"Cannon Green"
by Cathleen Engelsen

The area of Princeton University campus shown in the lithograph is known as Cannon Green.  The original painting hangs in the Palmer Inn on Route #1 in Princeton and was commissioned by Robert Cronheim, Class of 1950.

The lithographs are numbered and signed by the artist, Cathleen Engelsen.  Mrs. Engelsen lives in Ocean County, New Jersey and is recognized throughout the State for her paintings of historic buildings and scenes.

The view captured in the painting is from the steps between Whig and Clio Halls, looking toward the rear of Nassau Hall (1756).  As you face the painting, West College (1833) is shown to the left.  Behind West College is Stanhope Hall (1803).  To the right of Nassau Hall are buildings used until 1954 as the University Library.  Chancellor Green (1873) is now the student center and East Pyne, built in 1897, is now converted into office and classroom use.

Two cannons are buried, muzzle-end down, in the Cannon Green Lawn.  Presumably, these date from the Revolutionary War but Cannon Green derives its name from its role in the Battle of Princeton.  Nassau Hall was the site of a brief skirmish during the battle.  American troops fired several cannonballs at the building and the British troops located in the building quickly surrendered.  The ivy on Nassau Hall is kept trimmed so that the mark left by one of the cannonballs remains visible.

Nassau Hall played host to the Continental Congress (July-October, 1783) and has been used over its history as a dormitory, library, and for classrooms and offices.  Thousands of students, faculty, and visitors have walked across Cannon Green, admired the beauty of the campus and delighted in its history.

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