Virtual Princetoniana Museum Captures History of Reunions and Princeton

The P-rade became an official part of Reunions at the turn of the 20th century, and alumni didn’t take long to make it their own. In 1903, members of the Class of 1896 borrowed a Navy cannon and, probably not anticipating how powerful the blast would be, fired off salutes that shattered nearby windows. In 1910, football star Bill Edwards 1900 used the procession to bring attention to suffrage — by riding on horseback, dressed as Joan of Arc, and bearing a shield with the words “Votes for Women.”

These gems of Princeton lore, along with other text, images, audio, and video, make up the Princetoniana Museum, an online collection of items and stories about Princeton alumni.

It’s run by the Princetoniana Committee, a volunteer arm of the Alumni Council that works in collaboration with the University Archives to collect and track Princeton artifacts.

Tom Swift ’76 was on the committee in 2018 when members decided that they would create a virtual museum. Now, there are more than 5,000 entries in the online museum.

The original exhibit is the class jacket collection, and more than 150 of them can be viewed online.

But the museum is home to more than just orange and black memorabilia. The “Student Escapades” exhibit tells the stories of several Princeton pranks, highlighted by a written account and grainy footage of the Great Train Robbery of 1963 — described by the website as “likely the greatest college prank of all time.” On the Friday of Houseparties weekend that spring, four students dressed as cowboys boarded the Dinky and staged a kidnapping; the “victims” were in on it and no actual harm was done. “In the simpler life of 1963, a well-executed prank was a tour de force, a source of admiration and campus awe, a way of tweaking the nose of staid tradition and yet staying within it,” wrote Selden Edwards ’63 in his account.

As Princeton’s traditions continue to evolve, so do the museum’s holdings. If you have a story, image, video, or other contribution you feel belongs in the Princetoniana collection, contact curator@princetonianamuseum.org. Also, the group hosts a “Take It or Leave It” tent at Reunions on the South Lawn of East Pyne Hall where people can drop off any unwanted Princeton memorabilia or apparel or discover something new.

“It’s a labor of love,” Swift says.