Princeton in Mercer County, New Jersey — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
The Great Lawn
⎯⎯⎯
Morven Museum & Garden
The Great Lawn
By the time Commodore Robert F. Stockton (1795-1866) began to improve Morven in the 1850s, a picturesque, "natural" landscape style was the mode. The Commodore's landscaping therefore featured a front lawn with irregularly placed trees and a small hillock in front of the house. The flowers and shrubs planted here now are based on 19th-century descriptions and photographs, including the memory of one Stockton cousin who recalled a footpath divided from the carriage drive by a grass strip and "round beds of daylilies planted at intervals [which] made the front of the house more interesting by affording one the chance to jump over them all in succession instead of walking on the path."
Morven Museum & Garden
Morven Construction Timeline:
Original structure built c. 1757, burned 1758, rebuilt 1760s. Major additions and alterations in 1788, 1790s, 1850s, and 1947. Built as a home for Richard Stockton, signer of the Declaration of Independence, who resided here until 1781. Served as the New Jersey Governor's Mansion from 1954-1982.
Designated a National Historic Landmark: July 17, 1971
Erected 2020 by New Jersey Historic Trust.
Topics and series.
this page online
Location. 40° 20.848′ N, 74° 40.022′ W. Marker is in Princeton, New Jersey, in Mercer County. It is on Stockton Street (U.S. 206) just east of Library Place, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 55 Stockton St, Princeton NJ 08540, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in New Jersey’s Central Jersey. It is also in the American Northeast and in the Mid-Atlantic. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Netherland and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The West Wing (within shouting distance of this marker); The Commodore's Greenhouse (within shouting distance of this marker); The Ice House (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named The Colonial Revival Garden (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Horse Chestnut Walk (within shouting distance of this marker);
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), October 15, 2022
2. Morven Museum & Garden side of the marker
Other markers no longer nearby. The Kings Highway (was a few steps from this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); The Colonial Revival Garden (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); The Wash House (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); a different marker also named The West Wing (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); The Horse Chestnut Walk (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); The Front Garden (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); The House Front (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
Additional keywords.
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), October 15, 2022
3. The Great Lawn / Morven Museum & Garden Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on October 17, 2022. It was originally submitted on October 17, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 234 times since then and 24 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 17, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
