Princeton has gone from boomtown to backwater several times in its long history. It grew from a few random houses scattered along the road to a small town when it became the overnight stop for stagecoach travelers between Philadelphia and New York. The arrival of the College of New Jersey brought another economic engine to the town, and as the canal and railroad replaced the stage, provided a steady demand for labor and goods. The end of the Civil War saw the removal of the railroad and the decline of academic standards at the college, and the town languished. As the twentieth century began, however, new leadership at the college (now a university) and new modes of transportation suggested that the town’s future could be bright. Join us as we talk about Princeton’s founding, early development, growth, and decline over the course of four evenings.