Princeton, New Jersey
Not a Seat of Government
The Debate Over Congress’s Use of Prospect House, Princeton
The relocation of the United States in Congress Assembled (USCA) to Princeton in June 1783 has sparked ongoing debate among historians regarding the site of Congress’s first meetings. While some scholars maintain that Congress convened initially at Colonel George Morgan’s estate, Prospect House, other evidence, including primary sources, challenges this assertion. The claim that the USCA utilized Prospect House is primarily supported by Varnum Lansing Collins, who argues persuasively for its temporary use. However, Charles Thomson’s firsthand account and subsequent scholarly analyses cast doubt on this conclusion.
Varnum Collins’s Argument for Prospect House
Collins, in The Continental Congress at Princeton, posits that the USCA likely convened at Prospect House between June 30 and July 2, 1783, before transitioning to Nassau Hall. He notes several points in favor of this theory:
Colonel Morgan’s offer of a room at Prospect was extended to Congress in a letter dated June 25, 1783. In the letter, Morgan stated that one of his buildings contained “a better room for them to meet in” than could be “immediately accommodated with elsewhere” [1].
In a list of accommodations prepared by Princeton citizens in October 1783, Colonel Morgan designated one room in Prospect as the "Congress Room" and offered it for winter use. Collins argues that this name implies prior use by Congress during the summer session [1].
A memorandum by Secretary Charles Thomson mentions the loss of a paper during the relocation of his office from “the House of Col. Morgan to the College.” Collins interprets this as evidence that both Thomson’s office and Congress itself began their Princeton session at Prospect House before moving to Nassau Hall [1].
Evidence Against the Use of Prospect House
Despite Collins’s compelling argument, direct evidence suggests that Congress convened in Nassau Hall as early as June 30. Charles Thomson’s letter to his wife, written on the day of the first session, explicitly describes his journey to Princeton and his arrival at Nassau Hall:
“As soon as I had dressed I went to the College to meet Congress. I was conducted along an entry (which runs from one end to the other through the middle of the college) & was led up into the third story where a few members were assembled” [2].
Thomson’s description of Congress’s location and his reference to members gathering in Nassau Hall on June 30 directly contradict the claim that Congress met at Prospect House. This testimony is supported by Paul H. Smith, editor of Letters of Delegates to Congress, who asserts:
“This statement by Thomson disproves Varnum L. Collins’ … plausible conjecture that Congress met at George Morgan's Prospect estate between June 30, when the delegates first officially gathered to transact business in Princeton, and July 2, when they accepted the College of New Jersey's offer to use Nassau Hall as a meeting place for Congress” [3].
Smith acknowledges that informal gatherings of some delegates at Prospect House before June 30 are possible but concludes that no official congressional business occurred there [3].
Princeton University’s Account of Prospect House
Princeton University’s historical account of Prospect House complicates the debate further. According to the university:
“Morgan’s estate, a popular stopping off place in Revolutionary times, was visited by such diverse groups as a delegation of Delaware Indians, 2,000 mutinous soldiers of the Pennsylvania Line, and the Continental Congress” [2].
However, this claim is contradicted by Thomson’s letter and subsequent analyses. It is more likely that Congress's association with Prospect House stems from informal or social visits rather than formal sessions.
Final Analysis
The evidence strongly favors Nassau Hall as the site of Congress’s first meetings in Princeton. While Colonel Morgan’s offer of accommodations and the designation of a "Congress Room" in Prospect House lend credence to Collins’s theory, Thomson’s detailed account and the timeline of events undermine the likelihood that Congress convened there for official business. As Eugene R. Sheridan and John M. Murrin note in their edition of Thomson’s letters:
“Congress’s interlude at Prospect House, if it occurred, was limited to informal or preparatory gatherings. The official record and Thomson’s correspondence affirm Nassau Hall as the site of the first session” [3].
Conclusion
Although the role of Prospect House in Congress’s 1783 session remains a subject of historical inquiry, the balance of evidence indicates that Nassau Hall hosted Congress from its first official meeting on June 30. Informal gatherings at Prospect may have occurred, but they did not rise to the level of congressional sessions. This clarification highlights the importance of primary sources, such as Thomson’s correspondence, in resolving historical debates.
Footnotes
- Varnum Lansing Collins, The Continental Congress at Princeton. The University Library, 1908, pp. 57–58.
- Princeton University, “Prospect House History,” http://www.princeton.edu/prospecthouse/history.html, March 15, 2012.
- Paul H. Smith, ed., Letters of Delegates to Congress, 1774–1789, vol. 25. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress, 1976–2000. Charles Thomson to Hannah Thomson, June 30, 1783.
For students and teachers of U.S. history, this video features Stanley and Christopher Klos presenting America's Four United Republics Curriculum at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School. Filmed in December 2015, this video is an informal recording by an audience member capturing a presentation attended by approximately 200 students, professors, and guests. To explore the full curriculum, [download it here].
September 5, 1774 | October 22, 1774 | |
October 22, 1774 | October 26, 1774 | |
May 20, 1775 | May 24, 1775 | |
May 25, 1775 | July 1, 1776 |
July 2, 1776 to February 28, 1781
July 2, 1776 | October 29, 1777 | |
November 1, 1777 | December 9, 1778 | |
December 10, 1778 | September 28, 1779 | |
September 29, 1779 | February 28, 1781 |
March 1, 1781 to March 3, 1789
March 1, 1781 | July 6, 1781 | |
July 10, 1781 | Declined Office | |
July 10, 1781 | November 4, 1781 | |
November 5, 1781 | November 3, 1782 | |
November 4, 1782 | November 2, 1783 | |
November 3, 1783 | June 3, 1784 | |
November 30, 1784 | November 22, 1785 | |
November 23, 1785 | June 5, 1786 | |
June 6, 1786 | February 1, 1787 | |
February 2, 1787 | January 21, 1788 | |
January 22, 1788 | January 21, 1789 |
United States in Congress Assembled (USCA) Sessions
USCA | Session Dates | USCA Convene Date | President(s) |
First | 03-01-1781 to 11-04-1781* | 03-02-1781 | |
Second | 11-05-1781 to 11-03-1782 | 11-05-1781 | |
Third | 11-04-1782 to 11-02-1783 | 11-04-1782 | |
Fourth | 11-03-1783 to 10-31-1784 | 11-03-1783 | |
Fifth | 11-01-1784 to 11-06-1785 | 11-29-1784 | |
Sixth | 11-07-1785 to 11-05-1786 | 11-23-1785 | |
Seventh | 11-06-1786 to 11-04-1787 | 02-02-1787 | |
Eighth | 11-05-1787 to 11-02-1788 | 01-21-1788 | |
Ninth | 11-03-1788 to 03-03-1789** | None | None |
* The Articles of Confederation was ratified by the mandated 13th State on February 2, 1781, and the dated adopted by the Continental Congress to commence the new United States in Congress Assembled government was March 1, 1781. The USCA convened under the Articles of Confederation Constitution on March 2, 1781.** On September 14, 1788, the Eighth United States in Congress Assembled resolved that March 4th, 1789, would be commencement date of the Constitution of 1787's federal government thus dissolving the USCA on March 3rd, 1789.
Philadelphia | Sept. 5, 1774 to Oct. 24, 1774 | |
Philadelphia | May 10, 1775 to Dec. 12, 1776 | |
Baltimore | Dec. 20, 1776 to Feb. 27, 1777 | |
Philadelphia | March 4, 1777 to Sept. 18, 1777 | |
Lancaster | September 27, 1777 | |
York | Sept. 30, 1777 to June 27, 1778 | |
Philadelphia | July 2, 1778 to June 21, 1783 | |
Princeton | June 30, 1783 to Nov. 4, 1783 | |
Annapolis | Nov. 26, 1783 to Aug. 19, 1784 | |
Trenton | Nov. 1, 1784 to Dec. 24, 1784 | |
New York City | Jan. 11, 1785 to Nov. 13, 1788 | |
New York City | October 6, 1788 to March 3,1789 | |
New York City | March 3,1789 to August 12, 1790 | |
Philadelphia | Dec. 6,1790 to May 14, 1800 | |
Washington DC | November 17,1800 to Present |
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