Bainbridge House, Home For The

Historical Society Of Princeton

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Bainbridge House Princeton Special Section rss

Bainbridge House is one of the oldest surviving buildings in Princeton still on its original foundation and is also one of the area’s best-preserved examples of mid-Georgian architecture. Job Stockton, a prosperous tanner and cousin of Richard Stockton (a signer of the Declaration of Independence), built Bainbridge House in 1766. Bainbridge House’s Georgian style is exemplified in its symmetrical proportions.

Upon Job Stockton’s death in 1771, the house passed on to Job’s brother Robert. Robert leased the house to various tenants, including Dr Absalom Bainbridge, after whose son William (born in Bainbridge House on May 7, 1774), the house is named. more than 100 years, in 1877 the house was sold to Princeton University (at the time known as the College of New Jersey).

Since that time, Bainbridge House has served as a residence for students; the home of the Princeton Public Library; and now the headquarters of the Historical Society of Princeton. Bainbridge House has undergone both exterior and interior restorations under the stewardship of the Historical Society of Princeton.

In 2004 the Historical Society of Princeton acquired the historic Updike Farmstead in Princeton Township to expand its operations. The farmstead now consists of six acres of land, a farmhouse, barns, chicken coops, other outbuildings and a windmill. The property lies in a State and National Historic District and Princeton Township’s Battlefield Preservation District. The farm is along the route followed by Continental troops on their way to engage British soldiers at the neighboring Thomas Clarke farm at Princeton Battlefield.

Benjamin Clarke, an original Stony Brook settler, first owned the land as part of a 1,200 acre parcel he purchased in 1696. The property remained in the hands of his descendents for more than 150 years. George Furman Updike acquired the farm in 1892. The historical society purchased the remaining six-acre farmstead from his family. Funding assistance came from the New Jersey Green Acres Program and the Mercer County Open Space Preservation Board.

Plans for rehabilitation of the farmstead buildings and their adaptive reuse (including public spaces for exhibitions and programs, collections storage and staff offices) and placement of interpretive signage for public tours of the property are in development. Acquisition of the farmstead allows the Historical Society to expand Bainbridge House capacity for exhibitions and will grant greater access to its collections both on view and in storage. Bainbridge House and the Updike Farmstead together will help the Historical Society of Princeton tell the stories of Princeton Borough and Princeton Township residents, and how their lives impacted the state and region.