Welcome to Monument Plaza
While Princeton University and Nassau Street get all of the glory, at the posted coordinates you will find one of Princeton's hidden secrets. There are several monuments, sculpture and markers that most folks do not realize are here. The Center piece is the 50 feet tall monument commemorating the Battle of Princeton, which depicts General George Washington leading his troops to victory and the death of General Hugh Mercer.
This Monument, which commemorates the January 3, 1777 Battle of Princeton, was commissioned in 1908. It was designed by Frederick MacMonnies and architect Thomas Hastings and was composed by Andrew Fleming West. In 1922, President Warren G. Harding dedication the monument.
In 2006 major restoration of The Monument took place. In September 2007, nighttime illumination of the Monument was installed and the monument was ceremoniously rededicated when the lights were switched on for the first time.
From The Battle Monument, we will head west down the path towards Nassau Street. Along the way you will meet a notable Princeton resident, discover Princeton's sister city in France, learn about the "peacemaker" and meet a gentleman that prefers old news. There are many other interesting sculptures and markers within the park. While you're here, be sure to find Door of Mystery and Sphinxes!
To qualify for the Virtual cache you will need to gather information from four different sculptures.
1 - What is written on the north face of the Battle of Princeton Monument beneath the eagle?
2 - According to plaque on the fountain, which Sister City gave Princeton the replica Statue?
3 - What is the date of the newspaper on the bench?
4 - When you meet Princeton's famous resident find out the year of his quote about humanity
Final task, please post a picture that proves you were on site.
A note about parking. The meters on the street eat silver change like it's going out of style. Fortunately, there are four 30 minute parking spots at the municipal lot, it shouldn't be a problem finding a spot there (right next to the main monument) and getting the answer well under the time limit. (Parking Coordinates are in the additional waypoints section)
The Central Jersey Geocachers hope up enjoyed your visit, learned something new and discovered something you never knew about in Central Jersey.
This Geocache is placed with permission from Washington Crossing State Park and Princeton Public Works.
Virtual Reward - 2017/2018
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between August 24, 2017 and August 24, 2018. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards on the Geocaching Blog.