#princetontradition

[princetonarchives]

It's unclear exactly when the tradition of stealing the clapper from Princeton University’s Nassau Hall bell tower began, but documentation indicates it was sometime in the 1860s. More than merely a nuisance to staff who had to keep replacing the clapper, scaling the bell tower was a dangerous feat that occasionally resulted in injuries when students fell from the tower and then off the roof onto the ground. In 1991, administrators decided to remove the clapper indefinitely. Today, Nassau Hall's bell rings only on special occasions, such as Commencement, after which the clapper is again removed. The students pictured above were members of the Class of 1952 who stole the clapper in 1948. 

Historical Photograph Collection (AC112), Box MP199, Image No. 5278. 

[princetonarchives]

The program above, from June 28, 1870, is from the College of New Jersey’s “Sophomore Burial.” (The College of New Jersey changed its name to Princeton University in 1896.) This event, held annually for most of the 1860s and 1870s, was an outlet for frustration for the sophomores as they finished their second year of college. They collectively burned the book they least liked to read at the yearly ritual, but faculty strongly disliked the practice, and it ultimately gave way to less controversial celebrations. The Class of 1872 seems to have least liked their math text.

Princeton University Commencement Records (AC115), Box 1, Folder 3.