Fate of Princeton Battlefield

Final Decisive Meeting
Thursday February 16th, 7:30 pm
Planning Commission in Princeton at 400 Witherspoon Street

This Thursday February 16th will likely be the last meeting of the
Planning Commission in Princeton at 400 Witherspoon Street at 7:30pm to
decide the fateful go ahead for the 15 unit housing facility that the IAS
wishes to build. The central argument seems to be whether or not there was
a battle on this IAS land. In the past several months I have attended all
of the planning meetings and have been following articles in the
newspapers and one point sticks out. The ABPP Study along with
testimonials of published historians clearly states that about 60% of the
battle or what many like to call Washington’s counter attack did take
place on this IAS land. An IAS supporter came forward to say that he is
tired of hearing about this so-called sacred land. What else can we call
ground where over 500 American and British soldiers died or were wounded
on January 3rd 1777?

The IAS is pushing to develop this land and to date they don’t even have
all of their approvals including wet lands, zoning, variances,
engineering issues and a 1992 resolution on cluster housing which one
would surmise would be put forth before going to the Planning Board. I
join many others who are passionate for history and its preservation in a
biodegradable society that cares more about tearing down and building up.
History is becoming an endangered species!

R. Iain Haight-Ashton