Open Archive

Did you know that less than 1% of HSP’s vast collection is on view at any given time? The Historical Society of Princeton’s Open Archive series allows visitors to interact with rare and little-seen artifacts and documents from HSP’s vast collection. Featuring a different theme each time, these events present historical material with minimal interpretation (no labels or glass boxes here!) and encourage visitors to make observations, ask questions, and be the historian themselves. HSP’s Curator of Collections and Research is on hand to share information and answer any questions.

Upcoming Events:

 

Past Events:

July 4, 2023, 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm: Collection materials relating to Princeton consolidation

March 14, 2023, 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm: Collections materials relating to Albert Einstein 

May 27, 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm: VIRTUAL – Collections materials relating to healthcare in Princeton. Click here to watch the recording.

January 23, 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm: Collections materials relating to the home front experience in Princeton during World War II. 

December 3, 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm: Collections materials relating to monuments and memorials in Princeton. 

October 17, 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm: Collections materials relating to the home front experience in Princeton during World War II. 

September 17, 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm: Collections materials relating to the history of schools in Princeton.

July 4, 12 pm to 3 pm: Collections materials from the Stockton Family Papers at Morven Museum and Garden’s July 4 Jubilee.

June 12, 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm: Collections materials relating to the Delaware & Raritan Canal.

April 24, 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm: Collections materials relating to the Civil War.

February 19, 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm: Collections materials relating to architecture.

December 11, 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm: Collections materials relating to segregation in Princeton.

November 13, 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm: Collections materials relating to farming and agriculture.

November 7, 2018: Collections materials relating to houses on the 2018 House Tour.

October 30, 2018: Collections materials relating to voting and campaigns.

October 13, 2018: Collections material relating to the Stockton’s and slavery in Princeton at Morven’s Slave Dwelling Project Community Day.

September 30, 2018: Collections material relating to Princeton restaurants and food culture.

May 6, 2018: Collections material relating to World War I, at the New Jersey Gay Men’s Chorus concert, “1918: A Musical Time Capsule of Remembrance and Resistance from WWI America.”

April 17, 2018: Collections materials relating to trolleys, trains, and transit.

February 28, 2018: Collections materials relating to an Italian immigrant family in Princeton

January 15, 2018: Collections materials relating to segregation in Princeton

October 30, 2017: Princeton and Slavery Project materials

September 24, 2017: World War I materials