SUMMER 2022
The Joy of Picnics From the Casual to the Chic
Summer on the Square
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PRINCETON MAGAZINE SUMMER 2022
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PRINCETON MAGAZINE Witherspoon Media Group 4438 Route 27 North Kingston, NJ 08528-0125 P: 609.924.5400 | F: 609.924.8818 princetonmagazine.com Correction Razia Iqbal did not interview the prime minister of Ethiopia; it was his spokesman [“Razia Iqbal: Speaking Truth to Power,” Princeton Magazine, June 2022].
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PRINCETON MAGAZINE SUMMER 2022
How far will you go if someone you love has cancer? You’ll do whatever it takes, right? You’ll seek out a surgeon who specializes in the kind of minimally invasive cardiothoracic procedures that use video-assisted or robotic approaches – because it’s on the very leading edge of thoracic surgery. And you’ll also look for something more. You’ll look for care. Because when someone you love has cancer, you want it all. Unparalleled skill and unmatched compassion. And so do we.
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CONTENTS
22 60
52 SUMMER 2022
46
40
12
70 PRINCETON NURSERY SCHOOL
THE JOY OF PICNICS BY WENDY GREENBERG
BY ANNE LEVIN
From the casual to the chic
A safe haven for nearly a century 46
12
ALL THAT JAZZ
“THE GILDED AGE”
BY ILENE DUBE
BY DONALD H. SANBORN III
How Rutgers Professor Erica Armstrong Dunbar helped shape HBO’s hit series
Susan Hockaday and her family fill the world with music, art, design, adventure, and good chemistry 22
52
THE LABRADOR RETRIEVER WITH A TIGER-SIZED HEART
BOOK SCENE
BY TAYLOR SMITH
BY STUART MITCHNER
Celebrating Princeton University Press
Meet “Coach,” Princeton University’s therapy dog, and her devoted handler
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32
PETERS VALLEY SCHOOL OF CRAFT BY LAURIE PELLICHERO
Immersive learning in an inspiring setting 40
32
QUEENSTON BY WENDY GREENBERG
The bygone hamlet with a colorful past and charming presence 64
A WELL-DESIGNED LIFE BY LYNN ADAMS SMITH 70, 72
ON THE COVER: A celebratory family picnic, styled by La TAS Events, at a park in Somerset. (Photo by Suzette Louis-Jacques)
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PRINCETON MAGAZINE SUMMER 2022
(CREDITS) CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: JONES -HOCKADAY, PHOTO BY ANDREW WILKINSON; AUDRA MCDONALD AS PEGGY SCOTT’S MOTHER, DOROTHY. (COURTESY OF HBO); ROBERT K. DURKEE, “THE NEW PRINCETON COMPANION,” PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS ; PETERS VALLEY SCHOOL OF CRAFT; LES OTTOMANS BUTTERFLY LACQUER TRAY, AMARA. COM; PICNIC ON THE RIVER, SHUTTERSTOCK.COM; “COACH” COURTESY OF SGT. ALVAN FLANDERS; PRINCETON NURSERY SCHOOL LOGO, ILLUSTRATIONS AND BRANDING BY GRUSKIN CREATIVE, YOUR BRAND. ELEVATED.
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Let’s beat cancer together.
| FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Have you noticed that many of the people you thought of as printmaking, and woodworking. The school’s facilities are arranged as incredibly resilient and optimistic are now stressed and have grown a farm village and many students choose to live and study on campus weary from the amount of negative news? Our sense of well-being during multi-day workshops. has been shaken by one crisis after another, and it can be a challenge Princeton Nursery School has been nurturing creativity in young to maintain a healthy outlook. children since 1929. The school is located on Leigh Avenue and The stories in this issue are filled with ways to restore a more the cheerful sounds of the children can be heard throughout the positive outlook by exploring art, nature, food, books, music, and Witherspoon-Jackson neighborhood. Anne Levin interviewed the the unconditional love from “Coach,” Princeton University’s therapy new executive director, Leanna Jahnke. Nigerian and Polish by birth, dog. Learning can be invigorating for people of all ages and our goal Jahnke is fluent in Spanish and holds a bachelor’s degree in Hispanic is to provide something new to learn in every story. Studies from the University of Pennsylvania. It’s summer, and I encourage our readers to pause and enjoy the Princeton University has taken a proactive approach to helping therapeutic benefits of Princeton in full bloom. My personal favorites students deal with the pressures of schoolwork and the challenges are the impressive display of rhododendrons at the end of College facing young adults. Coach is the school’s first official certified therapy Road and the enormous southern magnolia on the southwest corner dog and she is warming hearts and minds all over campus. Taylor of Pyne Hall on Princeton’s campus. Marquand Park is a jewel of a Smith interviewed Coach’s handler, Sgt. Alvan Flanders, who works little park that quietly brings so much pleasure to the community. in the Department of Public Safety. He explains how Coach arrived at Many of the trees planted in the Arboretum are 200 years or older, Princeton from Puppies Behind Bars, a program in which incarcerated and their website offers a inmates train canines to become printable tree map that can be fully licensed service and/or used for a fun summer outing. therapy dogs. Marquand Park is on We’ve all probably done some Wendy Greenberg’s list of amount of binge watching on our ideal picnic spots and her story streaming devices to relax and will take you on a historic tour redirect thoughts. If you haven’t of picnicking; from Claude already seen it, I recommend Monet’s Luncheon on the HBO’s The Gilded Age. As you Grass to modern day American immerse yourself in this period picnics. She provides helpful drama you can be certain of its tips on upgrading your picnic historical accuracy, due in part to basket, how to best transport a Rutgers University professor. foods, and shares recipes from Erica Armstrong Dunbar explains local foodies. to Donald Sanborn that she was Ilene Dube interviewed originally brought on to the series artist Susan Hockaday and her as a historical consultant because husband, chemistry professor of her extensive knowledge about Maitland Jones, about their Black women’s lives in the 19th The Skyline Trail at Cape Breton Highlands National Park in Nova Scotia, Canada. lives in terms of art, nature, century. Her contributions have and jazz. Andrew Wilkinson’s photographs offer a glimpse into the earned her the title of co-executive producer and the series has been couple’s home in Hopewell which is a converted barn filled with art renewed for a second season. and books, providing ample space to host jazz concerts with friends If you are interested in local history, you will enjoy Wendy and family. They also discuss how they became the owners of a Greenberg’s article on Queenston, or Jugtown as it was called. Even 100-acre historic homestead in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. Hockaday the most knowledgeable Princeton history buffs will learn a few new comments that life and art are still quite symbiotic in Cape Breton things in this story. Some of you might be aware that the name Jugtown where the health of the oceans directly impacts the lives of fisherman. originated from Horner Pottery dating back to the late 1700s. You Several years ago, I had the pleasure of hiking Cape Breton might be surprised to learn that the Horner family home at 344 Nassau with my children and we experienced the nourishing benefits of Street on the corner of Harrison Street was a stop on the Underground the island’s natural beauty. There are dramatic ocean views, a large Railroad — fascinating! moose population, and a wide range of unique vegetation in the Bob Hillier and I hope you find the stories in this issue informative Acadian and Boreal forests. I have a fond memory of struggling to and inspiring. We wish you all a magical summer filled with happy build an after-dinner campfire on a windy beach, and laughing as memories. we toasted mini-marshmallows because the standard size were not available at the one and only grocery store. All the best, If you are looking for a creative outlet in a charming setting, read Laurie Pellichero’s article on Peters Valley School of Craft. It is a haven for artists of all skills and levels, offering classes in blacksmithing, ceramics, fibers, fine metals, photography, glass, Lynn Adams Smith Editor-In-Chief 10
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PRINCETON MAGAZINE SUMMER 2022
Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.com
Dear Readers,
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The
Joy
of
Picnics
From the Casual to the Chic By Wendy Greenberg
“There are few things so pleasant as a picnic eaten in perfect comfort.” – W. Somerset Maugham, The Razor’s Edge, 1943
W
hen cookbook author Mary Abitanto eats al fresco, she appreciates both the landscape and the escape. “A picnic to me is a chance to become grounded in the literal and figurative sense,” she says. “You become engulfed by the beauty of nature’s landscape and awaken your sense of smell (fragrant flowers, ocean breezes), sense of sound (birds chirping, ocean waves crashing), and taste (yummy picnic food).” Abitanto calls it an “awe-inspiring backdrop that we cannot find anywhere else except in nature’s midst.” Think Monet’s Luncheon on the Grass or The Picnic, or Georges Seurat’s A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. Eating outdoors enjoyed a renaissance during the pandemic as socializing moved mostly outside. Even now, shared outdoor meals remain a go-to social event, an experience that can be casual or upscale. The modern picnic is accessible to all levels of merriment and communing, keeping in mind food safety and environmental responsibility, along with a great culinary experience, and a delightful view. (It has also become a popular Instagram opportunity.) “Picnicking has become a popular trend,” says Suzette Louis-Jacques, a luxury picnic planner at La TAS Events in Somerset County. She said it started before the pandemic in the U.S. South and on the West Coast, and had been pivoting to the Northeast. Louis-Jacques adds that “picnics are not for everyone,” so she discusses personal taste with the picnic-goer. “You want to plan it out,” she says. Whether the emphasis is on the food or the mood, there are choices to be made: what food to bring, how complex a meal, and location. Additionally, we might think about how to reduce food waste, and, perhaps just for fun, step up our accoutrements: there are some pretty amazing backpacks that include glasses, utensils, blankets, and much more. “PIQUE-NIQUE” HISTORY
“The original definition of the word ‘picnic’ denoted something like a potluck,” said the late food historian Lynne Olver, founder of foodtimeline.org, on National Public Radio in 2013. “So you would have a bunch of people getting together, and each would be contributing to the feast.” The “All-American Picnic,” as described in Good Housekeeping in July 1976, consisted of pineapple-glazed baked ham, corn relish, potato salad, buttermilk chocolate cake, and lemonade — but outdoor gatherings were a little more creative throughout history. (Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.com)
Georges Seurat’s A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. (Wikipedia)
The magazine History Today in 2019 noted in “The History of the Picnic” that the French root may derive from the verb piquer (“to peck” or “to pick”) and the noun “nique” (“a small amount” or “nothing whatsoever”). The article by Alexander Lee, a fellow in the Centre for the Study of the Renaissance at the University of Warwick, notes that the words first appear in Les Charmans effects des barricades, ou l’amité durable de la compagnie des freres Bachiques de Pique-Nique (1649), a burlesque satire, where the character Pique-Nique is “a hero of the barricades; but, is also a glutton, whose guzzling stands in stark contrast to the food shortages caused by the very rebellion he was leading.” The name referred to a lavish meal enjoyed at other people’s expense, but within 50 years, it came to mean a meal where each guest brings a share. In the 18th century, the aristocracy moved these meals indoors, with diners expected to contribute. The gatherings became known for conversation and wit. According to History Today, “Typical in this regard was Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who, while rewriting the first act of Les Muses galantes in Paris, would often dine with the Abbé de Condillac ‘tête à tête en piquenique.’ In 1777, the novelist Cornelia Knight wrote in her diary that, during a stopover in Toulouse, she “was entertained at a ‘pique-nique dinner and dance.’” When the French Revolution sent some
aristocratic picnickers abroad, they introduced the concept to London and formed the PicNic Society in 1801, where every member was required to bring six bottles of wine. Then the middle class moved picnics outdoors and simplified the meals. “The earliest reference to this new way of picnicking appears in John Harris’ The Courtship, Merry Marriage, and Pic-Nic Dinner of Cock Robin and Jenny Wren (1806), a children’s book,” notes the History Today article. When the outdoor meal made its way to the United States, it was as an escape from the city. The outdoor picnic did not fully prevail however, until the early 20th century. Trains, cars, and bicycles made the countryside more accessible, and soon special baskets were produced for the mass market. MELT IN YOUR MOUTH
For Abitanto, of the West Windsor area, picnics tend toward casual chic, with wine, salads, and entrees. Posting on Instagram as Marioochcooks, she is the author of three cookbooks including Food That Will Gather Your Family; Food From My Heart & Home; and her most recent, Gather For The Holidays. She offered these summer picnic “menu essentials,” favorites from her own family’s picnics: Drink suggestions: Water infused with cucumber and mint, juice boxes, bottled water, SUMMER 2022 PRINCETON MAGAZINE
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(Photo courtesy of Suzette Louis-Jacques, La TAS Events)
lemonade with mint and a splash of vodka, chilled prosecco and white wine, and beer. Tip: Fill up an unused tiny pool with ice and place all drinks on the ice, instead of lugging a heavy cooler. If possible, have two pools/coolers — one for alcoholic beverages and one for nonalcoholic beverages. Appetizers: Salsa, guacamole, and chips; a vegetable platter with hummus and roasted veggies like Chinese eggplant, green beans, and asparagus, along with fresh vegetables such as carrots, cucumbers, sugar snap peas, Chinese cauliflower, radishes, tomatoes, and celery; cantaloupe or honey dew melon, prosciutto, and watermelon skewers with a cilantro-lime dressing; mini caprese salad skewers with balsamic glaze and olive oil; and mini chivecream cheese and cucumber tea sandwiches on whole grain bread. Tip: Pre-assemble a vegetable board and cover tightly with plastic wrap for easy transport. Avoid using cheese which will lose its texture in the heat, and impact flavor and taste. Tip: Place a cooler pack under the hummus so it remains chilled. Use a mesh cover over food boards, chips, etc. Lightly dress skewers right before serving. Salads: Heirloom tomato salad with fresh basil ribbons; fruit salad assortment of berries; crisp romaine, tomatoes, red onion, and mozzarella balls; creamy burrata with peaches, heirloom tomatoes, and mint or basil; cucumber, strawberries, avocado, and pomegranates;
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PRINCETON MAGAZINE SUMMER 2022
cucumber, red onion, pomegranates, and dill; Chickpea Pasta Salad (see recipe); and Herby Potatoless Salad (see recipe). Tip: Pre-assemble each salad and store in an insulated bowl so it remains cold. Add cheese like burrata right before serving. Dress salads right before serving. Place dressing in a mason jar with a secure lid inside a cooler. Make vinaigrettes for dressing — keep it light and avoid mayonnaise and creamy dressings like ranch. Tip: If you must have potato salad and coleslaw that contain mayonnaise, use insulated bowls or insulated casserole dishes. Entrees: Turkey and ground beef burgers (if grilling); black bean or lentil burgers; chicken thighs and breasts with barbecue sauce; hot dogs, or a vegetarian or vegan option. Don’t forget the buns. Store raw meats in a separate cooler and don’t mix raw and cooked on plates. Tip: Don’t forget two spatulas: one for flipping raw meat, and one for cooked. Sides: Watermelon, pickled onions, marinated mushrooms, pickles, and baguettes. Desserts: S’mores if there is a grill, pies (“lillipies.com has some great mini pies”), and chocolate chip cookies. The Rutgers Agricultural Experiment Station, Atlantic and Ocean counties, published “Keeping Food Safe When Packing a Picnic,” and notes that: Cut melons need to be kept cold. Melons can be a source of foodborne illness, with bacteria
often present on the rind. Melons should be washed thoroughly before cutting, and then refrigerated immediately. It’s best to chill water, soda, juice, and other drinks before packing them in the cooler. Use a separate cooler for drinks to avoid repeatedly opening and closing the one containing perishable food. Consider partially freezing bottled water to keep the water cold and to add extra coolness to the picnic bag. Food should not remain at room temperature for longer than two hours. Discard all foods that cannot be stored properly or left unrefrigerated for longer than two hours. When temperatures are above 90 degrees F, discard food after one hour. LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION
Most of us have our favorite spots, and Princeton has plenty. The Princeton-Mercer Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the experts at the Nassau Inn, recommend the following: No surprise that the Nassau Inn picked their home base, Palmer Square. It’s referred to as “one of Princeton’s most inviting green spaces.” Take advantage of Palmer Square’s many fine eateries that offer takeout sandwiches, salads, and desserts. Some are boxed and just right for a picnic. palmersquare.com. Princeton Battlefield Park is a “unique blend of American history and natural beauty,” and can include a hike through the adjacent Institute Woods. It has limited shade, but that
CHICKPEA PASTA SALAD From cookbook author Mary Abitanto SERVES 8-10
Ingredients: 1 (29-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained 1 large yellow pepper, seeded and diced 1 large orange pepper, seeded and diced 1 ½ cups carrots, diced (about 3-4 small carrots) ½ large red onion, diced Fresh basil (or fresh parsley) Fresh dill 1 lb. bag vegetable or tri-color Radiatore or Rotelle pasta 1 ½ shallots, diced ½ cup diced feta cheese ½ teaspoon red chili flakes Ground sea salt and cracked black pepper A drizzle of a good quality extra virgin olive oil Table salt to season pasta water 1 cup reserved pasta water Large pot with lid for cooking pasta
Lemon-Hummus Dressing Ingredients: 1 ¼ cups store-bought or homemade hummus 1 freshly squeezed lemon, about 2-3 tbsp. lemon juice 4-5 tbsp. aged sherry vinegar (or apple cider vinegar) Salt and cracked black pepper to taste A drizzle of a good quality extra virgin olive oil
Cook the pasta according to directions. Season pasta water with table salt to flavor the pasta. Note: Tri-color or vegetable pasta will make this salad more colorful, but if you cannot find it use regular. It will not impact the flavor. In the meantime, in a small bowl, add the diced shallots, red chili flakes, sprinkle of sea salt, 2 tablespoons chopped dill, and 5-6 basil leaves cut into ribbons. Add 1 cup of the pasta water and a drizzle of olive oil. Add this to the pasta once drained. This will infuse some added flavor into the pasta salad. Mix well to combine flavors. Next, rinse and drain the large can of chickpeas. In a large bowl, add the chickpeas along with the diced vegetables, red onion, more basil ribbons, about 6-8 more leaves, and more chopped dill to your taste. Season with sea salt and crack black pepper. In a medium-sized bowl with high sides, whisk together the hummus, lemon juice, sherry vinegar, and a drizzle of olive oil along with more salt and cracked black pepper to taste. Combine the pasta with the chickpeas and vegetables. Toss in the hummus dressing and mix well to combine. Garnish with more basil ribbons and chopped dill. Serve cold or at room temperature. Refrigerate to chill. Add feta cheese right before serving salad. If you are serving this at a picnic, store it inside a cooler bag in an insulated bowl to retain the cold and freshness. Keep it out of direct sunlight.
1 (15.5 ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained (reserve 1/8 cup of the chickpea liquid) ½ lemon squeezed, about 1 tablespoon 1 teaspoon minced garlic A drizzle of a good quality extra virgin olive oil Fresh dill, about 2 tablespoons Sea salt to taste Water to loosen (Optional: 1-2 tbsp. of tahini) High-speed blender or food processor
Add all the ingredients in a high-speed blender or food processor and puree until a smooth consistency is achieved. Salt to desired taste.
(Photo by Mary Abitanto)
Homemade Hummus Ingredients:
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(Shutterstock.com)
didn’t seem to hinder the America troops which were victorious over the British. While there doesn’t seem to be a designated picnic area, it gets rave reviews for a picnic spot on trip websites. nj.gov/dep/parksandforests/parks. The Delaware & Raritan Canal State Park banks “make for a lovely, leafy spot from which to watch canoers and kayakers.” Picnic tables and shade can both be found. Although still recovering from damage from Tropical Storm Ida, the Bulls Island Day Use Area is open for picnics, and informal picnicking is allowed along the canal. dandrcanal.com. Marquand Park, with its woodlands and meadows, is a quick step from downtown Princeton, but a totally different environment The 17-acre historic preserve is home to many varieties of trees and plants, and offers picnic tables. marquandpark.org. Mountain Lakes Nature Preserve is often referred to as Princeton’s Central Park, and includes countless hikes, woodlands, and a lake. nynjtc.org/park/mountain-lakes-nature-preserve. OTHER SPOTS NEAR PRINCETON
Community Park North and Pettoranello Gardens — Just a mile north of Nassau Street, picnic benches sit beside a pond, and an amphitheater hosts regular arts events. princetonnj.gov/facilities. Mercer Lake offers kayaking rentals with a covered picnic area, and a gazebo overlooking the lake, within Mercer County Park. mercercountyparks.org. Sayen House & Gardens — The botanical garden is a Hamilton Township municipal park with azaleas, rhododendrons, blooms, bridges, and a gazebo for a contemplative picnic spot. hamiltonnj.com/sayengardens. Mercer Meadows in Pennington is the result of several areas that were unified in 2010. The new park is divided into five districts: Farm History, Rosedale Park, Ecological, Equestrian, and the Pole Farm – each with unique historical and natural aspects, and recreational activities. Rosedale Park’s pavilions are popular picnic spots, but picnic tables are located throughout Mercer Meadows. mercercountyparks.org. Turning Basin Park, off Alexander Street, has grills, pavilions, and picnic tables, plus independently-run canoe/kayak rentals. princetonnj.gov/facilities. Barbara Smoyer Memorial Park on Snowden Lane has a fishing pond, picnic tables, and a playground. princetonnj.gov/facilities. Sourland Mountain Preserve — Owned and operated by Somerset County Parks Commission, the preserve contains several parks and picnic areas such as Duke Island Park, which has an accessible trail and tables. somersetcountyparks.org. Baldpate Mountain was previously owned by the Kuser family, and many historical structures remain. The forests make up one of the
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PRINCETON MAGAZINE SUMMER 2022
largest and least disturbed tracts of woodland in the region, according to its website, and picnic tables are available. mercercountyparks.org. OFF THE BEATEN PATH
Ralph Stover State Park, Pipersville, Pa. The Tohickon Creek makes a scenic picnic area, and the High Rocks section makes for a lovely view. Picnic tables and pavilions available. Carry trash out, no trash facilities. dcnr.pa.gov/ stateparks. Van Saun Park, Paramus. The 146-acre park boasts ball fields, tennis courts, splash pads, picnicking pavilions, playgrounds, a carousel, and miniature train ride, but the main attraction is the Bergen County Zoo. This park has electric vehicle charging stations. co.bergen.nj.us/parksrecreation-areas. Cape May Point State Park, Cape May Point. Picnic areas with tables and shelters are at the park, as well as a group area that can be reserved for a fee. A popular site for bird watching, Cape May Point State Park is known for its lighthouse, beach, and a World War II gun battery and fire control tower. nj.gov/dep/ parksandforests/parks. Washington Crossing State Park, Titusville. The park has two picnic areas with tables and grills located at Knox Grove (with playground
equipment) and Sullivan Grove. Charcoal fires must be confined in metal grills provided onsite or brought in by the picnicker. For larger groups, Greene Grove may be reserved for a fee. The park is the site of Gen. George Washington’s historic 1776 crossing of the Delaware River. The park has biking, hiking, and fishing. nj.gov/ dep/parksandforests/parks. High Point State Park, Wantage. Several picnic areas with table and grills are located throughout the park. Bring your own garbage bags and carry all your trash out with you. For larger groups there are three picnic shelters that can be reserved for a fee. High Point, atop the summit of the Kittatinny Ridge, rises 1,803 feet above sea level — the highest elevation in the state of New Jersey, and has views of three states. nj.gov/dep/parksandforests/parks. Brendan T. Byrne State Forest, New Lisbon. Soak in the Pine Barrens in this park with several picnic areas with table and grills, and two picnic areas for larger groups with a pavilion and gazebo that can be reserved for a fee. Brendan T. Byrne State Forest has more than 25 miles of marked trails, including one which allows for access by wheelchairs. The Batona Trail links Brendan T. Byrne, Wharton, and Bass River state forests. Bring a bag or two, there are no trash receptacles in this park. nj.gov/dep/ parksandforests/parks.
HERBY POTATOLESS SALAD From cookbook author Mary Abitanto SERVES 8
Ingredients : 2 small cauliflower heads, cored and gently boiled ½ cup low-fat Greek yogurt ½ cup light mayo 4-5 scallion stalks, diced light green parts only 2 celery stalks, peeled and diced ½ small, sweet onion, diced 6-8 tbsp. apple cider vinegar or white vinegar Cracked black pepper and ground sea salt to taste Dried tarragon to taste 3 fresh dill sprigs, finely chopped Large pot with lid
(Photo courtesy of Suzette Louis-Jacques, La TAS Events)
(Photo by Mary Abitanto)
Cut the cauliflower into bite-sized florets, not too small because you want them to have a bite to them. Boil the cauliflower in a large pot until just about tender. You may also microwave these if you are using the florets in a bag. Don’t overcook. Allow them to cool. In a large bowl, combine the yogurt, mayo, and vinegar. Whisk until creamy and smooth and no lumps remain. Add the cauliflower florets, diced onions, and celery along with seasonings to taste. Add the tarragon and chopped fresh dill. Tarragon can be slightly overpowering but paired with the dill it has a more subtle undertone. Adding fresh herbs to any dish is a wonderful way to brighten it with fresh flavors. Once cooled, chill for 2 hours and serve chilled or at room temperature. Chilling overnight to meld flavors further is highly recommended. If it dries out a little add 1 or more tbsp. of vinegar to loosen. If you are serving this at a picnic, store it inside a cooler bag in an insulated bowl to retain the cold. Keep it away from direct sunlight. Feel free to skip the mayo if you will be outside all day in the hot sun. In this case, use a higher-in-fat Greek yogurt.
SPECIAL OCCASIONS
Picnics are popular for special occasions such as engagement surprises, birthdays, and fundraising events. Grounds For Sculpture in Hamilton offers Picnic in the Park in the summer to enjoy in the lovely art and garden venue. The venue says, “Indulge in an ambient lunch featuring your choice of starters, sandwiches, and salads and your choice of one bottle of wine. Picnic offerings serve two and come packed in a reusable, insulated tote complete with food, wine, tumblers, flatware, and napkins. Customers can also select a special children’s boxed lunch for an additional price – perfect for a familyfriendly day out.” The menu includes choices such as the Mediterranean Dip Duo, Tapas Sampler, Ham and Brie Sandwich, Health Nut Salad, and more,
and choice of red, white, rosè, or sparkling wine. The price of $60 serves two; a children’s box is an additional $9. Picnic in the Park is available Thursday through Monday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. with pickup at the Van Gogh Café. To preorder, email picnicinthepark@ constellationculinarygroup.com. Picnic Planners — Louis-Jacques of La TAS Events was thinking about an event business after she hosted a picnic for family and friends, and it came to fruition during the pandemic, when many were thinking about eating outdoors. A luxury picnic, she says, “is a unique way to create a memorable experience. Our goal is to create a memory that is special and unique that one will always remember.” La TAS has three picnic packages — Classic, Chic, and Lux — which start at $350 and can run to $525 (20 people maximum). These picnic events can include blankets, cushions, trays, carriers,
baskets, floral arrangements, candles, lanterns, pickup and cleanup, a low-set table, and even traditional picnic games like ring toss and Jenga. A SUSTAINABLE PICNIC
Sustainable Princeton reminds us to act responsibly and host a low-waste event, and take these steps to reduce post-event waste: Rethink food requests. Ask attendees to chip in funds rather than individually-purchased food items. Group purchases of pizza, pasta, or large subs reduce packaging waste and save time and emissions from everyone stopping by the store. Reusable serving dishes make sense. Having a potluck? Encourage guests to bring items in reusable serving dishes rather than disposable containers. Skip bottles and cans. Instead of individual bottles or cans, use reusable dispensers or pitchers. If you are buying soda, purchase larger, recyclable bottles. Either way, offer reusable cups or glassware if you have enough. (Use a dry-erase marker, charms, or little stickers to label cups and glassware.) Reconsider dessert. There’s nothing better than homemade brownies, so skip the popsicles wrapped in plastic and bring baked goods with a smaller footprint. If you’re buying goodies from a local baker, bring a reusable tray or container for transport. Serve sustainable snacks. Keep it simple with items that can be served on a napkin. Go bulk and stay away from individually packaged items. Forego cutlery and plates. Serve finger foods so you can skip the added costs (to your pocket and the planet). When they are needed, stick with reusable products that can be washed for future use. Sort it properly. During the event, ensure you have collecting bins available for recycling, compost (if available), and landfill. Make sure signs are clear and locate all three bins together, so guests are encouraged to sort. ACOUTREMENTS
(Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.com)
(Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.com)
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(Photo courtesy of Grounds For Sculpture)
Step up your picnic game – Amazon.com has a range of picnic baskets and insulated picnic backpacks with blankets, cutlery, and more, and wicker baskets that are movie-set ready. Amazon also has wineglass holders that anchor in the ground and hold a glass just about at sitting level. Also available is grill cleaner for the park grill, and insulated casserole dishes. Also consider small food tents that keep out insects and blowing leaves; bug bracelets; and Bluetooth speakers, but be mindful of picnicking or hiking neighbors. And, for a very Princeton picnic, the Princeton University Store has some University logo-embossed items such as a cheeseboard with utensils; bamboo salad hands; a zipper pouch for keys, phones, and sunscreen; a bread board; an assortment of water bottles and canteens; and table covers and paper napkins.
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ALL THAT JAZZ CONFRONTING THE RISING TIDE OF PLASTIC WASTE,
SUSAN HOCKADAY AND HER FAMILY FILL THE WORLD WITH MUSIC, ART, DESIGN, ADVENTURE, AND GOOD CHEMISTRY
BY ILENE DUBE
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANDREW WILKINSON
everal years ago, artist Susan Hockaday was invited by First Lady Tammy Murphy to exhibit her fine art photographs of plastic detritus at Drumthwacket, the official residence of the governor of New Jersey. Hockaday has photographed the non-biodegradable remains of our civilization from all vantage points: flying overhead with a pilot friend; weaving in and out of old ship skeletons in a boat graveyard in Arthur Kill, the tidal strait between Staten Island and New Jersey (“I never had more fun, it was like being 16 years old,” she said); under water at Cape Breton Island; and on tabletop tableaus in her studio. “Soft petaled flowers, weathered branches, polished stones, and shells blend with man-made objects,” Murphy wrote in the accompanying
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exhibition catalog. “Yet, upon closer inspection, a menacing struggle disrupts the ostensibly harmonious scene. Plastic containers, twisted bits of rope, and nets slowly entwine and strangle their organic counterparts.” Why is the artist obsessed with plastic waste? “Plastic has now bonded with biology,” Hockaday writes on her website, referring to the Great Garbage Patches of plastics in our oceans. “Plastic has become my symbol of climate change, of a planet being overwhelmed by millions of destructive changes in the rhythms of nature.” Whether working in drawing, etching, photograms, papermaking, or photography, she has, over the decades, focused on the unruliness in nature. While putting together the show for the Princeton-based Drumthwacket Foundation, Hockaday welcomed the curator on a studio visit
to her Hopewell home, a refurbished barn that — in contrast to unruly nature — is elegantly appointed with a George Nakashima dining table, Hans Wegner chairs, Eero Saarinen chaise, Charles Webb sofa, and George Nelson lamps. As the two were chatting, Hockaday observed a snake clinging to the stone fireplace surround. Ever resourceful, she donned a pair of rubber gloves, seized the reptile, heaved it outside into the woods, and shut the door. “Barns are notoriously permeable,” Hockaday calmly stated during a recent interview. “Animals are continuously trying to get back inside and sometimes succeed. I took off the gloves, and we never talked about it. She was a really nice person. We felt a teeny bit embarrassed.” The story illustrates both the artist’s embrace of the natural world, its unruliness, and her fortitude in dealing with its intrusions.
A JAZZY RITUAL
Every few months, Hockaday and her husband, organic chemistry professor Maitland Jones, set up 65 chairs in their living room. Around the Steinway grand piano — left to them by Jones’ professor and mentor when he was a doctoral candidate at Yale — music lovers gather to hear acts curated by Jones, whose interest in jazz began before high school. “My father had some records and even took me to 52nd Street a few times,” Jones says. Later, he learned more from a roommate. After a long career in the Department of Chemistry at Princeton University, Jones moved on to New York University 15 years ago, largely so that he could be in New York to listen to jazz. Sadly, the pandemic closed many clubs he frequented.
“Gone are the Jazz Standard, Kitano, the Bar Next Door, Smoke,” he says. Survivors include the Village Vanguard, the 55 Bar, Dizzy’s at Lincoln Center. The scene will come back, but probably not on my time scale. There are already some new ones — the edgy stuff is now all over Brooklyn.” Jones keeps little black notebooks into which he records his reactions to the music. Hockaday archives these, along with her husband’s extensive CD collection, on custom-built shelves. “They are very hard to read by anyone but me,” he says. “It’s just what I think about what’s going on in the music at the moment. Part of it is just that chemists always take notes.” Hockaday and Jones host about five concerts a year, and have been doing so for 20 years, although not all are in their house. They are approaching 100 concerts.
By hosting these, “I get to hear the best jazz musicians in the world, many of them my friends, play under what is probably the best circumstances,” says Jones. “The barn was designed for this kind of thing. And I get to introduce the music to lots of people and to transfer some dollars from Princeton to musicians. We never, ever break even, by the way, but it is worth it.” Fifteen years ago, Hockaday and Jones, who had formerly lived in a Victorian on Fitzrandolph Road in Princeton, found this former dairy barn, already converted to a residence in 1965 by developer Bryce Thompson with architect Jeremiah Ford. Surrounded by 900 wooded acres — in addition to the aforementioned snakes, there are turkeys, foxes, and other wildlife — the barn has been improved upon by Hockaday and Jones with help from their architect son, SUMMER 2022 PRINCETON MAGAZINE
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Maitland Jones Jr., working with architecture firm Deborah Berke Partners. Architect Kevin Wilkes served as contractor. One enters the residence through a long hallway that is a gallery for Hockaday’s work, as well as the work of artist friends such as the late Princeton sculptor Jane Teller. The vaulted space where the piano holds center stage offers more exhibition opportunity, both for Hockaday’s work as well as her and Jones’ collection, including a painting by the late John Goodyear (a founder of the MOVIS Art Collective, with which Hockaday is still active) and family members. This family includes architects (Buckminster Fuller on Hockaday’s maternal side), artists, advertising executives, and founder of the Old Lyme Art Colony of American Impressionists Clark Greenwood Voorhees. “Young Mait,” as Hockaday and Jones call their son, admits his choice of career was influenced by all the architects in the family. He’s even married to an architect, Perla Jeanne Delson. The couple and their children live in a refurbished church in Brooklyn. Young Mait, who received his undergraduate degree from Princeton in 1987, is presently working with Deborah Berke Partners on new residential colleges at Princeton University, scheduled to open in August. The project is led by partners Deborah Berke, who is also dean of the Yale School of Architecture; Arthi Krishnamoorthy, who has led the design team since 2018; and Jones. The two colleges, each housing approximately 500 students, will provide dining, social, and teaching spaces, forming a new
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11-acre “neighborhood” on campus. “Most of the work I do now, professionally, is on college campuses,” says Jones. “I would say growing up on and immediately adjacent to Princeton’s campus has given me a good sense of how campuses work and what makes successful spaces for students.”
INNER WORKINGS
Perhaps one of the more intriguing spaces in the barn is the attic, a former hay loft that is open to the rafters. “It’s like walking into Jadwin Gym,” says Hockaday.
There’s not a speck of musty-dusty in this space, it’s as neat and organized as museum storage — everything is stacked, everything is labeled. It reveals the inner workings of the artist and her family, both those who came before and after. There are music stands and paper cutting boards, trunks with labels indicating various ancestral belongings, antique chairs, and boxes labeled “seaweed,” “botanical material,” “dried lilies,” “printing tools,” and “painted rocks.” There are also shelves of ropes, nets, sea wire, and boxes of plastic detritus. Hockaday says she considers it a “village” with pathways, and credits the eight years she worked in laboratories for her learning of categories and labels (she majored in human physiology and art, and worked as a medical artist for college and hospital laboratories). Hockaday met Jones when she was at Vassar and he was at Yale. In addition to Young Mait there are two daughters, in their 50s, and eight grandchildren ages 16 to 26. The family remains close, spending summers together on Cape Breton Island. In 1970, Hockaday recounts, the family, along with a group of neighbors, made an exploratory trip to the island in Nova Scotia with the idea of buying property. “We drove 22 hours from Princeton and camped out, and a real estate agent took us to a 450-acre apple farm on the internal waterway,” she says. “It was a huge and beautiful old farmhouse for $30,000. We were a group of assistant professors and didn’t have any money.” They joined together with five families — the adults were in their late 20s and early 30s, with
The Terell Stafford Quintet entertained guests at the Hockaday-Jones home in May. SUMMER 2022 PRINCETON MAGAZINE
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(PHOTOS COURTESY OF SUSAN HOCKADAY)
Looking from the house north, up the valley on Cape Breton.
The Hockaday-Jones grandchildren having lunch on the porch on Cape Breton.
12 children under the age of 9 — to purchase the property. “Built in the 1800s, it was structurally sound, well-built, and very dirty,” says Hockaday. They slept on foam pads on the floor, and with two boats they sailed the inner waterway and camped. Meanwhile they had to strip wallpaper, paint, and build a shower and a deck. Among them were workers and the shirkers – the cooperative arrangement wasn’t working out. “With our long hair and communal living, we were perceived as hippies,” Hockaday says. “And it turns out we’d overpaid for the property and they thought of us as fools.” (“They” being the islanders.) After six years the pioneering families put the property on the market and with the profits
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The house, built around 1860, in the early morning.
Hockaday and Jones bought a house at the northeast end. “We found we liked that area best.” The house the family still gathers in today (except for the first two years of the pandemic when the border with Canada was closed) was built in 1860. The 100-acre property includes a two-family barn and a three-family compound, as well as a studio designed by Hockaday and Young Mait. Hockaday hosted the MOVIS group there about 10 years ago. At press time she and Jones were making up lists to load up their Toyota Prius for the long drive. Cape Breton Island continues to be fertile grounds for Hockaday’s artmaking, as well as a place where she has exhibits and gives talks. In that remote corner of the world, she has observed
how farmers are responding to climate crisis. “It’s a mix of conscious and unconscious people,” she says. “Some farmers use mules instead of tractors. Fishing is the backbone of their existence, and changing water temperature and erratic weather patterns are having an effect.” Young Mait credits his parents’ sense of adventure as a major influence on his life. “As a family, the five of us traveled frequently, made things together, including buildings in Cape Breton, and generally carried on without much inhibition,” he says. “I would call theirs an attitude of sufficient preparation with openness to surprise. Perhaps this, too, is a product of the artistic inquiry and scientific method. It’s also what jazz is.”
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SUMMER 2022 PRINCETON MAGAZINE |
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Meet “Coach,” Princeton University’s Therapy Dog, and Her Devoted Handler BY TAYLOR SMITH
PUPPIES BEHIND BARS
The Labrador Retriever with a Tiger-Sized Heart
JENNA KARDASZ (JENNAKPHOTOS)
S
gt. Alvan Flanders has worked in the Department of Public Safety (DPS) at Princeton University for over 25 years, which spans his entire law enforcement career. “I love it here. I love the town, I love Princeton,” he said. Typically, the role of the DPS is to police the campus, aiding in general security and supporting the health and safety of students, faculty, and staff alike. At times, the DPS has developed mixed reviews and reactions from college students who see them as strictly law enforcers, but the introduction of a therapy dog named Coach has changed all of that. A black female Labrador retriever with a shiny coat and sparkling eyes, Coach was “matched” with Flanders through a rigorous program he attended at Puppies Behind Bars (puppiesbehindbars.com). Flanders learned of Puppies Behind Bars through a contact at Yale University, which also incorporated a therapy dog into their on-campus DPS services. Puppies Behind Bars (PBB), based New York City, was founded in 1997 at the Bedford Hills Women’s Prison to raise and train service dogs for aid in law enforcement. The program gradually expanded into training dogs for other lines of service such as veterans suffering from PTSD, first responders, therapy dogs for police departments, and an explosive-detection canine program. The first service dog paired with an Iraq War veteran took place in February 2008. According to PBB’s website, a dog has
at least 10,000 hours of training before it is paired with a permanent handler. During this time, it is exposed to a variety of stressors and situations that are meant to equip the dog for whatever purpose lays in store. Also, since the lab puppies are raised by prison inmates, they are emotionally attuned to those who are in sensitive or vulnerable situations. In this way, PBB-trained dogs can pick up on extremely subtle body cues and body language in a way that most typical dogs cannot.
Labrador retrievers are chosen as therapy dogs for their intelligence, adaptability, and agreeable nature. The dogs enter the prison at the age of 8 weeks and are immediately put under the care of a specific inmate for 24 months. As the puppies mature and prepare to be “matched” with a service member, the inmates will go onto instruct the officers as to how to communicate and interact with the labs. Clearly, the PBB training experience struck an impactful chord with Flanders. “In all my 25-plus years in the law enforcement field, I have never been so emotionally touched as when I participated in this program at the women’s prison,” he said. “I thought to myself, these women are behind bars
because of a felony that I could have arrested them for and here they are carefully showing me how to instruct and build a bond with these well-behaved dogs. I will never forget it.” Flanders was not immediately matched with Coach. “We would rotate with different dogs on different days,” he said. “I probably only spent a short amount of time with Coach initially. I would be with Rex for half a day and then another dog later on. All the dogs were beautiful, and I had no preference as to male or female. I was just happy to be there.” When Flanders learned he was matched with Coach, he was undeniably excited. “One of the first things they told us after we got matched with our dogs is to let the animals sleep in our bed when we got back to the hotel,” he said. “They were never allowed to do that in prison because the women sleep in cells and the dogs would sleep in a crate or cage. Letting them sleep in your bed is a signal to the dog that this is your partner, your chosen person.” Flanders noted that Coach seemed like a natural fit with the Princeton University campus. “She looks like she belongs with her shiny black hair and pretty eyes. She wears an orange collar,” he said. When Coach is not working, she lives offcampus with Flanders and his family. “I’ve always been an animal lover,” he said. Two of Flanders’ daughters run Coach’s Instagram account, @CoachatPrinceton. “I have four girls and they know all the latest stuff about social media,” he said. SUMMER 2022 PRINCETON MAGAZINE
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Although Flanders’ daily schedule with Coach is very busy, his daughters are always keen to remind their dad to take lots of photos. In fact, Flanders said that Coach’s Instagram is a great way to get in touch with them. “We get requests from students through Instagram, asking that Coach make a special appearance. We had a girl ask Coach to surprise her boyfriend for his birthday,” said Flanders. Coach has impacted student life in many ways. “Since Coach started at Princeton [in August 2021], she’s been put in positions that she was not necessarily trained for, but she has really shined,” said Flanders. One incident involved a school health professional who contacted Flanders and asked if he could bring Coach to meet a student who was suffering from emotional distress. “I didn’t know what to expect,” admitted Flanders. The pair were greeted by a student sitting on the floor, crying, and clearly upset. Flanders decided to unleash Coach to see what she would do. Amazingly, Coach calmly sauntered over to the student and sat right next to them, allowing the student to pet her gently for over an hour. As time passed, the room calmed and the situation rapidly improved. Another unexpected student interaction that came at the beginning of Coach’s career at Princeton occurred on freshman move-in day. “This freshman was moving into his dorm
room, and he ran over to Coach and said to me, ‘this made my day!’ I couldn’t believe it because here was this young person who had worked so hard to get into Princeton, this prestigious University, and they said I made their day? The potential impact that Coach could have on this campus community — it struck me as amazing.” Even though Coach is now a regular on campus, Flanders never knows quite what to expect. Each workday brings new surprises and changes. Coach has attended sporting events, lawn parties, and has had countless individual and group interactions. “My hour walks inevitably turn into hour-and-45-minute walks because so many people just want to stop and pet her or take a photo,” he said. In this way, Coach has positively impacted the way that the on-campus community perceives the DPS. In a world in which police officers and law enforcement in general can face a lot of harsh criticism for knee jerk reactions or misjudgments, Coach has softened that perception. While she is not a bomb or drug sniffing dog, she is just as highly trained and attentive in the ways of human emotion. “She alleviates and improves the officers’ mental health,” said Flanders. “Although we’re talking about Princeton, New Jersey, and not the NYPD, Princeton officers see a lot of difficult things too.” Coach’s first Reunions celebration in May 2022 was a smashing success. Flanders admitted he had to do a lot of explaining to the returning students as to what Coach actually does on campus, but the two were always greeted with smiles.
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Princeton University Store Pet ID Tag. (pustore.com)
PRINCETON MAGAZINE SUMMER 2022
“I met a couple from the Class of 1962 (60th Reunion) walking around campus Thursday night,” said Flanders. “On Friday night they requested that Coach and I stop by to meet their classmates. When Coach and I arrived, they made an announcement to the class, and we walked around and greeted the class members. Countless class members and families approached to meet Coach and to take photos.” Flanders continued, “At Class Day, parents thanked me and mentioned how their kids [often] miss their family pets, and Coach often would be a substitute for that.” While there were numerous social opportunities this past spring on campus, Coach had to pick and choose her events wisely. As Flanders kindly put it, “they’re extremely long days.” It is inevitable that Coach’s on-campus presence will continue to grow and evolve over time. With an endless amount of love, empathy, and stoicism to give, who couldn’t use a little Coach in their lives? For those visiting from out of town, keep your eyes peeled for her orange collar and thick, wagging tale making its way down Nassau Street and the surrounding campus. For current students that would like to schedule a date or visit with Coach, the best way is to reach out via Instagram or to contact the DPS. Just don’t demand too much of her time. Even superheroes to rest!
PHOTO BY SAMEER A. KAHN
MARBELLA... SPECTACULAR ARCHITECTURE SITED ON THE LAST MAJOR RIVER FRONT PARCEL IN SOLEBURY!
Stunning New Construction Waterfront Property in New Hope, PA. “Marbella” is an ultra premium, modern design build package for highly so-phisticated clientele looking for the “Creme de la Creme.” The offering consists of three tax parcels totaling over 10 acres of the last buildable land of New Hope’s highly coveted “Riviera.” Complete in-depth details regarding the architectural renderings, engineering site plans & pricing options available upon request. $8,000,000
For additional information or a private tour contact: Art Mazzei directly at 610.428.4885 or Revi Haviv directly at 845.492.1315
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CABIN RUN FARM The genesis of Cabin Run Farm was 1785 in the original keeping room and throughout the years, this formidable homestead has grown to 37 plus acres and has become one of the most prestigious compounds in this area of Bucks County. The main house is sited on the precipice of a hillside overlooking Cabin Run Creek and the distant farms. The current stewards have spent endless time restoring the home to its pristine condition. The additions, constructed over the century, move seamlessly from one room to another. Call Art Mazzei 610.428.4885 or Stephanie Garomon 215.595.7402
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HORTULUS FARM Hortulus Farm is arguably one of the most spectacular private gardens on the American East Coast. Comprising 100 acres, the property offers, within the 100 acres, a separate, fully operational nursery. The nursery has 60,000 sq. ft. of greenhouse space, an indoor facility and architecturally designed pergolas. The private area of Hortulus is filled with imposing specimen trees and shrubbery, 200,000 daffodils, internationally themed gardens, Birch and Pine allées and other varieties too vast to list. The main stone farm house is circa 1700’s and looks out across a stream and a lake filled with black swans and other water fowl. $3,500,000
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WINDWOOD For many years, two lovely and sophisticated Country estates served as the Summer residences of the Guggenheim family. One of these properties, Windwood, in Upper Bucks County, has now become available on the open market. Windwood is approached via a long, meandering drive through a lengthy stand of Oak and Pine. The home, sited in a desirable location, looks out at the New Jersey hillside. The clean, white stucco and clapboard house, circa 1870. has been meticulously maintained through the years and, especially by its last steward. $2,249,000
NEW SEPTIC SYSTEM BEING INSTALLED
THE DUANE HOMESTEAD The Duane Homestead is sited, majestically, at an elevated location amidst 67 fertile farmland acres. The Bedminster countryside moves in all directions and the open land provides ample opportunity for agrarian pursuits and/or a serious equestrian facility. The stone farmhouse is perfect for those individuals whose architectural sensibility lies in the “purist” realm. The Duane Homestead comes as close as possible to untouched “period” details. The original hardwood flooring, original millwork and custom built-ins, beautiful hardware, fireplaces...all add to the authenticity through the gleam of its historical patina. $1,650,000
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WORTHINGTON MILL MANOR Worthington Mill Manor is a true Bucks County custom built oasis. This sophisticated estate home brings together a bright open floor plan with precision custom millwork with elegant design. The main floor offers an expansive custom chef’s kitchen with high end stainless commercial appliances, wine cooler, professional hood system. granite counter tops and custom cabinetry. Outside is a secluded back yard that looks out above the Neshaminy creek and a rich mature wood line. The heated salt water pool with custom hardscape and pool house are ready for hours of summer fun and sun. $1,700,000
TOHICKON TRAIL Welcome to 7556 Tohickon Hill Road. This secluded contemporary in Plumstead Township is nestled in 11 acres with magnificent views above the Delaware River. The private driveway leads you up to this recently updated home that boasts 4 bedrooms and 3 1/2 baths and a bonus room that could easily be made into a 5th bedroom. This bright and spacious home features large windows, skylights and high ceilings, gleaming hardwood floors throughout the first floor and a sunken living room with a floor to ceiling fireplace. $1,150,000
SUGAREE FARM Rarely are iconic and historical properties matched with such dedicated, comprehensive and accurate restoration that modern expansion is in complete symphony with the centuries old craftsmanship. Set on 30+ acres, Sugaree Farm is surrounded by fertile river valley farmland and yet just steps to the Delaware River and walking distance to Frenchtown with it’s shops, restaurants and new performing arts center. The barn interior 2nd story is framed out and permitted for a 2 bedroom guest suite with full kitchen and laundry. This venerable and authentic Bucks County farmhouse is truly an architectural achievement. $2,495,000
ENDLESS MEADOWS A gated entry from a quiet country road leads you to the long drive through sweeping fields and pastures delivering you to this 73 acre farm with total privacy and serenity. In the distance, a picture-perfect custom farmhouse with wrap-around porches. Every room of the home was designed to take full advantage of the wonderful views of the property. Spacious rooms are warmed by random width pine floors and lots of windows give this charming and stylish home an open feel. Beyond the pool is a brand new 2 bedroom guest cottage complete with bathroom, kitchen, and laundry.
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THE ABRAHAM HARVEY The Abraham Harvey house is a link to an era that pre-dates the American revolution and stands as a testament to generations of old world craftsmanship. Circa 1750, it is the beneficiary of curator level stewardship and meticulous renovation. This wonderful example of the revered Bucks County farmhouse is ready to welcome a your chapter in American History. The sturdy stone barn provides two indoor parking spaces and a 2nd story finished loft with a powder room. Perfect for entertaining or simply finding some down time to catch up on reading while living within the walls of history. $1,449,000
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Peters Valley School of Craft Immersive Learning in an Inspiring Setting By Laurie Pellichero Photos courtesy of Peters Valley School of Craft
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ocated within the scenic Delaware Water Gap Recreation Area in Sussex County, just under two hours from Princeton, the Peters Valley School of Craft is a haven for artists from across the country and around the globe. Formerly known as Peters Valley Craftsmen, it was established in 1970 in partnership with the National Park Service to promote and encourage education and excellence in craft. Each May through October, the nonprofit offers a wide range of immersive learning experiences in unique studio-based settings. Its programs include adult summer workshops, youth programs, opportunities for artists, public exhibitions in the campus gallery, artist residencies, demonstrations, and community outreach. Peters Valley focuses on eight disciplines: blacksmithing, ceramics, fiber surface design, fiber structure, fine metals, photography, special topics (glass, printmaking, and mixed media), and woodworking. More than 125 intensive two- to five-day workshops are offered each year. Workshops were presented virtually during the pandemic, with participation from all over the world. “Our audience grew — the word got out,” says Executive Director Kristin Muller, who adds that they are very excited to be back to in-person workshops. “Enrollment has been very strong, and our programs are growing.” The school’s facilities are in what was once the farm village of Bevans. Through adaptive reuse, the historic buildings in the rural, wooded
setting now serve as studios and dormitories for this unique community of artists. The Peters Valley Historic District is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The campus consists of two areas. Valley Central is home to the dorms, dining hall, office, and gallery, as well as the blacksmithing, ceramics, and photography studios. Approximately two miles away at Thunder Mountain are the fibers, fine metals, woodworking, glass, printmaking, and mixed media studios. The school honors and acknowledges the fact that it exists on the lands of the Musee Lenni Lenape people, whose ancestors were the first craftspeople in the area. As noted on its website, the mission of Peters Valley School of Craft is to enrich lives through the learning, practice, and appreciation of fine crafts. “The making of fine crafts is a kind of exploration, which relies on an integration of heart, head, and hands,” reads the statement. “Peters Valley encourages and facilitates this exploration in everything we do. “We are a vibrant community, bringing together etablished and emerging artists from around the globe. Coming together to make things makes us betters artists, able to learn from each other, and to evaluate our own efforts in a wider context.” They note that they are stewards of the creative process: from preparation, to incubation, to illumination, to verification. Peters Valley strives to develop the creative abilities of all their participants through this focus on process. They also believe that creativity is not entirely a solitary effort — “sometimes the most interesting creative ideas emerge from new experiences in new places
with other artists who see the world differently than we do.” Peters Valley provides intensive instruction, the right tools, and a supportive environment to immerse its participants in making things by hand, all in an inspiring, natural setting along the Delaware River. The school is considered a thought leader in the field of fine craft and one of the top five institutions of its kind in the U.S. Workshops run from 9AM to 5PM each day. The studios are closed during dinner hours, but generally open from 7 to 10PM for optional studio time. According to Muller, about half of the workshop participants stay over, either in the simple accommodations in the historic farmhouses on campus, which are very limited, or in local hotels, motels, bed and breakfasts, campgrounds, and Airbnbs in Sussex County and in Pike County in Pennsylvania. Due to the pandemic, mostly single rooms with twin beds are available in the farmhouse dorms. Shared rooms are available on request. All rooms share a bathroom and common areas and are not air-conditioned. Guests bring their own pillows, sheets, blankets, and towels. Meals are prepared by the Peters Valley Dining Hall staff during workshop sessions for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The cost of lunch is not included, and students are welcome to bring their own or pre-purchase a meal plan. Vegan and gluten-free options are also offered. There are full kitchens available in the dorms. Upcoming adult workshops include Basketry into Woodturning, Saws & Solder: Intro to Jewelry, SUMMER 2022 PRINCETON MAGAZINE
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A ceramics workshop at Peters Valley School of Craft.
Introduction to Bladesmithing, In Relief: Carving Wooden Jewelry, Weaving for Texture, Intro to Hand Embroidery, Enamel Earrings Galore, and Form & Fire: Firing the Anagama. The Peters Valley website notes that artist Katsuyuki Sakazume designed and built an anagama kiln on the campus in 1980. It was the first anagama kiln, which consists of a firing chamber with a firebox at one end and a flue at the other, built for public use in the U.S. and is still a big draw for the school and its ceramics program. Youth workshops include Pottery on the Wheel, Printmaking in the Park, Explorations in Clay, Blacksmithing for Teens, Natural Dyes & Fibers, Intro to Jewelry for Teens, and Fundamentals of Woodturning for Teens, all for beginners and beyond. “While Peters Valley provides professionallevel instruction, we welcome beginners and anyone curious about making and exploring craft materials,” says Muller. “We believe that everyone is creative, and with the right tools and guidance they can enjoy making crafts and expressing themselves.” Participants are strongly encouraged to register early for each workshop. Registration is generally open until the workshop fills or the date it runs, but that varies class by class. Some workshops fill within days of registration being open, but wait lists are available. In October, November, and April, Peters Valley offers two- to four-week residency opportunities for practicing artists. Virtual Instructor Presentations are featured on Friday evenings from 7 to 8pm through the end of August. They are also offered in person in the Dining Hall Pavilion. All are welcome to join in, and the presentations are recorded and uploaded to Peters Valley’s YouTube channel for viewing at any time.
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GlassRoots fellowship students.
There are also many opportunities for visitors, including weekly auctions on Tuesdays from 1 to 2pm through August in the Peters Valley Dining Hall. The public is invited to come and bid on artwork donated by visiting artists, staff, and workshop participants. The proceeds go to studio equipment and improvements. Work made by workshop participants is also on display for show and tell. The Peters Valley Fine Craft Studios are open for self-guided tours on Saturdays and Sundays from 2 to 5pm through September 11. These tours give visitors the opportunity to see workshops in action. Visitors are invited to stop in the Peters Valley Gallery when they arrive and pick up a campus map to find out what workshops are running that day. Open daily from 10am to 5pm, 6pm on Thursdays through August, the Gallery offers a wide selection of decorative and functional pottery, jewelry, glass, wood, wearable fiber arts, photography, toys, books, and more. The second floor features rotating exhibits such as “Making Matters: Fresh Perspectives in Fine Craft,” on view through August 7. Muller notes that there is also plenty to do in the surrounding area, including exploring small towns such as Milford, Pa., hiking, biking, dining, and more. She is looking forward to the 52nd Annual Peters Valley Craft Fair, to be held at the Sussex County Fairgrounds, 37 Plains Road in Augusta, on September 24 and 25 from 10am to 5pm each day. Admission is $10; free for children under 12. Masks will be required in indoor spaces for the health and safety of the artists and attendees. The event, Peters Valley’s largest fundraiser of the year, showcases American crafts made by more than 100 exhibiting artists from around the country. It is a juried show, and the exhibitors are
each selected for their excellence and originality. Visitors can meet the artists, watch an array of demonstrations, enjoy live music and great food, and shop for unique, handmade items. Kids can also participate in a variety of art activities. Peters Valley is an independent nonprofit that operates in partnership with the U.S. National Park Service/Delaware Water Gap Recreational Area along with many other partners and funders including the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, New Jersey Historic Trust, Hunterdon Museum of Art, GlassRoots, Crafting the Future, Hood College, and Sussex County Community College. “We are especially excited to continue our partnership with GlassRoots of Newark, which offers young adults from Essex County a fellowship to attend classes at GlassRoots for six weeks followed by seven weeks of learning at Peters Valley,” says Muller. “The GlassRoots fellowship is helping to inspire and support ongoing learning and choosing career paths in the arts.” “We are also honored to have been granted a New Jersey Arts and Culture Renewal Fund grant through the Princeton Area Community Foundation to re-grant to craft artists affected by the pandemic and weather events in New Jersey,” adds Muller. “Twenty-one artists have been selected to receive grants between $1,000 and $2,000 this month.” Looking to the future, Muller says she is very happy to have been able to hire additional educational programming staff that will develop more programming for the fall 2022 and spring 2023 seasons, “and perhaps even some weekly classes that will appeal to our local community.” Peters Valley School of Craft is located at 19 Kuhn Road in Layton. For more information, call 973.948.5200 or visit petersvalley.org.
SUMMER 2022 PRINCETON MAGAZINE
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Princeton Nursery School A Safe Haven For Nearly A Century By Anne Levin
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PRINCETON MAGAZINE SUMMER 2022
PHOTOS COURTESY OF PRINCTON NURSERY SCHOOL
In
a colorful classroom lined with child-size desks, bookshelves, A thirtysomething mother and cozy nooks, nap time is coming to a close. Sleepy-eyed of three, Jahnke graduated 3- and 4-year-olds are beginning to stir on their mats. As from the University of soft music plays in the background, their teacher sets out Pennsylvania in 2009 afternoon snacks of apple slices and peanut butter. with a bachelor’s degree It is a ritual that has likely been repeated, at this preschool on Leigh in Hispanic studies. She Avenue, for nearly a century. Housed in two simple buildings converted into is currently a candidate at one, Princeton Nursery School has been a mainstay of the Witherspoon- Penn for a master’s degree Jackson neighborhood since 1929. It was founded by a wealthy Princeton in nonprofit leadership. Her resident, Margaret Matthews-Flinsch, to help working mothers who resume includes 13 years of desperately needed a place for their preschool-aged children to go during work in KIPP (Knowledge is Power Program) schools, the Latin American the day. As the story goes, Flinsch was motivated to act when she discovered Legal Defense and Education Fund (LALDEF), and Trenton’s Foundation that her laundress was locking her child in the servants’ quarters while she Academy. Most recently, she was program coordinator for Wintersession worked. and Campus Engagement at Princeton University. Matthews-Flinsch persuaded her wealthy friends to contribute. The idea Last year, Jahnke took a class in which she was asked to describe what was not only to provide affordable child care, but to also give the children her dream job might be. “I focused on a center where children are not only a preschool experience following the philosophy of Dr. Maria Montessori, well taken care of, but are given the advantage of high-quality education, encouraging development of the whole child. so that when they get to kindergarten, they are ready,” she said. “They From its inception, the school was integrated — unlike elsewhere in are given this exposure in a fun and engaging way, where they feel happy Princeton, where elementary schools remained segregated until 1948. That to be learning, and then that feeling continues from early childhood posed a challenge. on. I wanted to empower teachers to do their best. I wanted to engage with families, helping them, and engage with the local “The late John Matthews spoke of the difficulty his cousin Margaret experienced in obtaining funding for the school community. When I had my interview at Princeton Nursery because of its integrated student body,” wrote Wendy Cotton, School, it was as if I had found all of that. It was as if it was meant to be.” a former executive director of the school, in a letter to Town Topics newspaper in 2015. “Margaret’s parents, The fact that the school is multicultural added the Rev. and Mrs. Paul Matthews, and many of their another enticement. Jahnke’s father is from Nigeria friends provided financial support to the school.” and her mother is of Polish descent. She has been Princeton Nursery School was created as a fluent in Spanish since her first job teaching at a nonprofit to serve the neighborhood, and it has p re-K school in Houston, where she and her husband remained in its original location to do just that. lived after graduating from college. While recent renovations have updated the kitchen – Born in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan which serves breakfast, lunch, and a snack each day area, Jahnke spent a big chunk of her childhood in – and upgraded the playground, it is an old building. Waynesboro, Pa., which was home to her mother’s Maintenance is ongoing, and space is at a premium. family. She and her four siblings were home schooled. Many of the 43 students (there is room for 54) live “All five of us in grades three to five — I don’t know how my within walking distance of the school. Parents drop them mother did it,” she said. off anywhere from 7:30 to about 9AM , and pick them up Jahnke and her husband lived in Houston for almost four years. Leanna Jahnke between about 3 and 5:30PM , depending on their work schedules. Homesick, they moved back east. She continued to work for KIPP schools, Tuition is on a sliding scale, based on income and family size. Some families this time focusing on founding and recruitment. At Trenton’s Foundation qualify for subsidies. Volunteers — including parents, alumni, retired adults, Academy, she helped start the first kindergarten class. “Then, I took a more local high school and college students, and other members of the community senior leadership role supporting teachers, students, and their families,” she —help out. said. “That became a focus for me, particularly with the Spanish-speaking It is this strong sense of community that attracted new executive director students.” Leanna Jahnke to the school. Former executive director Rose Wong left last She felt she had found her niche. “I do well at this, and I really enjoy it,” January to become chief operating office of the YWCA Princeton. Jahnke she said. “At Foundation, I saw that there is the school side of things, and was hired after a comprehensive search. there is the other side. Parents would ask me about how they could continue their own educations. They would open up to me about various needs they had.” Jahnke has always loved teaching. But being able to do more, providing services for the family as a whole, has become her focus. “There were moments in my career where I could have kept teaching,” she said. “But the leadership side was calling me.” Her first official day on the job was May 31. A few weeks before, she visited the school to observe and prepare. “I got to meet with the teachers, and see how this learning happens,” she said. “I went to their multi-cultural night last week. I met the parents and brought my own kids. I see the challenges, but I see so many great things already. I can’t wait to get started.” For more on Princeton Nursery School or to donate, visit princetonnurseryschool.org. Illustrations and branding by Gruskin Creative, Your brand. Elevated. Contact: Vicky Winkler, vwinkler@gruskincreative.com, 973.376.4411. Gruskin Creative provides solutions through branding, environmental design, graphic design, and digital/web design services to many industries — from corporate and retail to professional services, education, nonprofit, and towns through the MyDowntown Mobile service offering. SUMMER 2022 PRINCETON MAGAZINE
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TWO TREASURED CASTLES IN THE HEART OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA
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Congratulations
to the graduates of the Class of 2022 Princeton Academy's 31 gentlemen scholars will be attending the following schools in the fall: Blair Academy Choate Rosemary Hall Deerfield Academy Episcopal High School Fountain Valley School George School Groton School Notre Dame High School Peddie School Phillips Academy Andover
Princeton Day School Princeton High School Solebury School St. Andrew's School The Hill School The Hun School of Princeton The Lawrenceville School The Pennington School Trinity-Pawling School
Creative. Compassionate. Courageous. We bring out the best in boys. | www.princetonacademy.org
THE GILDED AGE
How Rutgers Professor Erica Armstrong Dunbar Helped Shape HBO’s Hit Series
H
BY DONALD H. SANBORN III
BO’s popular period drama The Gilded Age depicts the late-19th century conflict between Manhattan’s oldmoney elite and the nouveau riche robber barons. Created and written by Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes, The Gilded Age also explores the Black elite, as well as the domestic workers who tend to the needs of the wealthy. One of the central protagonists is Peggy Scott (portrayed by Denée Benton), an aspiring African American writer and journalist who works as a secretary for old-money socialite Agnes van Rhijn (Christine Baranski). A story arc of the first season concerns Peggy’s stormy relationship with her father, successful pharmacist Arthur Scott (John Douglas Thompson); and her mother, Dorothy (Audra McDonald). Peggy also has an uneasy friendship with Agnes’ niece, the well-meaning but naïve Marian Brook (Louisa Jacobson). A scene from The Gilded Age. The show, which depicts upper-class life in 1882 New York, often is distinguished by lavishly decorated sets and opulent costumes. (Courtesy of HBO) SUMMER 2022 PRINCETON MAGAZINE
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Newspaper publisher Timothy Thomas Fortune (Sullivan Jones, left) and journalist Peggy Scott (Denée Benton). (Courtesy of HBO)
Erica Armstrong Dunbar, the Charles and Mary Beard Distinguished Professor of History at Rutgers University’s School of Arts and Sciences, is a co-executive producer of The Gilded Age. An article about Dunbar’s work on the series, published on the Rutgers website, notes that she “made sure the show — which debuted January 24 — also brought to life authentic characters of color who too often have been reduced to stereotypes or entirely overlooked in media portrayals of American history.” “You can’t tell the story of The Gilded Age without thinking about, or examining, the Black elite,” Dunbar comments in The Black Elite, an HBO featurette for the series. “We have this generation of men and women who are born without enslavement as a reality. And so, as this new sort of generation of men and women come of age, communities of the Black elite develop. It was a moment of opportunity.” Dunbar continues in the documentary, “When we think about a Peggy, a young woman who is educated, she is representative of this new generation of Black men and women who wrestle with ideas about injustice — who don’t accept those ideas as unchangeable … if we don’t show the story of Black triumph, of Black joy, alongside trials, tribulation, violence even — then we don’t have a complete picture.” In addition to her work on The Gilded Age, Dunbar is the author of several books, including She Came to Slay: The Life and Times of Harriet Tubman (2019), Never Caught: The Washingtons’
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Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge (2017), and A Fragile Freedom: African American Women and Emancipation in the Antebellum City (2008). In 2011 she became
“THE GILDED AGE”
In a phone interview with this writer, Dunbar explains that she got involved with The Gilded Age because, “In 2019 I was approached by the creative team. They were looking for someone to do some historical consulting for life in the 19th century — specifically, to think deeply about Black women’s lives in the 19th century. Knowing that there was a Black woman as a lead character, and that I’ve spent my entire life reading and writing about Black women in the 19th century, they reached out to me.” She adds, “I originally came on as a historical consultant. Over time my role kind of grew and evolved … I was promoted a couple of times, but my final promotion was to the position of a coexecutive producer on the show.” DEVELOPMENT
Erica Armstrong Dunbar. (Photo by Whitney Thomas)
the inaugural director of the Program in African American History at the Library Company of Philadelphia, and she has been the national director of the Association of Black Women Historians since 2019.
Of the series’ evolution since she became involved with it, Dunbar says, “The show changed in ways that were really important and impactful. There were a couple of things that allowed for that to happen — some that were not so good. Part of that had to do with the fact that the pandemic struck (in March of 2020), when the series was supposed to start filming. What that meant was that production halted. There was no production — not just for The Gilded Age, but for anything. It was six or seven months before we were able to begin shooting.”
A staunch exemplar of Manhattan’s old-money elite, Agnes van Rhijn (Christine Baranski) generally opposes change. But she respects aspiring journalist Peggy Scott for her determination in the face of prejudice, and hires her as a secretary. (Courtesy of HBO)
Dunbar continues, “I think that time, and the work before it, gave us time to really think about authenticity, and to dive deeply, in a nuanced way, into the lives of the Black elite. From the beginning, when I met Julian Fellowes — the creator, writer, and executive producer of the show — he was very interested and committed to the idea of a Black storyline in the show. It’s very clear, at least to me and to many others, that you can’t do a show about the Gilded Age in New York, and not include the story of Black New Yorkers.” She explains that, although she is not credited as part of the writing team, she works closely with the writers on storyline development. “That includes reading scripts; giving script notes; working with actors on their roles, on set, when we shoot; and working directly with directors and the other producers on the show. I’m a co-executive producer; it’s not just a historical consultant job. It became something much bigger, and something that’s been really rewarding.” “For me, as a historian who’s spent my whole life focused on the lives of Black women, this is a way to access an audience that is immense,” Dunbar adds. “It was an opportunity to take who I am as a historian, and the work that I do, and to help present it in a way for larger audiences to know that the Black elite in the late 19th century existed.” Dunbar is quick to emphasize, “This isn’t a documentary. There are true and factual aspects to the story, and it’s very important, for Julian,
to be as factually correct as possible within the realm of a show that is a work of fiction. But it’s a way to help reshape the popular imagination about Black life at that time.” CHARACTERS AND THEIR HISTORICAL COUNTERPARTS
Timothy Thomas Fortune (portrayed by Sullivan Jones), the newspaper publisher who commissions Peggy Scott to write articles, is a historical figure (1856-1928). He published The New York Age — one of the foremost African American newspapers of its time — and edited Booker T. Washington’s first autobiography, The Story of My Life and Work. In 1901 he moved to Red Bank, and his house is on both the National and New Jersey Register of Historic Places. Other characters are loosely based on historical figures with another name, or else they are composites of multiple people. “When I first met Julian, and we started talking about the world of the Black elite, he told me that he had read a book called Black Gotham: A Family History of African Americans in Nineteenth-Century New York City, which I knew very well,” Dunbar says. The author of the 2012 book is Carla Peterson, a (now retired) professor at University of Maryland. “Basically, it was a book that chronicled a family history — Peterson’s own family.” Dunbar points to Arthur Scott, Peggy’s father. “He is loosely based on one of the characters in
Black Gotham, named Philip White. White was a well-known pharmacist, activist, and member of his community.” Peggy is different. “She’s not rendered from one specific person in the 1880s,” Dunbar explains. “But when you see that Peggy is educated, that she’s an aspiring journalist, you can’t help but think about people like Ida B. Wells (1862-1931); or Frances Ellen Watkins Harper (1825-1911), who was writing around that time as well. There are a number of Black women writers who come to mind when we think about a person like Peggy.” The same is true of Peggy’s mother, Dorothy. “She doesn’t come from one specific person in history,” Dunbar says. “We know that Arthur was born enslaved, and eventually he became free; that was not the case with Peggy’s mom, Dorothy. So we haven’t yet explained her storyline in the way that viewers want — I’ll just tell them to hold on and wait for it!” Dunbar continues, “But I think she in many ways is emblematic of the earliest version of women from the 19th century Black women’s club. While in the early 1880s we don’t have a defined Black women’s club movement per se, although I can argue that throughout the 19th century there were always ‘club women,’ Dorothy’s definitely a part of that group of educated and political Black women who were attempting to move the needle in places like Brooklyn and Philadelphia.”
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Journalist Peggy Scott (Denée Benton, left) with Miss Turner (Kelley Curran). (Courtesy of HBO)
SEASON TWO
In February HBO announced that The Gilded Age has been renewed for a second season. Asked whether she can drop any hints as to what viewers should expect, Dunbar replies, “Not many!” though she adds that filming has begun. “What I will say is that in terms of thinking specifically about Peggy Scott and her family, we’ll continue to watch characters evolve,” says Dunbar. “The one thing that I am allowed to share is that we will meet Booker T. Washington. We also will spend some time thinking about some of the major issues that confronted Black Americans in the late 19th century.” Asked what she particularly would like readers to know about her work on the show, she considers, “As a historian and as a scholar, it’s not typically expected to find someone like myself working for a major network with a hit television show. I think, I hope, that this kind of stretches what people imagine the work of scholars to be — that it broadens our work, and that it introduces what we do to the largest number of folks possible.” She continues, “In terms of The Gilded Age, I just would like people to tune in; and to understand that the creative team, HBO, NBC/Universal, and all of our partners are committed to good storytelling. I think, honestly, that’s what is so important in making a good television show: you have to have important themes that are relatable.” Dunbar sees a clear parallel between the lopsided distribution of wealth and power that is presented in the series, and the “gross disparity of wealth that plagues our nation today. In some ways,
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we watch The Gilded Age and we can trace some of the continuities, in a very small number of people having immense wealth, and the vast majority of people scraping to get by.”
Timothy Thomas Fortune (1856-1928), one of the few historical figures who is portrayed in The Gilded Age. (Wikipedia)
MEDIA DEPICTIONS OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY
Dunbar considers The Gilded Age in connection with representation of African Americans and
their stories. “Ultimately, the work that I do … is about storytelling,” she explains. “It’s about telling stories, about Black people, that haven’t made it to the center of public imagination. When you think about the kinds of stories that we know of as historians … it reminds me that there’s so much work to be done. There’s so much room for us to tell more stories.” Viewers whom Dunbar encounters often tell her that they love Peggy Scott and her story. “They want more, and they want a spinoff! It demonstrates that there’s a thirst for this kind of show, and these kinds of stories, in part because it’s different from the more traditional narrative of an 1882 sharecropper.” Dunbar is quick to emphasize that that, too, is an “important story to tell. By no means am I suggesting that we’re done with that story, because how can you be? That was the vast majority of Black people, especially those living throughout the Southern states.” Dunbar explains that she just feels that, right now, there is a bit more room in Hollywood to explore a broader, and less familiar, range of African American histories. She emphasizes, “That has everything to do with who’s sitting at the table — who’s giving permission to tell stories, to make features, to create television. The space is still very closed; but as the space opens, I see more opportunity.”
UPCOMING PROJECTS
Asked about other projects, Dunbar replies, “Most of the multimedia work that I did before The Gilded Age usually was in the world of documentary projects — some of which before The Gilded Age — and then everything came to a close because of the pandemic.” Projects in which Dunbar is involved include a feature for her book Never Caught; Ken Burns’ miniseries Benjamin Franklin (2022); and the series Who Do You Think You Are? For the latter, Dunbar helps celebrities, such as Laverne Cox and Regina King trace their ancestry. “I had the opportunity to work with some great actors,” she recalls. “The Gilded Age was my first television drama series,” Dunbar continues. “Right now, I’m working on a few other television projects. I can’t name them; some are in development. But I think this is the beginning of a new aspect of my career as a scholar and historian.” She is hopeful that shows such as The Gilded Age are making the work of scholars and historians such as herself, “who spend decades studying African American life and history,” available to a large audience, some of whom are less likely to attend a scholarly conference. “If I can find a way to share what I know, in ways that are understandable, then I think I’ve done something,” Dunbar concludes. “I write, I teach, and my days are full!”
Dorothy Scott (Audra McDonald, left) and her daughter, Peggy (Denée Benton). (Courtesy of HBO)
Newspaper publisher Timothy Thomas Fortune (Sullivan Jones, left) and journalist Peggy Scott (Denée Benton). (Courtesy of HBO) SUMMER 2022 PRINCETON MAGAZINE
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CELEBRATING PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS
t’s a stretch, but you could say that Princeton University paid for my son’s birth while I was helping Alexander Leitch deliver the first Princeton Companion to Princeton University Press. In that sense, the Companion godfathered my son. And since Robert K. Durkee’s The New Princeton Companion reports that the Press was founded in 1905 with a loan from Charles Scribner II (Class of 1885), you could also say that Scribners — the publisher of Robert Louis Stevenson, Henry James, Edith Wharton, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Thomas Wolfe, and Ernest Hemingway — godfathered (or godparented) the Press. In 1911 Scribner gave land, an endowment, and a Collegiate Gothic building modeled on Antwerp, Belgium’s Plantin-Moretus Museum. A drawing of the courtyard entrance is featured on the cover of A Century in Books: Princeton University Press 1905-2005, which highlights 100 of the then-nearly 8,000 books it had published, from Albert Einstein’s The Meaning of Relativity (1922) to George Kennan’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Russia Leaves the War (1956) and Robert Shiller’s Irrational Exuberance (2000).
BY STUART MITCHNER
A CENTENARY ECHO
In 1922, at a time when the author of Moby Dick was still on the road to rediscovery, the Press published a limited first edition of Herman Melville’s John Marr and Other Poems, which receives a centenary echo in Up from the Depths: Herman Melville, Lewis Mumford, and Rediscovery in Dark Times (Princeton $32) by Cornell professor of history and American studies Aaron Sachs. According to a press release, “Mumford helped spearhead Melville’s revival in the aftermath of World War I and the 1918–1919 flu pandemic, when American culture needed a forebear with a suitably dark vision. As Mumford’s career took off and he wrote books responding to the machine age, urban decay, world war, and environmental degradation, it was looking back to Melville’s confrontation with crises such as industrialization, slavery, and the Civil War that helped Mumford to see his own era clearly.” In a starred review, Kirkus calls the book “an incisive homage to the continuing relevance of two towering writers.” GAWKING AT THE GAWKER
Writing in The New York Review of Books, Julian Barnes, the author of Flaubert’s Parrot,
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calls Bridget Alsdorf’s divertingly illustrated Gawkers: Art and Audience in Late NineteenthCentury France (Princeton $60) a “rich, dense, wide-ranging survey,” wherein Alsdorf, an associate professor in the Department of Art and Archaeology at Princeton, proves to be “an admirable close reader of images, clever at picking out, in a mass of bodies, a tiny figure who is doing nothing more than staring back at us, as if, across the centuries, he has spotted us gawking at him and is gawking back.” Alsdorf is the author of Fellow Men: Fantin-Latour and the Problem of the Group in Nineteenth-Century French Painting (published by Princeton in 2012). WARHOL’S GEMS
Decked out in a Pop Art shade of Warholian pink, another new book from the Press is Warholisms ($16.95), edited by Larry Warsh, who has been active in the
art world for more than 30 years as a publisher and artist-collaborator. Warsh’s numerous other Press books include Jean-Michel Basquiat’s Notebooks, Basquiat-isms, Weiwei-isms, Haringisms, Futura-isms, Abloh-isms, and Arsham-isms. Some examples of Warhol gems, in which, in the publisher’s words, “a superficial embrace of superficiality often disguises provocative, unconventional ideas”: I think an artist is anybody who does something well. I went to [a psychiatrist] once, and he never called me back. I’ve never met a person I couldn’t call a beauty. SWINGING LONDON
Waterloo Sunrise: London from the Sixties to Thatcher (Princeton $39.95) by John Davis, an Emeritus Fellow in modern history and politics at The Queen’s College, University of Oxford, is titled after “Waterloo Sunset,” the love song to 1960s London by Ray Davies and the Kinks. In his introduction, “Why London, Why Now?” Davis refers to “the fusion of fashion and pop which produced the ‘youthquake’ in British popular culture in the sixties, and a similar effect became evident internationally as the Beatles and other British groups became global brands,” producing “an interest in Britain and British modernity which
focused on London as the world’s ‘only truly modern city.’” According to James Campbell in the Wall Street Journal, “It is one of the pleasures of Waterloo Sunrise that it leaps from race and urban reorganization to fashion and fun. Mr. Davis is a wizard of the archives. The general reader will delight in his excavation of local newspapers in pursuit of treasures that illuminate whatever topic is under discussion, while diligent trawls through government reports are for a more specialized audience.” AMOS OZ
What Makes an Apple?: Six Conversations about Writing, Love, Guilt, and Other Pleasures (Princeton $19.95), translated by Jessica Cohen, contains talks about art and life between Amos Oz, a major figure in the Israeli “New Wave” movement in literature in the 1960s, and Shira Hadad, who worked closely with him as the editor of his final novel, Judas. “These revealing conversations ... offer insight into the complex personality of a major literary figure,” according to Robert Alter, author of Nabokov and the Real World. “Their talks range over a wide variety of topics, from writing to sex to death, conveying a vivid sense of a man taking stock of his life and painfully aware of its approaching end.” Oz (1939–2018) was a world-renowned novelist, essayist, and short-story writer whose books include A Tale of Love and Darkness, Scenes from Village Life, and How to Cure a Fanatic, which was published by Princeton in 2010. Hadad is an acclaimed editor of contemporary Israeli fiction and a screenwriter. TAKING ON THE INTERNET
In The Internet is Not What You Think It Is: A History, a Philosophy, a Warning (Princeton $24.95), Justin E.H. Smith offers, in the
publisher’s words, “an original deep history of the internet, from the ancient to the modern world — uncovering its surprising origins in nature and centuries-old dreams of radically improving human life by outsourcing thinking to machines and communicating across vast distances.” Says Stephen Fry: “We all know, or think we know, the scale of the problem of the internet. We all know, or think we know, who’s to blame. But it takes Justin Smith’s laser-like intelligence and profound knowledge of the history of ideas to show that we are almost certainly wrong. Oh how I wish everyone in Silicon Valley, everyone on Wall Street and, frankly, everyone everywhere, would read this.” Smith is professor of history and philosophy of science at the University of Paris. His books include Irrationality: A History of the Dark Side of Reason; The Philosopher: A History in Six Types; and Divine Machines: Leibniz and the Sciences of Life (all Princeton). HONORABLE MENTIONS
Along with The New Princeton Companion, other spring 2022 Princeton titles that I’ve written about recently in Town Topics are Stanley Corngold’s The Mind in Exile: Thomas Mann in Princeton; Jhumpa Lahiri’s Translating Myself and Others; The Aphorisms of Franz Kafka, edited by Reiner Stach and translated by Shelley Frisch; and In Praise of Good Bookstores by Jeff Deutsch. This year on Princeton Reunions weekend, members of the Class of 1972 celebrated their 50th, and Class of 1997 their 25th, not to mention all those in between from 1962 to 2017. As this sampling of new titles makes clear, the publisher that began life above Marsh’s drug store on Nassau Street in 1905 will celebrate its 120th in 2025 as the world-class publisher of a world-class University.
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Queenston
The Bygone Hamlet with a Colorful Past and Charming Presence BY WENDY GREENBERG
N
eighborhoods come and go, and if we are lucky, they leave remnants and memories. In the case of Queenston, which was centered at Nassau and Harrison streets, the hamlet has blended into its surroundings, and is now seamlessly part of Princeton. But some 250 years ago, Queenston, or Jugtown as it was also called, was a settlement all its own. It comes alive through oral and written history as a place that influenced what Princeton is today. “Lost in the glamor enveloping Princeton University is the fact that there once existed within the present limits of the university town a separate community called Jugtown — named for the primitive pottery operated by the Horner family, the first settlers, from 1765 until 1856,” says Old Princeton’s Neighbors, a 1939 publication of the Federal Writers Project. “Jugtown as a political entity no longer exists although it continues to contribute more than its share of officials to Princeton. 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,” notes the publication. Queenston was one of four royally named neighborhoods along the Assunpink Trail, also including Princeton, Kingston, and Princessville briefly in Lawrence. The West Windsor Historical Society explains that, prior to the
342 Nassau Street, 1912. The clapboard wing of 342 Nassau Street was later moved to the other side of the main house to allow for widening of Harrison Street. (Collection of the Historical Society of Princeton)
mid-1800s, that township’s western boundary ran to Nassau Street in Princeton, so Queenston belonged first to New Windsor, and then West Windsor when it incorporated in 1797. The borders of Queenston were much negotiated, but the historical society places it within Wilton Street on the east, Pine Street on the west, Margerum’s Quarry on Ewing Street on the north, and Lake Carnegie on the south.
Joshua Hall McIlvaine as a coordinate of the all-male Princeton, borrowing the concept from Radcliffe College at Harvard University. Woodrow Wilson taught at Evelyn, as did Helen Magill White, the first woman in the U.S. to earn a Ph.D. One of its main buildings at 8 Evelyn Place was the home of the late former Princeton Borough Mayor Barbara Boggs Sigmund and the late Princeton Professor Paul Sigmund. The college closed after 10 years, and its end was blamed on “the opposition of Princeton University to work for the higher education of women,” according to an 1897 letter to the Boston Transcript written by its principal Elizabeth McIlvaine, as noted on westwindsorhistory.com. JUGS, POTTERY, AND THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
Queenston was home to a college other than Princeton University — Evelyn College for Women, from 1887 to 1897, named for Sir John Evelyn, an English diarist and landowner. The first women’s college in New Jersey, it was founded by Princeton alumnus and professor
Some early Americans idealized and mythologized the yeoman farmer as the epitome of American values, as with the above engraving that was printed in the “Columbian Magazine of Philadelphia” in 1786. Common farmers dotted much of Princeton’s expansive land. (Library of Congress) Map of Mercer County, New Jersey relief shown by hachures, left. Includes names of property owners. Otley, J. W. - Keily, James. 1849. (Library of Congress)
Queenston/Jugtown histories invariably begin with the Horner family and their pottery business at the corner of Markham and Nassau streets. The ceramics made there from the 1770s to the 1870s gave the town the nickname Jugtown. The Horners descended from the area’s first settler, John Horner, who arrived around 1695, according to the West Windsor Historical Society. In 1765 the Horners established the area’s first pottery shed which lasted until 1856. Horner was among a local group (including Thomas Leonard, John Stockton, and Nathaniel FitzRandolph) who led the founding of College of New Jersey, later Princeton University.
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298 Nassau Street, ca. 1900. (Collection of the Historical Society of Princeton)
members of the Scott family, John and his two The Horners lived at 344 Nassau Street, An interview in The Princeton Recollector sons Richard and Samuel, local masons credited where the first floor of the stucco section is part notes, “Years ago there was a clay pit down on with much of early Princeton’s stonework. of the original structure. Joseph Horner built the west side of Harrison, just below Patton During the Revolutionary War, according to the it around 1760 on land originally belonging to Avenue. Those holes were still there when we Historical Society of Princeton, it housed both John Horner. According to the Historical Society were children. I remember we used to go over British and American troops (at different times), of Princeton, the house “was also purportedly a there to pick blackberries and we had to look out and may have been rented out to members of the stop” on the Underground Railroad, and a tunnel for those holes. In my father’s time there was a Continental Congress in 1783. The stuccoed tall under Nassau Street led there. brickyard on that property.” eastern section is part of the original structure. Interviews from The Princeton Recollector, An early photograph in the historical which was published from 1975 to 1986 as society collection shows the section in the official publication of The Princeton its original position before it was moved History Project, bear this out: to the opposite side to make way for the “Now there’s a little wing on that widening of North Harrison Street. house by the corner, and I must tell you a Another building that remains is story about that wing. There was a room The Red Farm House at 145 Ewing in there that was used as a station on the Street. Once attached to a larger piece of Underground Railroad for runaway slaves. farmland, and dating to about 1755, the There was a tunnel that went under Nassau tallest section of the house is original, as Street to the triple house where Esther is a doorway, according to the Historical Johnston lived. At that time that house was Society of Princeton. a hay press.” The house at 306 Nassau Street is “I lived in the triple house and at the said to have been built around 1760 by back of the cellar there was a tunnel where someone with the last name Vanderveer they used to hide the slaves and transport Clay pipe bowl found near site of Jugtown pottery. and was later occupied by Roger Gerard them. This tunnel went under the road and A clay jug of the time. (Wikimedia (Collection of the Historical Society of Princeton) van Polanan, a diplomat from the over to the Montieth house, and could still Commons) Netherlands who lived in South Africa and be under Nassau Street.” NOTEWORTHY BUILDINGS Europe. Called The Captain’s House, it is named Some of the clay used by Horner pottery for Captain William Rogers, who lived there came from the back of 85 Harrison Street, Among Queenston’s historic buildings: from 1836-66. according to Old Princeton’s Neighbors, and this At 342 Nassau Street, a basement beam The house known as Queen’s Court, at 341 excavation became a popular swimming hole is marked 1730, making this one of the oldest Nassau Street, and now home to Michael Graves and ice-skating rink until 1925 when the pit was Queenston houses still standing, today used Architecture and Design, dates from about filled in for a row of Princeton faculty houses. by Eastridge Design. The house belonged to
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344 Nassau Street, Horner House. (Collection of the Historical Society of Princeton)
1760-65. It was a store owned by John Harrison, death in 1894, the building was moved to the by Princeton Architect J. Robert Hillier, FAIA Princeton’s postmaster, at the end of the 18th intersection of Nassau Street and Markham (Princeton Magazine publisher). century. Harrison is known to have sold goods to Road. The building is not recognized within The home at 298 Nassau Street has little members of the Continental Congress in 1783. the boundaries of the 1986 National Register of written history. Although tax records suggest The building became known as Queen’s Court Historic Places application but was considered it was constructed in 1830, Old Princeton’s when it was a girl’s prep school Neighbors claims that the in the late 19th century. residence, then known as The home at 323-325 Green Shutters, was built in Nassau Street, built sometime the early 18th century. before the Revolutionary The house at 338 Nassau War, is largely unchanged, Street was for many years according to the Historical the office of Dr. William G. Society of Princeton, which Chase, one of Princeton’s calls it “perhaps one of the few dentists in the late most authentic 18th century 1800s. Earlier it alternately structures still standing in sheltered both British and Princeton.” American troops during the Traces of an outdoor oven Revolution, according to The were found in the backyard at Princeton Recollector. 41 Harrison Street, with two RELIGIOUS AND large sycamores, which were CULTURAL LIFE likely planted as a tradition to celebrate a first home. According to The historical society has westwindsorhistory.com, few details on the house at 319the thriving neighborhood 321 Nassau Street, but the 321 boasted “a tanyard, section dates from either the leather shop, carriage late 18th or early 19th century. shop, tavern/inn, meatThe 319 section was added later. 341 Nassau Street when it served as a girl’s prep school. (Collection of the Historical Society of Princeton) packing store, wheelwright, Once the residence bakery, cooperage, several general stores, a of Princeton University president James within the scope of Queenston according to blacksmith shop, paint store, two barbers’ McCosh, 387 Nassau Street was formerly Old Princeton’s Neighbors. It was restored in shops, an ice company, and even a silkworm located on Prospect Avenue. Following his complete conformity with the original drawings
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145 Ewing Street, The Red Farm House, ca. 1910. (Collection of the Historical Society of Princeton)
raising establishment.” Queenston residents enthusiastically joined a statewide silkworm craze in the mid-1830s when the state offered money for cocoons, and mulberry trees were planted to attract silkworms. “Where Judy’s Flower Shop is today, that’s where the carriage shop was,” according to an interview in The Princeton Recollector. “Dad told us they did such beautiful work there. The carriages were all made by hand, and they would sand them down ’til they were like glass. They would put a coat of varnish on and sand it down; another coat of varnish and sand it down; and finally, they put the third coat of varnish on. But he always talked about what beautiful work they did.” Woodhull General Store was established at the Nassau and Harrison intersection and specialized in bartering, which was popular in the 1870s. Queenston was musical. In the 1880s, the Jugtown Brass Band and the Jugtown Fife and Drum Corps were formed in preparation for the 1880 and 1884 presidential campaigns. It is said the brass band was engaged by New Jersey to march in Ulysses S. Grant’s funeral procession in New York City, but its members got lost, sought “refreshments,” and ended with an altercation with police.
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The Queenston Chapel, constructed in 1832, was long the center of religious life in Queenston. The Sunday school was the first of its kind in the state, according to the West Windsor Historical Society. It says, “that a large sundial determined dismissal, causing arguments about the end of class on cloudy days.” John Maclean, later president of the College of New Jersey – Princeton University’s forerunner – taught in the school. And Old Princeton’s Neighbors notes that Walter M. Lowerie, who was superintendent of the chapel school from 1839-1841, drowned when his ship was attacked by pirates as he was traveling from Shanghai to Ningpo to prepare a revised translation of the New Testament into the Chinese language. THE BOUNDARY CHANGES
When Princeton Borough was incorporated in 1813 as a legal entity created to oversee police protection and public works, Queenston remained partially in West Windsor (then part of Middlesex County) and partially within Montgomery Township (Somerset County). It became part of Mercer County when Mercer incorporated in 1838. It wasn’t until 1843, when the state legislature transferred West Windsor’s portion of Princeton Borough to Princeton
Township (which had also been incorporated in 1838), that Queenston was no longer part of West Windsor. Ten years later the boundary between Princeton and West Windsor townships shifted to the Delaware & Raritan Canal. And, in 2013 Queenston’s municipal home shifted again, when Princeton Borough and Princeton Township merged. There are differences of opinion as to the boundaries of Queenston/Jugtown. The Princeton Recollector notes that, “Most Jugtowners in automobile times would tell you, when you come up Nassau Street from Jugtown and you come to Princeton Avenue, that’s the end of Jugtown. But I have heard old-timers say, ‘Now wait a minute, The House of the Seven Gables (280 Nassau Street) is the end, and that’s at the corner of Linden.’” Whatever the official boundaries, Queenston/ Jugtown lives in the hearts of many for its colorful history and charming homes. “Queenston remains a well-preserved hamlet, showcasing architecturally diverse, venerable buildings that once housed the hamlet’s aforementioned businesses,” says the West Windsor Historical Society. “Stroll down Nassau Street and you will find yourself immersed in centuries long gone, amidst a still-thriving crossroads community.”
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PRODUCT SELECTION BY LYNN ADAMS SMITH
A WELL-DESIGNED LIFE
“THE ARC” DESIGNED BY PHIL HOLT 4750 Province Line Road | Princeton, New Jersey 08540 (Hopewell Township) callawayhenderson.com/NJME2017460 | $2,950,000 Simply called “The Arc”, this visionary modern residence on almost 7 acres was brought to life by Princeton-schooled architect Phil Holt and the master builders of Lasley Brahaney. The striking primary spaces of the home lined with floor-to-ceiling glass walls make up a 90 degree curve that doesn’t fully reveal itself until you are invited inside. Maple flooring, cherry cabinetry and rolling barn doors bring warmth and movement to the expansive spaces, which include a 20-foot high family room with a spiral staircase and views of the pool. The main suite is in a wing of its own where corner windows light up the bedroom and the spa-like bath wrapped in clerestory windows, as well as your choice of an office or gym. An open-air loft study is upstairs along with 3 generously sized bedrooms with access to a long, curving balcony. The basement is finished and ready for casual entertaining and hours of play.
BARBARA BLACKWELL, BROKER ASSOCIATE c 609.915.5000 | o 609.921.1050 | bblackwell@callawayhenderson.com callawayhenderson.com | 4 Nassau Street, Princeton, NJ 08542 For more information about properties, the market in general, or your home particular, please give me a call. Each office is independently owned and operated. Subject to errors, omissions, prior sale or withdrawal without notice.
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