Local History in the Princeton Room
Located on the library’s second floor, the Princeton Room contains the Local History neighborhood. This collection includes a variety of books and information about the history of Princeton, town and gown, its people and its institutions, as well as maps, census information, local newspapers on microfilm, city directories, and a vertical file with an assortment of uncatalogued clippings, small publications, and ephemera. The resources in this room focus on information for the casual researcher or student, wishing to become familiar with Princeton and its history. It also contains materials about the surrounding geographical area that contribute to establishing historical context for the materials about Princeton. Also included in this room is a collection of general genealogy reference material, African-American genealogy resources and first editions of books by Princeton author, John McPhee.
For additional information about this collection, please contact refstaff@princetonlibrary.org or call the 2nd floor Information Desk at 609.924.9529, ext. 1220.
Book Collection
This collection is a mixture of circulating and non-circulating titles covering topics that include the history of Princeton Borough and Princeton Township, the schools and education system, churches and organization, architecture and parks, Princeton University history, buildings and people, and general history of Mercer County and New Jersey. There is a small but growing collection of Princeton High School yearbooks. Also included are biographies of local residents, including historical figures such as John Witherspoon and Paul Robeson as well as a modest collection of resources on African-American history and genealogy. All works are listed in the online catalog and can be searched by author, title, subject, and keyword.
Newspapers
The library currently receives the two local newspapers, the Princeton Packet and Town Topics. The two most recent months of each can be found in the Newsroom on the 2nd floor. Back issues of the Princeton Packet are available on microfilm. At present, there is no digitized version of the Princeton Packet. An online version with recent articles can be found here. Back issues of the Town Topics are on microfilm through 2009. Current and archived past issues of Town Topics are available on their website and digitized issues for the years 1946-2013 are available through Papers of Princeton, a searchable online database.
The library has the following local newspapers on microfilm. To access these, please ask for assistance at the 2nd floor Information Desk. Click on the title of the newspaper to view catalog record.
There is a Canon microfilm reader/printer located in the Business Center. Take a picture of the screen with your phone or save images to a flash drive. The library is unable to lend microfilm through interlibrary loan so please contact us if you have questions regarding the microfilm.
The Princeton Packet [July 12, 1839 – present, with gaps] Name changes many times over the years
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Local Newspaper Indexes and Online Databases
Currently, there are very few newspaper indexes for the newspapers owned by the library or others in the Princeton area. A cautionary note: these indexes are often incomplete, with many articles from the newspapers not appearing in the index at all, particularly the library’s own Princeton Packet and Town Topics Index. See specific notes in the entries below. Please contact the 2nd floor Information Desk if you need assistance with your research.
Princeton Packet and Town Topics Index on microfilm
As part of a bicentennial project, the library indexed the two local newspapers, the Princeton Packet and Town Topics, from 1975-1986. This card catalog was microfilmed and currently exists on 7 reels of microfilm.
This is a highly selective index, with a very narrow scope, focusing specifically on articles about Princeton Borough and Princeton Township people, places, and events, and including nothing from the surrounding areas, even if it appeared in the issue of the newspaper. In addition, only a few of the articles that fell within this scope were actually indexed from each issue. It was at the discretion of the volunteer indexer. While the date and page number information should be correct for entries found, the headlines were often changed depending on the indexer’s decision at that moment.
For the researcher, this means that even if the article or subject is not in the index, it could still be in the newspaper, but will require more effort to locate it. Please contact us at refstaff@princetonlibrary.org or call us at 609.924.9529 ext 1220 and we will help you navigate this resource.
Local Newspaper Index
An online version of an index of the Princeton Packet and Town Topics was initiated in the mid 1990s, covering the years 1983-2006, with some gaps in the earlier years. Obituaries from both newspapers are indexed back to 1975 and from 1892 to 1950 for the Princeton Packet only. It includes the indexing of more articles from both newspapers than appears on the microfilm index, but is still limited in scope to Princeton Borough and Princeton Township people, places, and events, and not the surrounding areas. Searching includes by name, keyword, controlled subject heading, date, newspaper name, and type of article. Due to the limited scope and possible gaps in coverage, not finding a reference in the index does not necessarily mean the article was not in the newspaper.
For the researcher, this means that even if the article or subject is not in the index, it could still be in the newspaper, but will require more effort to locate it. Please contact us at refstaff@princetonlibrary.org or call us at 609.924.9529 ext 1220 and we will help you navigate this resource.
Town Topics Archive
A searchable, full-text version of the Town Topics is available in Papers of Princeton, an ongoing project to digitize local papers. Coverage is March 17, 1956 through December 2013, with some gaps. Future dates should be added soon. For more recent issues of the Town Topics, visit their website and access the archive of back issues in addition to the current issues.
Princeton Recollector Index
This is available in print in the Local History Neighborhood. Call number: Local History REF 071.4965 Sub. The digitized version of the Recollector newspaper is now included in the Papers of Princeton.
Princeton Packet
There is currently no digitized newspaper collection for the Packet, and no indexing beyond what is part of the Local Newspaper Index. If you are not sure of the date of an event, it’s possible it was reported in the Town topics, which is searchable through Papers of Princeton. You can use that database to find a date range for the event and then manually search the Packet microfilm for similar articles.
Papers of Princeton
An online searchable database of full text digitized images from area publications including Town Topics, Princeton Herald, Princeton Recollector, The Daily Princetonian, Princeton University Weekly Bulletin, Local Express, and Nassau Literary Review. More titles and dates will be added in the future. Check the database for current coverage. Read more about the descriptions of the included publications here. Learn more about the ongoing digitization project here.
City Directories and Telephone Directories
The library has a variety of directories for locating addresses of Princeton residents and local business as well as Princeton University and Princeton Theological Seminary students. City directories can include profession and marital status of the occupants and well as a list of other members of the household. Some of the directories also include maps. Phone directories may include both white and yellow pages. Criss-cross directories include listings by (listed) phone numbers and street address. To access these, please ask for assistance at the 2nd floor Information Desk.
Princeton Directories and Polk’s Princeton Directories
In print: the library has 1916-1917 to 1982, with some gaps. Click here for complete holdings and click on Availability by Location on the right hand side of the screen.
On microfilm: the library has City Directories of the United States, Princeton including the years 1901-1935, on 3 reels of microfilm. For access, please ask for assistance at the 2nd floor Information Desk.
Online: A smattering of years are available via the HeritageQuest database. These years are: 1901-1915, 1919, 1921-1928, 1931-1936, 1938-1942, 1947, 1949, 1950, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1958. Princeton Public Library cardholders can access this database from home.
Some of the older directories also include maps.
Princeton Community Phone Book
These items are uncatalogued and are not in the online catalog. Years held: 1961, 1963-1989, 1997-2001 and 2003.
Yellow Book Princeton
These items are uncatalogued and are not in the online catalog. Years held: 2009-2010, 2010-2011, 2014-2015, 2015-2016
Princeton and Suburban Trenton, including Trenton Phone Book
These items are uncatalogued and are not in the online catalog. Years held: 1979, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016
Criss-Cross Directories
The titles have changed over the years, but include Hill-Donnelly and InfoUSA City directories as title variants. The library has Princeton and Suburban Trenton versions which can include Bordentown, Ewing, Mercerville, Trenton, Allentown, Cranbury, Hightstown, Hopewell, Lambertville, Lawrenceville, Pennington, and Plainsboro. These are organized by listed phone number or street address.
Click here for complete holdings and click on Availability by Location on the right hand side of the screen.
Census on Microfilm
There is a small collection of census information from New Jersey Census Schedules and United States Census Schedules available on microfilm. Information recorded by the census goes includes enumeration of the head of each household to the names, dates of birth, race, age, marital status, etc. for every individual.
New Jersey Census Schedules
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United States Census Schedules
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Maps
The map case includes a small but interesting collection of historical Princeton Borough and Princeton Township maps. These include zoning maps, street maps, and bicycle maps. This collection is included in the library’s online catalog. Search using the term Princeton Maps. There are also maps in some of the Princeton city directories. For Sanborn Insurance Maps for Princeton, please click here.
Princeton Vertical File
The Princeton Vertical File was once the only means to keep track of local information of interest at that moment or historical information, prior to the internet and online resources. The material found here was actively collected from the 1970s to the 1990s and is not currently updated. Material found here can include newspaper clippings, brochures, flyers, handouts, directories, meeting notes and minutes, newsletters, and more. The information is organized by subject, including the local Princeton governments, schools, buildings and institutions, people, and organization. Individual items are not cataloged.
Art
Visit the Princeton Room to see art that was commissioned specifically for this space when the library building was designed plus art the library already owned. In particular, note the 13 ceramic tile panels created by Katherine Hackl, depicting scenes from Princeton’s history such as the Mercer Oak, The Witherspoon School, and the Dinky. Don’t miss the bust of Paul Robeson, donated by his friend and sculptor, Antonio Salemme.
Yearbooks
There is a small but growing collection of “The Prince,” the Princeton High School yearbook. Check here for the complete holdings. Click on Availability by Location on the right hand side of the screen.
Other Princeton History resources
A wealth of information can be found at the Historical Society of Princeton. Visit their website to see what they offer, including a digital database of photographs, and digital walking tours.
Other area resources of particular interest are:
Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library (Princeton University)
The Princeton and Slavery Project (Princeton University)
Princeton Seminary and Slavery (Princeton Theological Seminary)
Firestone Library (Princeton University)
Special Collections and University Archives (Rutgers University)