Princeton in Mercer County, New Jersey — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Colonnade and Gravesite
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, January 1, 2013
1. Colonnade and Gravesite Marker
This colonnade was originally part of Mathew Newkirk’s home in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Later called St. George’s Hall. The house was designed by Thomas U. Walter, who later designed the dome on the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D. C. In 1900, the colonnade was transported to Princeton, and became the entrance of the Mercer Manor, which formerly stood on the east side of the Battlefield. Upon the Manor’s demolition in 1957, the Institute for Advanced Study donated the colonnade to the State of New Jersey. The colonnade was dedicated where it stands in 1959, and declared a National Historic Monument in 1962.Beyond the colonnade lies a circular stone patio and a tablet dedicated to the men who died in the Battle of Princeton. The memorial was erected in 1918, in memory of the thirty-six unknown soldiers buried nearby, including fifteen American and twenty-one British soldiers. The words engraved on the tablet are those of Alfred Noyes (1880 – 1958), taken from his poem Princeton (1917). Noyes was a visiting professor at Princeton University, and later became Poet Laureate of England.
Created by Chris Wang
this page online
Erected by State of New Jersey, Division of Parks and Forestry.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Cemeteries & Burial Sites • War, US Revolutionary. A significant historical year for this entry is 1900.
Location. 40° 19.94′ N, 74° 40.567′ W. Marker is in Princeton, New Jersey, in Mercer County. Marker is on Mercer Street, half a mile north of Parkside Drive, on the right when traveling south. This mmarker is on the edge of a large open field in the Princeton Battlefield State Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Princeton NJ 08540, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Mercer Oak (within shouting distance of this marker); This is Hallowed Ground (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Historic Portico Preservation and Rebuilding (about 600 feet away); Burial Site of those who fell in the Battle of Princeton (about 700 feet away); Site of Moulder’s Battery (approx. 0.2 miles away); The British Occupation of New Jersey (approx. 0.2 miles away); General Hugh Mercer (approx. 0.2 miles away); From Trenton to Princeton (approx. Ľ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Princeton.
Photographed By Gary Nigh, August 2008
2. Colonnade and Gravesite Marker
Photographed By Gary Nigh, August 2008
3. An 1835 sketch of St. George’s Hall in Philadelphia, PA.
St. George’s Hall sketch courtesy of the Athenaeum of Philadelphia
Photographed By Gary Nigh, August 2008
4. The Mercer Manor circa 1926
Mercer Manor photograph courtesy of The Daughters of the American Revolution
Photographed By Gary Nigh, August 2008
5. Colonnade and Gravesite Marker
Photographed By Gary Nigh, August 2008
6. Colonnade
Photographed By David Graff, September 18, 2014
7. Circular Stone Patio and Tablet
Dedicated to the men who died in the Battle of Princeton
Photographed By David Graff, September 18, 2014
8. Tablet in the Circular Stone Patio
Near here lie buried the American and British officers and soldiers who fell in the Battle of Princeton, January 3rd 1777. Here freedom stood by slaughtered friend and foe. And ere the wrath paled or that sunset died. Looked through the ages, then, with eyes aglow. Laid them to wait that future side by side. -- Alfred Noyes 1880-1958
Photographed By Larry Gertner, November 14, 2019
9. Battlefield panorama from the Colonnade and Gravesite Marker
The Mercer Oak is to the left; the Thomas Clarke house is in the far distance to the right.
Credits. This page was last revised on January 22, 2020. It was originally submitted on August 12, 2008, by Gary Nigh of Trenton, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 1,902 times since then and 233 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on January 2, 2013, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on August 12, 2008, by Gary Nigh of Trenton, New Jersey. 7, 8. submitted on August 18, 2018, by David Graff of Halifax, Nova Scotia. 9. submitted on January 21, 2020, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. • Kevin W. was the editor who published this page.
