About Princeton Battlefield State Park
On January 3, 1777, American troops under General George Washington surprised and defeated a force of British Regulars in one of the fiercest battles of its size during the American Revolution. The battle, part of “The Ten Crucial Days” following Washington’s crossing of the Delaware River, marked his first field victory against British regulars. Fighting extended across the Clarke farms and toward the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University), where General Hugh Mercer fell near what was then the Mercer Oak. The historic tree, believed to have stood during the battle, collapsed in March 2000; an offspring grown from its acorn now grows beside its stump.
The Clarke House, built by Quaker farmer Thomas Clarke in 1772, served as a focal point during the battle and remains largely intact with original flooring, moldings, and windows. Furnished to reflect the Revolutionary War era, the two-story half-Georgian house, along with its carriage barn and smokehouse, preserves the domestic life of the Clarke family, including Susannah, an enslaved Black woman in their household. The site is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., and Sundays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.