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 found in this room is a collection of general genealogy reference material, African-American genealogy and history resources and first editions of books by Princeton author, John McPhee.
The Princeton Room includes a few pieces of original art of specific importance to Princeton and the library. Along the ceiling edges is a series of 13 ceramic tile panels depicting scenes from Princeton’s history such as the Mercer Oak, The Witherspoon School, and the Dinky. The panels, created by artist Katherine Hackl, were designed specifically for this space when the current library building was built. There is also a bust of Paul Robeson, created in 1928 by Robeson’s friend, Antonio Salemme and donated to the library by Mrs. A. N. Spanel in 1986.
Periodically, the Princeton Room hosts exhibits on a variety of Princeton history topics in collaboration with the Historical Society of Princeton. Many of these go on to become digital exhibits such as the one from Spring 2023, “A Prologue to the Chapters that Follow”: Princeton and Paul Robeson.” This is now available online on the Historical Society of Princeton’s website. Other exhibits of interest are: Princeton and Women’s Suffrage: “The Greatest Question of the Day,” “World War II on the Princeton Home Front“, and “The Princeton Plan: 70 Years of School Integration.”
Use the links on the A Visit to Princeton page on our website for links to walking tours and historic sites within walking distance of the library.
For additional information about our Local History 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 the education system, churches and organizations, 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 weekly copies of the two local newspapers, the Princeton Packet and Town Topics. Only the two most recent months of each can be found in the Newsroom on the 2nd floor. The library does not keep back issues of these papers in print but instead relies on the searchable online database, Papers of Princeton, for digitized copies of historical newspapers, as well as the Packet and Town Topic online archives and our microfilm holdings (listed below). Refer to the section below, Local Newspaper Indexes and Online Databases, for detailed information about the Papers of Princeton, what it includes, plus how to access and search this vital resource.
Back issues of the Princeton Packet are available on microfilm. These are being slowly digitized and added to Papers of Princeton, under their original names (Princeton Whig, Princeton Press, Princeton Standard, etc.). The online version of the Packet 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. The Woman’s Newspaper of Princeton is also included in Papers of Princeton as are the Princeton Herald and the Princeton Recollector.
Local Newspapers on Microfilm
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 the online catalog record for more information. Use Papers of Princeton whenever possible.
The Princeton Packet [July 12, 1839 – present, with gaps] Name changes many times over the years
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There is a Crowley UScan HD+ microfilm/microfiche reader printer, in the Business Center on the 2nd floor. Library users are now able to print and/or email images as well as save to a flash drive or to a variety of cloud services such as Google Drive and Dropbox. The library is unable to lend microfilm through interlibrary loan so please contact us if you have questions regarding the microfilm.
Local Newspaper Indexes and Online Databases
Currently, there are a only a few newspaper indexes for the newspapers owned by the library or others in the Princeton area. However, each index has its own rules for what was included and they are often incomplete, with varying dates of coverage and 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 us or visit the 2nd floor Information Desk if you need assistance with your research.
Papers of Princeton
The Papers of Princeton is 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, plus early issues of Princeton Packet (under its earlier names) and The Woman’s Newspaper of Princeton. With many options for searching, including name, subject, keyword, date, title of newspaper, as well as the ability to save, download or print articles or even read an entire issue cover-to-cover, this is the best, most complete resource available for accessing historical newspapers specific to Princeton.
This database is a collaboration between Princeton University, The Historical Society of Princeton and the Princeton Public Library. It is an ongoing project and we anticipate more titles and dates being added in the future. Please check the database for current coverage. Read more about the descriptions of the included publications here. Learn more about the ongoing digitization project here.
Local Newspaper Index
This index was created and maintained by library staff and volunteers for a limited number of years, first as card catalog (see below) of article citations which then moved to the more accessible online version. Princeton Packet and Town Topics index began 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. Search 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.
This is not a full-text database and will only give a citation for an article. The complete article will be only be found on the library’s microfilm collection of the Princeton Packet.
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.
Princeton Packet and Town Topics Index on microfilm
As part of a bicentennial project, the library began indexing the two local newspapers, the Princeton Packet and Town Topics. This was a physical card catalog that was microfilmed and includes the dates from 1975-1986 and now exists on 7 reels of microfilm. The card catalog is no more. This index is the precursor of the Local Newspaper Index, and these card catalog/microfilm entries were added to the Local Newspaper Index online version. These is almost no reason, except curiosity, to search this resource as its information is now available online.
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.
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. 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 Packet Archives
As part of an ongoing project with Princeton University, the Princeton Packet (under its variety of earlier names) is in the process of being digitized and images are being added to Papers of Princeton. Recently added are Princeton Whig, Princeton Press, and Princeton Standard, for roughly the years 1834 to 1870 with huge gaps. See the database for specific years and issue dates that are currently viewable. See also the Local Newspaper Index. For dates between 1956 and 2013, you might find references to events that were reported in Town Topics, which is digitized and searchable through Papers of Princeton. You can then manually search the Princeton Packet microfilm around the relevant dates to see what was reported in the Packet, if anything.
More recent issues of the Princeton Packet, 2016 to present, are available online. Click on the “Papers” tab and scroll to the bottom of the list to “Read Digital Issues Online.” Also found on this site are the Archives for 2000-2015. Or use this link to page through the complete issue of more recent dates.
Princeton Recollector Index
This is available in print in the Local History Neighborhood and is not all that helpful. Call number: Local History REF 071.4965 Sub. The digitized version of the Recollector newspaper is now included in the Papers of Princeton.
Maps – Print & Digital
The map case in the Princeton Room includes a small but interesting collection of historical Princeton Borough and Princeton Township printed maps. These include zoning maps, street maps, and bicycle maps. Search for a specific map in the library’s online catalog if you know of words from the title of the map. Or view a list of all cataloged maps using this link for the Princeton Public Library Map Collection. In the catalog record, look under About and click on Full Details to learn more.
Additional printed maps can be found in some of the Polk city directories, in old phone books, as part of individual books that are part of the Local History neighborhood and in the Princeton Architectural Survey. There may also be uncatalogued maps in the Vertical File.
Many of these maps were donations from Princeton University and may be part of their Digital Maps & Geospatial Data collection which also includes the Sanborn Insurance Maps for Princeton. There are quite a number of map collections, accessible online. that offer fully digitized maps, both historical and more current.
For a list digital collections, complete with links for easy access, please refer to this document.
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.
City Directories and Telephone Directories
The library has a variety of directories for locating addresses of Princeton residents and local businesses 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.
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.
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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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)