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Princeton Battlefield
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| Location: | Princeton, New Jersey |
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| Area: | 209.8 acres (84.9 ha) |
| Governing body: | State |
| NRHP Reference#: | 66000466 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP: | October 15, 1966[1] |
| Designated NHL: | January 20, 1961[2] |
The Princeton Battlefield is where American and British troops fought each other on January 3, 1777 in the Battle of Princeton during the American Revolution. The battle ended when the British soldiers in Nassau Hall surrendered. This success, shortly after Washington's crossing of the Delaware River and capturing the troops at the Old Barracks in Trenton, helped improve American morale.[3]
Part of the battlefield is now a state park, while other portions remain under threat of development.[1]
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Princeton Battlefield State Park is a 200-acre (81 ha) state park located in Princeton Township, Mercer County, near Princeton, New Jersey. The park preserves part of the site of the Battle of Princeton (January 3, 1777), which was a victory for General Washington's revolutionary forces over British forces. The park is maintained by the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry, and is located on Mercer Road (Princeton Pike), about 1.5 miles south of Princeton University and 3.8 miles north of Interstate 295/95.
Highlights of the park include the Princeton Battlefield site; the Clarke House Museum; the site of the Mercer Oak, a tree which stood in the middle of the battlefield until recent years; the Ionic Colonnade designed by Thomas U. Walter (architect of the U.S. Capitol); and a stone patio marking the grave of 21 British and 15 American soldiers killed in the battle. A poem was written for the site by Alfred Noyes, Poet Laureate of England.
The park's hiking trails lead to the Delaware and Raritan Canal and to the 588-acre (2 km2) adjacent property of the Institute for Advanced Study.
The Princeton Battle Monument is located in town near Princeton University on non-adjacent park property at Stockton Street and Bayard Lane.
The Thomas Clarke House Museum was built in 1772 by the third generation of Quakers at Stony Brook. The house is furnished in the Revolutionary period and contains military artifacts and battle exhibits, as well as a research library.
During the battle Hugh Mercer was brought to the Clarke House and treated unsuccessfully by Benjamin Rush.
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