trus- tee of Princeton, delivered the address at the re-opening (in 1906) of the hall as the Faculty Room in which the formal meetings
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of the Faculty take place. The remodelling and furnishings were carried out in mem- ory of Nathaniel Fitz Randolph by his de- scendants.
The portraits in the Faculty Room are chiefly those of the fourteen presidents and of early trustees and graduates of the Uni- versity. The portraits of President Mc- Cosh and President Patton are by John W. Alexander. The portrait of William of Orange, Prince of Nassau, for whom the building was named, is a copy of the portrait at the Hague. That of President Wilson is by Frederick Yates. The most interesting picture is that of George Washington by Charles Willson Peale, the sittings for which were given at Rocky Hill, near Princeton, while Washington was in Headquarters there in 1783. It was painted by order of the Board of Trustees and paid for with money which Washington had presented to the college. The frame originally held a portrait of George II which was shot away during the Battle of Princeton. In the back- ground is a view of the battle and of Nas- sau Hall; in the foreground is General Hugh
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Mercer who died of wounds received in the action.
Nassau Hall is now used almost entirely for administrative purposes, containing the offices of the President, the Secretary, the Registrar, the Dean of the Graduate School, the Dean of the College, and the private offices of members of the Faculty. On the top floor at the west end is the Psychological Laboratory.
The Dean's House, official residence of the Dean of the Faculty, northwest of Nas- sau Hall and facing Nassau Street, is contemporary with Nassau Hall having been built as the president's house and until 1879 so occupied by all presidents of the University except Dickinson. Presidents Aaron Burr, Samuel Davies and Jonathan Edwards died in this house. In his diary Mr. John Adams speaks of visiting Presi- dent Witherspoon here in 1774. On one of the study windows is an inscription scratched on the glass in 1804. The two giant syca- mores at the entrance gate are commonly associated with the repeal of the Stamp Act (1766) having been planted (or at least
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ordered to be planted) the year before the repeal. The campus gate and railing at this point was called "Lazy Corner" in former times, being a popular undergraduate loafing place.
South of the Dean's House and west of Nassau Hall is Stanhope Hall, the survi- vor of two buildings built in 1803-1804, for recitation, library, and laboratory pur- poses, the other being in a corresponding position at the east end of Nassau Hall on the site occupied since 1873 by the Chan- cellor Green Library. Stanhope Hall is named after President S. Stanhope Smith and now contains the offices of the Treas- urer and of the Secretary of Business Ad- ministration. The corresponding building, formerly at the other end of Nassau Hall and now removed, contained in its basement the refectory and was at first called the Refectory. Here in the stone vaulted din- ing hall Lafayette was entertained at a breakfast served in his honor by the town and the college when he revisited Princeton in 1824. Subsequently the building became known as Philosophical Hall because the
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laboratory of the department of Natural Philosophy or Physics was here. Here Professor Joseph Henry carried on his experiments, especially in telegraphy, and from this laboratory as early as 1836 sent messages over the wire to his home on the opposite side of the campus, these being the first telegraphic messages ever sent. This fact was the keynote of the college celebration of the laying of the Atlantic cable in 1858.
The dormitory south of Stanhope Hall is Reunion Hall erected in 1870 and named to commemorate the reunion of the Old and New Schools of the Presbyterian Church.
Passing between Stanhope Hall and Re- union the main entrance to Alexander Hall is reached. This auditorium (W. A. Potter, architect) erected in 1892 by Mrs. Harriet Crocker (Charles B.) Alexander, seats about 1500 and is used for commence- ment exercises, public lectures, concerts and other large university gatherings. The mo- saic panels on the wall behind the rostrum, representing Homer surrounded by the he- roes and heroines of Homeric Story, were
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designed by J. A. Holzer. The high relief tablet to the right of the rostrum is in mem- ory of Henry M. Alexander, Class of 1840, a trustee of Princeton from 1863 to 1899. The sculptures on the south front of the building are by J. Massey Rhind and con- sist of the seated figure of Learning, on one side of which are figures of Architecture, Sculpture, Painting, Poetry, Music, and Belles Lettres, and on the other side Ora- tory, Theology, History, Philosophy, and Ethics. The quotation ending the inscrip- tion is from Lucretius : "There is no great- er joy than to hold high aloft the serene abodes well bulwarked by the learning of the wise."
Between Alexander Hall and the street is the First Presbyterian Church mentioned elsewhere.
Northwest of Alexander Hall are Holder and Madison Halls (Day and Klauder, architects), the Great Court of Holder being entered through the arch on the driveway leading from Alexander Hall. This is the approximate site of the 18th century pri- vate burial ground of the Fitz Randolph
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family, and behind the tablet set in the arch are gathered the few bones found when the excavation for the dormitory was made. The tablet is in memory of Nathaniel Fitz Randolph, donor of the site of Nassau Hall. The Latin inscription records that "He rests in our ground-and yet his own." Crossing the Court, the Cloisters and especially the Holder Tower should be noticed. The
the court is enclosed on three sides by the dormitory named Holder Hall and given by Mrs. Russell Sage, in memory of Chris- topher Holder, a Quaker ancestor (see tab- let with inscription by Dr. John DeWitt in arch under the tower). The cloisters form the fourth side of the court. Passing out under the tower into Nassau Street turn to the left. The escutcheons on the street front of the arch bear the arms of the orig- inal thirteen colonies. The group of build- ings now reached is Madison Hall, joined architecturally to Holder and containing the
University Dining Halls, where the sopho-
mores and freshmen and a number of upper- classmen take their meals. During the war period (1917-18) the Student Army Train-
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ing Corps, the Naval Training Unit and the School of Military Aeronautics all messed here. The portraits hanging in the Halls are of alumni and officers of the University. The kitchen is in a separate building in the center of the court enclosed by Madison Hall. The latter quadrangle extends to the corner of University Place and down this street to Hamilton Hall, a dormitory (Day and Klauder, architects). The interesting architectural effect of the low archway lead- ing into the small court between Hamilton and Madison should be noticed. The in- scription in the archway, by Dr. DeWitt, is in honor of the Acting Governor John Ham- ilton, grantor of the First Charter, for whom the building is named.
Turning in to the left from University Place between Hamilton and the Halsted Observatory on the right, containing the great telescope, 30 feet long, of 23 inches aperture, and other astronomical accessories for advanced scientific work, Campbell Hall, also a dormitory (Cram, Goodhue, Ferguson, architects), is found on the right. The vista of three arches and the steps
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leading down from Nassau Street through Holder Court and piercing Campbell is in- teresting.
Going through the arch of Campbell (named in honor of John I. Campbell, presi- dent of the Class of 1877, donors of the dormitory) Blair Hall, a dormitory, is seen directly in front, with the great tower and arch leading to a broad flight of steps. The arch contains tablets in memory of John Inslee Blair, Trustee of Princeton and donor of the building, and of Walter Cope and John Stewardson, architects of Blair and Little Halls and of the Gymna- sium, "masters of their art and an uplifting influence in the development of architecture in America." This latter tablet was erected by the Philadelphia Chapter of the Ameri- can Institute of Architects. Until 1918 the railway station was located in the area at the foot of the Blair steps.
Skirting Blair Hall on the right proceed to the short flight of steps between the end of Blair and the buttress wall of Wither- spoon Hall (dormitory built in 1877 in hon- or of President Witherspoon) on the left.
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Note the Tiger Gateway at the right of the steps. The latter lead to the court of Staf- ford Little Hall, dormitory built in 1899 and 1901, named for Mr. Stafford Little of the Class of 1844, donor of the building, (Cope & Stewardson, architects), with Ed- wards and Albert B. Dod Halls, the for- mer, built in 1880, named after President Edwards and the latter (built in 1890, J. L. Faxon, architect) after Professor Albert B. Dod of the Class of 1822.
Stafford Little Hall is connected archi- tecturally with the Gymnasium (built in 1903, Cope and Stewardson, architects ), the main entrance to which through the massive tower leads directly into the Trophy Room, and this on to the floor of the Gymnasium itself. The Trophy Room contains the ban- ners, footballs, baseballs, cups and medals of winning Princeton teams and individual ath- letes. The Gymnasium proper is 166 feet long by 101 feet wide. The running track is twelve laps to the mile. Downstairs are dressing rooms, hot and cold shower baths, handball courts and a rowing room with ma- chines for indoor crew practice. The rooms
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opening from the entrance hall on the main floor are used by the offices of the Depart- ment of Physical Education and Hygiene and besides physical examination rooms, there are rooms for boxing, wrestling and fencing.
In the adjoining Brokaw Memorial is the swimming tank, which can be reached also from the lower floor of the gymna- sium. The Brokaw Memorial is named in memory of Frederick Brokaw, Class of 1892, who lost his life while trying to save a drowning girl (note tablet in the arch). Brokaw Field lies beyond and is a general athletic ground used by class teams. The Elm Drive skirting Brokaw Field leads through Potter's Woods down to the canal and was the direct road to college when the railway station was at the canal.
East of the Gymnasium is David Brown Hall (J. L. Faxon, architect), a dormitory erected by Mrs. David Brown in 1891 in memory of her husband, and below this is the group of dormitories formed by Cuyler and Patton, both dormitories, the former (Day and Klauder, architects) built in 1912
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in memory of Cornelius C. Cuyler of the Class of 1879, a trustee and devoted alum- nus, and the latter (B. W. Morris, archi- tect) built in 1906 in honor of Ex-President Francis L. Patton. Several of the entries in Cuyler were given by the classes of 1881, 1882 and 1891, and by individuals. The entries in Patton were given by the ten classes from 1892 to 1901 inclusive, these classes having entered college under Presi- dent Patton. Brown, Cuyler and Patton Halls were the barracks of the U. S. School of Military Aeronautics maintained at Princeton during the war.
Turning to the left and reaching the lower end of Patton Hall, the University tennis courts are found on the left and right. Im- mediately below the tennis courts is Goldie Field, named after George Goldie, for many years Director of the Gymnasium. Beyond this lies Poe Field, named in memory of John Prentiss Poe of the Class of 1895, killed in action in September 1915 while serving with the British Army in France. These playing fields are provided for the benefit of undergraduates not members of
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university teams. During the war Poe Field was the drill ground of the U. S. School of Military Aeronautics. The han- gars erected for the "penguins" are now used by the Field Artillery Unit of the R. O. T. C. for part of its equipment.
Passing the tennis courts we now reach 1 Guyot Hall, erected in 1909 (Parrish and Schroeder, architects) the headquarters of the Natural Science departments of the Uni- versity. The building is named for Arnold Guyot, the eminent geographer and scien- tist who was a professor at Princeton from 1854 to 1884 (see very interesting tablet erected in his memory in Marquand Chapel). The museums in Guyot Hall are open daily. The building has a serviceable floor space of about 85,000 square feet (two acres) and contains over a hundred rooms devoted to scientific work. During the great war the building was given over al- most entirely to the School of Military Aero- nautics, the collections were stored and the space was used for the lecture and experi- mental work of the ground school. The Vivarium with large concrete aquaria for
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sea and fresh water is in a separate nearby building. Adjoining are flying cages, run- ways, greenhouses, and a biological pond for studying animals under natural condi- tions.
Passing on to Washington Road a view of Palmer Stadium (H. J. Hardenburgh, architect) across the road is obtained, pre- sented by Mr. Edgar Palmer, Class of 1903, in memory of his father, Stephen S. Palmer, the donor of Palmer Physical Laboratory, and for some years a Trustee of the Univer- sity. The Stadium holds over 42,000 seats and is used for the big football games and track meets. The former Olden farmhouse and homestead opposite the Stadium is now the Nurses' Home, for the Infirmary staff. The 1911 Football Team Field House across the driveway from the Stadium, pre- sented by Mr. Cyrus H. McCormick, Class of 1879, as a memorial to the team of 191I, is used as a dressing room for the teams.
Following Washington Road to the right and proceeding down the hill Lake Car- negie is reached, the gift of Mr. Andrew Carnegie, with the Class of 1887 Boat-
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house (P. Satterthwaite '93, architect ) pre- sented by that Class. The lake and boat- house form the headquarters of the Univer- sity Rowing Association. The lake was formed by excavating and enlarging Stony Brook and the Millstone River which flowed through the lowland. It extends some three and three-quarters miles to Kingston.
A pleasant walk along the wooded bank of the lake brings one to Broadmead (the first turn to the left) which after passing through a group of half-timbered houses occupied by members of the Faculty, and crossing Prospect Avenue, becomes Princeton Ave- nue and ends at Nassau Street.
If this walk is not followed, return up Washington Road when the Isabella Mc- Cosh Infirmary will be passed just above Guyot Hall. This is the University hospital and is named after the wife of President McCosh. Above the Infirmary is the Pal- mer Physical Laboratory (H. J. Harden- burgh, architect), presented by Mr. Stephen S. Palmer, a Trustee of the University, and erected in 1908. The statues (by D. C. French) over the entrance are of Professor
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Joseph Henry whose most conspicuous work in physics was done at Princeton, and of Benjamin Franklin. This laboratory con- tains an area of about two acres on three floors for the work of instruction and re- search, and has an exceptionally complete equipment. Some of Professor Henry's ap- paratus may be seen in the Museum.
Opposite the Palmer Laboratory the first house is the Princeton home of Jesse Lynch Williams of the Class of 1892, the well known author and playwright, next to which is the Terrace Club, one of the upperclass clubs of the University.
Further on at the top of the hill and op- posite the end of Prospect Avenue is Sev- enty-Nine Hall (B. W. Morris, archi- tect) the only dormitory on this side of the campus. It was presented by the Class of 1879 on the twenty-fifth anniversary of its graduation. The Bartholdi lions on the steps formerly stood on the steps of Nassau Hall, and were removed to Seventy-Nine when the Proctor Tigers were presented. The marble benches on the campus side of the arch are in memory of Charles McFee, Class of 1879.
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