Letter: History is Becoming an Endangered Species

To the Editor:

This Thursday, Feb. 16., 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 Institute for Advanced Study 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 Jan. 3 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
Site Director, Wyckoff-Garretson House
Somerset, NJ