Summary
Overview
Sesquicentennial
Celebration Committee.
Sesquicentennial Celebration Records
circa 1887-1993 (mostly 1894-1904)
6.02 linear feet, 2 archival boxes, 1 half-size archival box, 3 flat
11" x 9" x 1.5" archival boxes, 1 25" x 30" x 3" archival box, and 10 custom
boxes
Abstract
The collection consists of materials relating to the three-day
Sesquicentennial Celebration in October 1896, at which the College of New Jersey
became Princeton University. In addition to ephemera and printed material
distributed at the celebration, the collection includes a typescript draft of
President Francis Landey Patton's sermon, sesquicentennial memorial books, a
published sketchbook, official congratulations from other institutions, and press
releases and newspaper clippings reporting the events.
Description
Collection Creator
History
The celebration of the College's 150th anniversary in October 1896 was an event over
two years in the making. By all accounts, it was a great success. Participants long
remembered the eloquent speeches made by former U.S. President Grover Cleveland and
future U.S. President Woodrow Wilson and the procession of torch-carrying
Princetonians that marched through town to a Nassau Hall covered with orange
electric lights. The culminating announcement came from College President Francis
Landey Patton when he declared that “what heretofore for one hundred fifty years has
been known as the College of New Jersey shall in all future time be known as
Princeton University.”
The three-day Sesquicentennial Celebration included hundreds of undergraduates,
thousands of alumni, representatives from universities throughout the world,
distinguished European scholars, and delegations of students from other colleges and
universities. The College and the town were decorated everywhere with red, white,
and blue, and orange and black banners; the College erected an arched gateway at one
end of Nassau Street, while the town put up a matching gateway at the other end.
Princeton won the sesquicentennial football game against Virginia, 48-0. In addition
to Grover Cleveland and then Professor Woodrow Wilson, speakers at the celebration
included several European scholars, the poet and professor Henry van Dyke, the
president of Harvard, Charles Eliot, and the College's own president, Francis Landey
Patton.
Collection History
Acquisition
Compiled by the Sesquicentennial Celebration Committee and the University
Library. The third scrapbook in Series 4 and the contents of Series 3 were
donated to the Library in June 1904 by the Rev. George Blackburn Kinkead III,
Class of 1899.
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Matthew Reeder in
December 2002. Finding aid
written by Matthew Reeder in
December 2002. Boxes 16 and
17 were added by Christie Peterson in May 2012.
Access and Use
Access Restrictions
Collection is open for research use.
Use Restrictions
Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. Permission to publish
material from the collection must be requested from the University Archivist.
Copyright is held by the Trustees of Princeton University.
Preferred Citation
Sesquicentennial Celebration Records; circa 1887-1993 (mostly 1894-1904), Princeton University Archives, Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, Princeton University Library.
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Related Material
Other materials relating to the Princeton Sesquicentennial Celebration can be
found in the P Collection and in the University Library's general catalogue.
Princeton University Library Finding Aids 
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