Updike Farmstead

354 Quaker Road
Princeton, NJ 08540 
Main Phone Number: 609.921.6748
Fax: 609.921.6939 

Updike Farmstead is open Wednesday through Sunday, 12-4 PM, with extended hours Thursdays until 7 PM. Admission: $4/person; free for HSP members. Thursdays are free from 4 to 7 PM.   

The Historical Society of Princeton purchased the six-acre Updike Farmstead from the estate of Stanley Updike in 2004. The Farmstead consists of a late 18th/early 19th century farmhouse, a large barn built in 1892, wagon shed, corn crib, three-bay garage, garden sheds and chicken coops. After the purchase, careful plans were laid for the rehabilitation of the late 18th/early 19th century farmhouse and related site work to accommodate expanded operations for the Historical Society.

The Farmstead is listed on the State and National Register of Historic Places and lies within Princeton Township's Princeton Battlefield/Stony Brook Settlement Historic District. Benjamin Clarke, an early Stony Brook settler, first owned the land as part of a 1200-acre parcel he purchased in 1696. The Farmstead is along the route followed by Continental troops on their way to engage British soldiers at the neighboring Thomas Clarke farm at Princeton Battlefield. The original Benjamin Clarke property, which was divided up over time, remained in the hands of his descendants for over 150 years. In 1892, George Furman Updike Sr. acquired approximately 190 acres of the original farmland and added buildings to the site, including a large barn. In 1969, the Updike family sold 184 acres of the property to the Institute for Advanced Study. Brother and sister, Stanley and Sarah Updike, continued to live on the remaining six acres until their deaths in 2002.

For hours and events, please visit PrincetonHistory.org.