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| The Nassau Inn in Princeton, NJ, home of several ghosts |
In this final blog about our trip to Princeton, New Jersey, we take you to the historic Nassau Inn, where Rob ran into another ghost!
HISTORY OF THE NASSAU INN - The original Nassau Tavern at 52 Nassau Street was built in 1756 by Judge Thomas Leonard, who spent the last years of his life in view of the college he had helped to bring to Princeton. When Judge Thomas Leonard passed away in 1759, his elegant residence became a hostelry, which was called College Inn by its new owner. The Inn’s first proprietor was Christopher Beekman, who established the Inn as the center of the town's life.
NAME CHANGE-At the turn of the 19th century, Christopher Beekman and his wife, Grace Otis Beekman, retired. John Gifford took over the hostelry, changed its name to Nassau Inn and hung a sign picturing Nassau Hall over its entrance.ROB'S ENCOUNTER WITH A GHOST!! - When we walked into the lobby, I (Rob) immediately got a headache indicating there was a ghost there. In fact, it was intense! The ghost was that of a man, and he was irritated. He didn't want to be found out!
He told me the year "1823" before he "pushed" me back out the door. I actually felt like he was forcing me to go, and I didn't want do put up any resistance!
I thought about the clue he gave me to his identity and realized that since the Inn was around since 1756 (which I didn't know when I went inside) it makes sense that a ghost who lived during the 1800s could be there. I get the sense that the ghost either visited in 1823 or died in the hotel in 1823. My guess is that he died in the Yankee Doodle Tap Room (part of the Inn).
Photo: The lobby where Rob encountered the male ghost from 1823
GHOSTLY ENCOUNTERS FROM OTHERS - NassuaInn.com provided the following encounters with ghosts:
At the Nassau Inn and the Yankee Doodle Tap Room, dozens of apparitions have been accounted for throughout the course of two and half centuries.
Nick Ballas, Director of Rooms at the Nassau Inn, reported on several occasions of having heard strange noises, seen bizarre figures, and, while staying overnight, witnessed a translucent woman in a white dress floating up the stairs from the 2nd to 3rd floor. “The fifth floor is where some of the eeriest stories come from,” remarked a front desk attendant at the Nassau Inn. “There were several instances where guests called down with concerns of hearing constant chatter from disembodied voices. A few guests also described feelings of being hugged by an invisible stranger.”
FUN FACT - Signers of the Declaration of Independence, passing through Princeton in 1776, rested at College Inn.
WHERE IS THE NASSAU INN? 10 Palmer Square, Princeton, NJ, 08542. Website: https://www.nassauinn.com/
