By Matthew Hersh
More than 20 years ago, New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey took full-time residency at Drumthwacket. Ten years prior, Gov. Jim Florio would sometimes be spotted in downtown Princeton as he fully moved into the vaunted Governor’s Mansion, located on Stockton Street.
Since then, Drumthwacket has emerged as an official reception and events location for New Jersey governors and dignitaries, but with Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s announcement that she and first gentleman Jason Hedberg would make the move to Central Jersey for the new governor’s incumbency, local organizations and historians are abuzz with historical possibilities.
“We are excited to let our fellow New Jerseyans know that we are moving our family to Drumthwacket this summer,” Sherrill announced last week. “From day one this administration has committed to getting to work in Trenton to deliver on our commitments. We’re thrilled to further strengthen that commitment by living full time in the governor’s official residence and being much closer to the Capital City and the State House.”
Princeton’s and Drumthwacket’s roles in state and national history are certainly no secret. The Governor’s Mansion sits on land near the 1777 Battle of Princeton. The property, once owned by William Penn, was acquired by William Olden in 1696. In 1799, Charles Smith Olden was born on the property in the small homestead by Stockton Street, called the Thomas Olden House that had been built 40 years earlier.
In 1835, Charles began construction of Drumthwacket. He went on to be a treasurer and trustee of the College of New Jersey, now Princeton University. He served as a state senator, and was elected governor in 1860, becoming the first governor to live at Drumthwacket, according to the Drumthwacket Foundation, the nonprofit whose mission is “to increase a sense of pride in New Jersey by preserving the Drumthwacket property and broadening access, furthering awareness and support of the Foundation and its activities and expanding civic understanding amongst New Jerseyans.”
“Drumthwacket is the people’s house,” said Sherrill, “and we also look forward to continuing to bring it to life for New Jersey residents and highlight all the incredible history it offers. Our family looks forward to this exciting next chapter, and we thank the dedicated New Jersey state staff and the team at the Drumthwacket Foundation for all their work to truly make the residence a home.”
Amy Cradic, chair of the Drumthwacket Foundation, said Sherrill’s move to Princeton brings about an historical excitement, illustrative of the building’s history.
“As stewards of the official residence of New Jersey’s governor, the Foundation offers a warm welcome to the first family,” said Cradic. “We are excited they are making this important residence their home and taking part in the property’s rich history.”
Princeton Mayor Mark Freda echoed the governor’s excitement, calling the move “the right thing to do.”
“It is the official home of the governor, paid for by tax dollars, and it is close to Trenton, so moving here makes sense,” said Freda. “We welcome Governor Sherrill to Princeton!”
The focus on Princeton could serve as a spotlight for other historical aspects of Drumthwacket and the greater Princeton community. The Foundation, for example, documents not only the official historical uses of the mansion, but also includes the fact that it was home to many. One resident included Eleanor Olden, granddaughter of Henry Egglesfield, butler of Princeton University trustee and philanthropist Moses Taylor Pyne, who purchased the estate in 1893.
The Foundation documents Eleanor’s childhood remembrances of the estate in a letter that can be read at the Foundation’s website at drumthwacket.org: “The farmer who worked for Mr. Pyne liked my mother so much when she was a little girl, he named one of the cows on the Drumthwacket farm ‘Fanny’ and carved her name above the cow’s stall! My favorite animals on the Drumthwacket estate were the monkeys. After our Egglesfield family outgrew Olden House, Mr. Pyne had turned it into a monkey house and an aviary with monkeys and birds in cages. I loved to visit the monkeys!”
Elizabeth Monroe, executive director of the Historical Society of Princeton (HSP), said the governor’s move to town “will draw renewed attention to that landmark property, but also because of the increased attention that will be placed upon the greater Princeton community.”
“HSP’s core mission is to provide exceptional history education, so anything that highlights Princeton’s rich history and relevance within our shared national heritage is exciting for us. Based at our own historic site, the Updike Farmstead, we teach visitors and program participants that history is relevant in daily life and can be used to explore connections among people, celebrate a love of place, and promote conversations on creating a better future. Having the first family in residence at Drumthwacket resonates with these same core tenets.”
Princeton boasts two governors’ mansions in Drumthwacket and Morven Museum & Garden, a historic 18th-century home that served as the state’s Governor’s Mansion from 1944 to 1982.
“This is certainly exciting news for Princeton — Drumthwacket has long been an important historic site, and its renewed use brings fresh attention to that legacy,” said Rhonda DiMascio, executive director of Morven. “I’m sure it will spark broader interest in the rich history we have here — especially as we launch into the 250th anniversary of American independence.”