History is for Everyone

NJ, USA

Bainbridge House

Historic House

Bainbridge House is a Georgian-style house built around 1766 on Nassau Street in Princeton. It is the birthplace of Commodore William Bainbridge, a naval hero of the War of 1812, and served as the headquarters of the Historical Society of Princeton for many years. The house was standing during the Battle of Princeton and the period when Congress met at Nassau Hall.

The building is one of the few surviving colonial-era structures on Nassau Street.

What Happened Here

The house was built by Robert Stockton, a member of the extended Stockton family. Its location on Nassau Street placed it at the center of colonial Princeton life and within the area occupied by British forces during the winter of 1776-1777. The house witnessed the passage of troops, the sound of cannon during the battle, and the arrival of the Continental Congress in 1783. Its survival provides a tangible link to the built environment of revolutionary Princeton.

Visiting Today

Address

158 Nassau St, Princeton, NJ 08542

Hours

Varies; check Historical Society schedule

Admission

Free

Connected Events

Aug 1776
Witherspoon Signs the Declaration of Independence

John Witherspoon, Richard Stockton, James Madison

Nov 1776
College of New Jersey Closes for the War

John Witherspoon, James Madison

Nov 1776
Capture of Richard Stockton

Richard Stockton, Annis Boudinot Stockton

Dec 1776
Annis Stockton Buries Family Papers at Morven

Annis Boudinot Stockton, Richard Stockton

Dec 1776
British Occupation of Princeton

Charles Mawhood, John Witherspoon, Thomas Olden

Jan 1777
Night March from Trenton to Princeton

George Washington, Hugh Mercer

Jan 1777
Battle of Princeton

George Washington, Hugh Mercer, Charles Mawhood, Benjamin Rush