1870 March to Jugtown

“But the peaceful charm and dignity of the old community live on. Under its ancient trees and its mellowed houses, historic and unsung, lingers many a tale.” 

– Old Princeton’s Neighbors

The 1870 parade depicted in this tile is only known from an entry in Jugtown resident Mary Brown’s diary. She noted that a parade came through the Princeton neighborhood, hoping to encourage the New Jersey Legislature to ratify the 15th Amendment and give African Americans the right to vote. 

Queenston, or Jugtown as it became known, was a community bustling with businesses that included Cornelius Conover’s carriage shop, Montgomery Blackwell’s pork-packing establishment, William Leggett’s wheelwright shop, a silkworm cocoonery near Pine Street, and the Margerum and McCarthy quarries. Horner House, located at 344 Nassau Street, can be seen in the back of this tile. Horner Pottery’s clay pits supplied bricks for the inside walls of Nassau Hall, the largest stone building in the colonies and one of the oldest buildings at Princeton University. The pottery business inspired the name, Jugtown. The Queenston Chapel was an integral part of life in Jugtown. The community had a brass band that was organized in the late 1870s, and a volunteer fire company, Princeton Fire Engine Company No. 1. The first women’s college in New Jersey, Evelyn College for Women, was established in 1887. 

Jugtown officially became part of Princeton Borough in an 1813 charter.

Articles

1. “Black Parade Recalled in 1870 Diary” (Princeton Recollector, Volume 1, Number 10, 1 April 1976)
2. “Student Researches Jugtown Quarries” by David Laschever (Princeton Recollector, Volume 1, Number 1, 1 May 1975)
3. “Memorabilia Sought” (Town Topics, 1 April 1976)
4. “Jugtown Boasts a Proud Tradition” (Princeton Recollector, Volume 1, Number 8, 1 February 1976)
5. “Should Jugtown Be An Historic District? Community Discussion Scheduled Tuesday” (Town Topics, 13 August 1986)
6. Queenston: The Bygone Hamlet with a Colorful Past and Charming Presence by Wendy Greenberg (Princeton Magazine, 13 July 2022)

Books

1. Jugtown/Queenston: Jugtown Historic District Princeton’s 18th Century Crossroads Village by Clifford Zink (Princeton Public Library)
2. Old Princeton’s Neighbors by Federal Writers’ Project (Princeton Public Library)

Websites

1. Jugtown Historic District (National Register of Historic Places)
2. Green Oval Tour: A Snapshot of 18th Century Princeton (The Historical Society of Princeton)
3. “Jugtown” record search (The Historical Society of Princeton)
4. Overlay Zoning Map of Historic Preservation and Buffer Districts (prepared by Princeton Engineering Department, Dec. 8, 2014; accessed from Municipality of Princeton)