Princeton Public Library

HSP presents an historical panel exhibition each fall in the Princeton Room at the Princeton Public Library. 

Past Exhibitions:

“A Prologue to the Chapters that Follow:” Princeton and Paul Robeson

Spring 2023

This exhibition, developed in partnership with the Historical Society of Princeton, the Princeton Public Library, the Witherspoon-Jackson Historical & Cultural Society, and the Paul Robeson House of Princeton, uses Robeson’s own words to examine both sides of the Robeson-Princeton relationship and its evolution throughout his life.

World War II on the Princeton Home Front

Fall 2019

Although the main action took place across oceans, World War II also permeated civilian life at home. Princeton residents engaged in civilian defense, rationed their purchases, and contributed to foreign relief efforts.  This exhibition explores how World War II affected Princeton and its neighbors on a local level through historic documents and objects.

The Princeton Plan: 70 Years of School Integration

Fall 2018

2018 marked 70 years since Princeton integrated its schools using what has become known as “the Princeton Plan for School Reorganization” in 1948. Under the Princeton Plan’s the all-white Nassau Street School became the Borough’s sole integrated elementary school, while the African-American Witherspoon School for Colored Children was converted into an integrated middle school.

This exhibition, presented in partnership with the Historical Society of Princeton, the Princeton Public Library, and the Witherspoon-Jackson Historical and Cultural Society, explored the local impact and national reverberations of the Princeton Plan.

Princeton and Slavery

Fall 2017

In conjunction with the culmination of the Princeton & Slavery Project, this exhibition drew on historical documents from the Princeton University Archives and the Historical Society of Princeton to illuminate how deeply ingrained the practice of slavery was throughout the community well into the 19th century.