A short time afterward Gen. Charles Cornwallis' troops occupied Nassau Hall as they pushed Gen. George Washington's army westward. Early the next year Washington followed up his victory at Trenton by surprising and defeating the British in the Battle of Princeton. A monument at Mercer, Nassau and Stockton streets commemorates the battle.
In 1783 the Continental Congress met in Nassau Hall when mutinous American soldiers drove its members from Philadelphia. It was during this time that members received news of the treaty of peace with Great Britain.
Community life has long melded with that of the university and other institutions of higher education. Albert Einstein spent his last years at the Institute for Advanced Study.
The Historical Society of Princeton offers a 2-hour guided walking tour of historic Princeton every Sunday at 2; phone (609) 921-6748. The Princeton Tour Company offers self-guiding audio and guided bus and walking tours of Princeton University and the city's historic areas.
Visitor Centers
Princeton Regional Chamber of Commerce 182 Nassau St., Suite 301 Princeton, NJ 08542. Phone:(609)924-1776
Self-guiding Tours
The Historical Society of Princeton has brochures outlining walking tours around such topics as 18th-century houses and architecture. These brochures can be obtained at the society's headquarters at the Updike Farmstead, 354 Quaker Rd.