The Princeton Battlefield in Princeton, Mercer County, New Jersey, United States, is where American and British troops fought each other on January 3, 1777 in the Battle of Princeton during the American Revolutionary War. The battle ended when the British soldiers in Nassau Hall surrendered. This success, following those at the Battle of Trenton on December 26, 1776 and the Battle of the Assunpink Creekthe day before, helped improve American morale. Part of the battlefield is now a state park, while other portions remain under threat of development. For several years, the Institute for Advanced Study has been attempting to build faculty housing on the portion of Princeton Battlefield known as Maxwell's field. The Princeton Battlefield Society is protesting the project in court, and national and local preservation organizations are working to prevent construction on the property. The American Battlefield Trust, based in Washington, D.C., has reached agreement with the institute to purchase almost 15 acres of the land for $4.5 million, more than $1 million above the site's appraised value. The Trust and its partners had already acquired and preserved of the battlefield. On May 30, 2018, the Trust announced that it had finalized the purchase after raising almost $3.2 million from private donors, which was matched by an $837,000 grant from the National Park Service and the Mercer County Open Space Assistance Program. The completed purchase ended the long dispute over how and whether the battlefield land would be developed.
Princeton Battlefield State Park is a state park located in Princeton. The park preserves part of the site of the Battle of Princeton, which was a victory for General George Washington's revolutionary forces over British forces. The park is maintained by the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry, and is located on Mercer Road, about 1.5 miles south of Princeton University and 3.8 miles north of Interstate 295/95. Highlights of the park include the Princeton Battlefield site; the Clarke House Museum; the site of the Mercer Oak, a tree which stood in the middle of the battlefield until recent years; the Ionic Colonnade designed by Thomas U. Walter ; and a stone patio marking the grave of 21 British and 15 American soldiers killed in the battle. A poem was written for the site by Alfred Noyes, Poet Laureate of England. The park's hiking trails lead to the Delaware and Raritan Canal and to the adjacent property of the Institute for Advanced Study. The Princeton Battle Monument is located in town near Princeton University on non-adjacent park property at Stockton Street and Bayard Lane.
In 1989 the National Register of Historic Places designation of the Battlefield was expanded to form the Princeton Battlefield / Stony Brook Village Historic District. Princeton's original settlers were Quaker farmers along the Stony Brook immediately to the south and west of the battlefield. The Stony Brook Meeting House and Cemetery was well established at the time of the revolution and in full sight of the battle. The meetinghouse and associated farms are part of the contiguous preserved area that includes the battlefield.
