NJ, USA

Thomas Clarke House

Historic House

The Thomas Clarke House is a colonial farmhouse located within Princeton Battlefield State Park. Built around 1772 by Thomas Clarke, a Quaker farmer, the house stood at the epicenter of the Battle of Princeton on January 3, 1777. After the battle, the house was used as a field hospital where wounded soldiers from both armies were treated.

The house is maintained by the Princeton Battlefield Society and is open for tours during scheduled events and by appointment.

What Happened Here

General Hugh Mercer was carried to the Thomas Clarke House after being bayoneted on the battlefield. He was treated by physicians in the house but died of his wounds on January 12, 1777, nine days after the battle. British wounded were also treated in the house. The Clarke family, as Quakers, did not take sides in the conflict but provided care to soldiers of both armies.

The house is one of the few surviving structures that was directly involved in the Battle of Princeton. Its position within the battlefield park allows visitors to understand the spatial relationship between the house, the fields where the fighting occurred, and the road along which Mawhood's column marched.