Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-10-09
An Historic Building Familiar to
Sons Of Princeton.
THE CENTER OF STIRRING SCENES
Target for Revolutionary Artillery
and a Hall for Congress.
BARRACKS FOR HESSIANS
Correspold Cnce of The Evening Star.

AOO"'
The coming sesquicentennial celebration
at Princeton College promises to center
around one structure The visitors to the
town on that occasion will admire the MOI
ern 1ormi,or!es and the classic architecture
of the halls of the two literary socleties'
Int Nassau Hail. that historic old site.
which has w:thstood fire and bom-
hardment. whose roof has sheltered Unit
ed States Congress in session, ana from
whose portals have passed some OF the
,raatest thinkers and lawmakers of the
world. will cause the neighboring struc-
tures beautiful though they are, to look
insignificant.
Through all its vicissitude5 Old Nassau
has not changed much from the days OF
Edwards and Witherspoon- 1t Is much
the same as 1t was when President James
Madison was graduated in I'LL, and 1t is
the building to which he always referred
as the place where he had acquired the
foundation of his learning in statesman
ship and politics.
Nassau Hall was founded in lbs, and the
expense of It's construction was largely
defrayed by contributions from the Pres
hyterian Church in this country and Eng
land. This expense is not exactly known,
but il was probably not more imam Si.'."p
SNbtHhsi handsome SUM III tiioSc idS D.
but mere nothing in comparison with
the S,yDNsn that is now being expended
on Pr.nceton's new library. But the col
lege bdilling was and continued to be Tor
some time subsequent to its erection the
largest and most imposing structure in
the colonies Not only Americans but also
distinguished foreign visitors noted all It's
dimensions and architectural characters
tics in their written accounts OF their tray
els.
There seems to be something wrong in
the expression college building in these
latter days. when even the smallest cross
three or four; but Nassau Hall was liter
ally the college building. 1t contained
lodgings for IA students, with refectory,
library. recitation rooms and chapel
struggle of the Revolution.
The old building had an uneventful ca
reer for the first twenty years of its exist
ence. Glasses came and went. Four presi-
dents governed within it's walls, including
that great clergyman and philosopher.
Jonathan Edwards: but it was not until
HIT that the college building itself was
to receive its first baptism-one of fire and
smoke, accompanied by the boom of artil-
lery- The storm of war broke upon Prince
ton in December, 1776 The British army
had caused the abandonment of Brooklyn
New York. Fort Washington and Fort
Lee. and Washington had retreated to
PRINCETON New Jersey had become the
Rattle ground. and the tide of war swept
back and forth from Princeton to Trenton,
Old Nassau was the barracks first of one
armv and then of the other. The number
OF undergraduates In the college was at
enc time reduced to ten
President Wttherspooa. always an earnest
patriot. was then giving fully much
time to the councils of war and govern.
ment as to the management of Princeton
College; but some members of the faculty
We're a; the institution all the time and a
Few degrees were conferred each year Or
New Year day, HI, brigade of Hessiar
mercenaries were quartered in the college
Inc recitation rooms in the basement
served az stables and the benches were tax
en- upstairs for firewood.
Two days later this body of troop, startel
out to jon CORVALLIS at Trenton Thei,
progress was stopped a short distance fron
Princeton by Gen Mercer, and again the,
took refuge In Old Nassau and prepared I,
make defense. The artillery of the colo
lists soon dislodged them but not withou
leaving severe evidence of its work upor
the structure Suffice it to say that the col
lege OF New Jersey, concretely speaking
was a wreck Even the flooring had beer
ripped up and used as f,rewood. But tn,
sturdy Ole walls remained mistaken, and
as speedily as the generally tumultuou
state OF affairs would permit. the building
was rehtted and came out Of it's Temporal,
existence as a fortress perhaps better thar
ever.
Where Congress Met.
1t was destined. however. after a shor
interval. to again figure in national history
The war was hardly over when the Cont
mental Cor gress. sitting in Philadelphia
was actually besieged by 300 Pennsylvani;
malcontent soldiers, who demanded thei
pay, and made violent threats in case of
refusal A congressional retreat from tn
Quaker city was imperative. Presiden
Witherspoon. member of that body. place
Nassau Hall at its disposal. and for owe
four la,
yened in the library room Of the college
Washington came to Princeton three time
during that period. and On one of his Wis
Its, at the commencement In September
1873. gave to the college 30 guineas Tht
the trustees voted to expend for d pertrai
of the father of his country ard this pic
trre hangs today in the room M Nassa
Hall where Congress met. 1t is syrrounde
by frame which formerly adorned a like
ress of George H. During the f1ghtin
around the old college, however, well
aimed shot from an American canno
crashed through a window and badly shat
tered the kings poEtrait-tradition ais
claiming that the shot was SO well directe
and did It's work SO neatly as just to decap
tate the regal likeness
General Washington was at all time
well disposed toward Princeton, and in hi
corr esDo3dence frequently referred in mos
fattering terms to Nassau College" 1
was only a few years before his dealt
that he showed his opinion Of the institu
ticn by sending there a student nj
adopted son. George Washington Park
Custis. and the incident IS interesting be
cause 1t II the only case on record in wh!cI
this country's first President, in the ex
pressiye phrase Of today, had his 81.
pulled" The adopted son with long nam
had that marked preference for doing moth
ing sometimes found among college stu
dents.
Touched the Old Man.
General Washington knew Of the youn
mans weakness and wrote to him ofte
about 1t. But the letters that the studea
would send in reply to make the old ma,
at Mt sermon think that he stood at tn
head Of his class, and incidentally I
make a touch for $25. are well worth tn
attention OF any modern collegian VIII
needs an extra 500 at the end Of a tern
"Devotedly and intrinsically yours" h
would sign himself 1t couldn't last Ions
ard he went to st. Johns College at An