Revolutionary Road Trip Comes to Princeton: Join Darley Newman & Local Experts at Morven Museum & Garden on October 20th
An Evening of Hidden Revolutionary War Stories with the Historians Who Keep Princeton and American History Alive
In the winter of 1776–77, the fate of the American Revolution came down to a ten-day stretch of road between Trenton and Princeton. Washington crossed the Delaware, surprised the Hessians at Trenton, then outmaneuvered the British at Princeton, turning a nearly lost cause into a war the Continental Army could win.
Darley Newman traveled that same road for her new book, Revolutionary Road Trip: Hidden Stories from America's Founding Journey. On Tuesday, October 20, she brings those stories back to where they happened, in conversation with the historians who helped her tell them.
"A Revolutionary Road Trip Passes Through Princeton" takes place at Morven Museum & Garden and is presented by the Princeton Public Library. Seats are limited and registration is requested.
When and Where Is Darley Newman's Princeton Book Talk?
What: "A Revolutionary Road Trip Passes Through Princeton," a book talk and panel with Darley Newman
When: Tuesday, October 20, 2026, 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Where: Morven Museum & Garden, 55 Stockton Street, Princeton, NJ
Presented by: Princeton Public Library's Public Humanities Initiative, with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities
Co-sponsors: Historical Society of Princeton, Morven Museum & Garden and the Princeton Battlefield Society
Registration: Requested, and seating is limited
Meet the Panel: The Historians Behind Princeton's Revolutionary Stories
While filming Travels with Darley and researching Revolutionary Road Trip, Darley spent time on location with the people who know this region's history best. On October 20, they'll be on stage together.
Darley Newman, Author and PBS Travel Documentarian Darley is the Emmy Award-winning host and creator of Travels with Darley on PBS and the author of Revolutionary Road Trip. For the book, she traveled the original thirteen colonies to uncover the overlooked people and places of America's founding.
Will Krakower, Resource Interpretive Specialist, Princeton Battlefield State Park
Will interprets the ground where the Battle of Princeton was fought on January 3, 1777, including the historic Thomas Clarke House.
Beth Allan, Deputy Director and Curator, Morven Museum & Garden
Beth is the evening's host on her home turf. Morven was the home of Richard Stockton, a Princeton signer of the Declaration of Independence, and it later served as New Jersey's governor's mansion. Its Revolutionary-era story includes occupation by British troops during the winter of 1776.
Leslie Bramlett, Historical Interpreter, Old Barracks Museum, Trenton
The Old Barracks was built in 1758 and housed Hessian soldiers before Washington's surprise attack on Trenton the day after Christmas in 1776. As a historical interpreter, Leslie brings the soldiers' and civilians' experience of that pivotal winter to life.
Dan Linke, Moderator, Princeton University Library Special Collections
Dan moderates the conversation. He's a steward of Princeton University's archival collections, and Nassau Hall is part of the story, too. Darley’s TV episode and book shine a light on Nassau Hall’s role in the American Revolution, when it witnessed the Battle of Princeton and briefly served as the seat of the Continental Congress in 1783.
What Is Revolutionary Road Trip About?
Revolutionary Road Trip: Hidden Stories from America's Founding Journey explores lesser-known Revolutionary-era sites and untold stories across the thirteen original colonies. It blends practical travel advice with history, and it's timed to America's 250th anniversary, for readers who want to stand where history happened rather than just read about it.
The book is available through book sellers like Amazon, independent bookshops and at events like the October 20th event in Princeton.
Who Should Attend?
History lovers, Princeton, Mercer County and New Jersey locals, America 250 enthusiasts, Travels with Darley viewers and anyone planning a Revolutionary War road trip of their own. You'll leave with new stories about places you may have passed a hundred times, and a list of where to go next. It’s also the opportunity to step inside a home built for a Founding Father, and the site of New Jersey's first governor's mansion. Morven Museum & Garden is a National Historic Landmark.
Register for the Princeton Book Talk
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