Historical SignificanceMorven was built in the 1750s by Annis and Richard Stockton on a tract obtained by his grandfather from William Penn in 1701. Richard was a graduate of the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) and distinguished lawyer. Annis was the beautiful and poetically inclined daughter of a silversmith. Richard Stockton signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776, was captured and imprisoned by the British in December of that year, and died in 1781 after a long illness. Morven descended in the Stockton family through five generations. From 1945 to 1982, Morven served as the Governors’ Mansion of New Jersey. It opened as a museum and public garden showcasing New Jersey’s cultural heritage in 2004.
Morven in 1783
Under threat of mutiny by the army, Elias Boudinot, president of the Congress moved Congress out of Philadelphia to Princeton in June of 1783. He took up residence at Morven where his widowed sister Annis Boudinot Stockton resided. Annis and Elias frequently entertained members of Congress at Morven, including hosting an Independence Day party on July 4. In September Annis was the guest of George and Martha Washington at Rockingham, a farm near Princeton, and Annis maintained a lively correspondence with the future president in the years that followed.
Visitor Information
Morven is located in the center of Princeton Borough, where Route 206 intersects Nassau Street.
55 Stockton Street (Route 206)
Princeton, NJ 08540
telephone: 609-924-8144, ext.100
fax: 609-924-8331
e-mail: info@morven.org
website: www.morven.org
Morven Museum is open for tours Wednesday to Friday from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday from noon to 4:00 p.m. Docent-led tours begin at 15 minutes past the hour. Morven offers a museum shop and free on-site parking. Admission: $5 adults; $4 seniors/students.
- June 1, 2008 through January 11, 2009 – Picturing Princeton 1783: The Nation's Capital exhibition on view
- July 4 – Independence Day Jubilee
- December 10, 2008 through January 11, 2009 – Colonial Holidays
- Ongoing Program – 1783 Teas
- Ongoing Program – School Programs
