By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer
The Historical Society of Princeton turned 75 on Thursday, an anniversary marking 75 years of preserving and telling the story of a community and its people.
Each year, some 15,000 visitors pass through the doors of the Bainbridge House, the colonial-era home that today serves as the organization’s headquarters and museum.
”We’re not one of the oldest, that’s for sure. But I feel as if 75 years is pretty incredible for a small organization,” said Erin Dougherty, the executive director of the organization since 2007. “And I think it’s a real tribute to the fact that we’re in Princeton, that we’ve been able to grow and become a truly professional organization with the same goals as at the beginning.”
The society began in February 1938 with a group of concerned citizens wanting to preserve the history of Princeton. Their numbers were small, some 10 to 12 people, who would gather in homes and put on programs.
Since that time, the society feels it has stayed true to its roots through collecting artifacts, photos, letters and other materials. All the while it has had events and programs that offer insights into the people who made Princeton the town it is, from the Italian immigrants who built Princeton University to the black population who endured living in a segregated community into the 20th century.
”Every year, you have to reinvent yourself as a small nonprofit,” said Ms. Dougherty on Thursday. “You always to have an eye toward appealing toward your audiences.”
A few years ago, the society made a major investment to acquire the Updike Farmstead to help preserve the community’s agricultural history. Though the organization has a limited budget, there are items it will seek to buy to add to its collection. People still offer to donate items, although the organization is selective in what it accepts as part of its collection policy.
”There has to be a standard of significance,” said Dan Scheid, one of the 18 trustees who oversee the society. “It’s not the purpose to collect the brick-a-brac of Princeton, but to have some significance and some relationship to the bigger picture story.”
High on the organization’s acquisition list these days are things related to consolidation to collect notable pieces that represent the borough and the township, Ms. Dougherty said.
Part of the challenge the society faces is making local history relevant.
Mr. Scheid said the society’s recent exhibit on Albert Einstein was a good example of doing that, complete with personal furniture he used. He called it a way of taking “the quieter moments of his life and demonstrating to people that here was a man living here in Princeton in a very simple and ordinary way like many of us do.”
To nurture the next generation of history lovers, the society works with local and area schools to bring children to learn about Princeton’s past. In doing so, the organization learns a thing or two from them.
”When you talk to third-graders,” Ms. Dougherty said, “we see how important electronic devices are to them and instant communication, and how can that change what we do in terms of how we package and how we deliver and how we talk about” history.

