1766 was the year Ezekiel Smith died in this house.
It was part of the old Stony Brook Quaker Settlement near what would become the Princeton Battlefield. He was an old Quaker (or Friend, as Quakers call themselves) who died without a will. As was done in such cases, the county conducted an inventory of his personal estate; and found in his Common Room were “a cooking fireplace large enough for two cranes and trammels, 17 chairs, 21 plates,” and table enough for frequent entertaining; for it was noted among the other old Quakers at the nearby Meeting House that Ezekiel Smith had been a “fast-living Friend.”
This house was built as part of the original Stony Brook Quaker Settlement about 300 years ago by Friend John Houghton.
Since then it was owned by Friend Ezekiel Smith, Paul Tulane (the wealthy industrialist of Tulane University fame), and various colorful characters, including a litigious brigand, and a well-respected doctor who was on occasion a bit into his cups. The house was on the 2009 Historic Home Tour, and on Lawrenceville’s 2011 Hidden Homes Tour. It can also be seen in the book Princeton: History and Architecture by Marilyn Menago.