A new book titled "Princeton University" presents a photographic journey through the school's 259-year history.
The book, published this spring by Arcadia, is written by Richard D.
Smith, a program administrator in the Department of Ecology and
Evolutionary Biology.
The book, part of an Arcadia series on campus life, traces the
University's history from its founding in 1746, when less than a dozen
students attended classes in Elizabeth, N.J., in the home of the
school's first president, Rev. Jonathan Dickinson. Princeton's
relocation in 1756 to what was known as Prince-town and its evolution
into a major research university are chronicled through numerous
black-and-white photographs, engravings and paintings. The book traces
the development of the arts, athletics and religion at Princeton, as
well as the many traditions unique to the University.
Some of the lesser-known parts of Princeton's history included in the book are:
• In 1887 a women's college was founded near the Princeton campus.
Evelyn College, which enrolled mostly relatives of Princeton professors
and students, closed in 1897 after the death of the founder, Joshua
Hall McIlvaine.
• Blair Hall was originally designed to serve as the entrance to
campus, since many people approached the University from the train
station, then located just behind Blair. FitzRandolph Gate on Nassau
Street was deemed the main entrance after 1918, when the train station
was relocated to make room for new campus buildings.
• The first no-hitter in either an amateur or a professional baseball
game was pitched by Princeton undergraduate Joseph McElroy Mann on May
29, 1875. The defeated team was from Yale.
