Governor to move into Drumthwacket mansion in Princeton full-time

Gov. Mikie Sherrill and her family will move into Drumthwacket full-time this summer, returning New Jersey’s official governor’s residence to daily use as a home.

In a statement released Friday, Sherrill and her husband said the move is intended to bring the administration physically closer to Trenton and the State House.

“From Day One this administration has committed to getting to work in Trenton to deliver on our commitments,” the statement reads. “We’re thrilled to further strengthen that commitment by living full time in the Governor’s official residence and being much closer to the Capital City and the State House.”

Former Gov. Jim McGreevey, who served from 2002 to 2004, was the last governor to make the mansion his full-time home. The residence has continued to be used for official events, receptions and public tours even when governors lived elsewhere.

The estate’s history stretches back more than three centuries. The land was once owned by William Penn before being acquired in 1696 by the Olden family. The mansion itself was built in 1835 by Charles Smith Olden, who later became governor in 1860 and was the first governor to live at the property.

The home took on its present grandeur under financier and Princeton benefactor Moses Taylor Pyne, who expanded the estate in the late 19th century, adding wings, a paneled library and the Italianate gardens that remain among its defining features.

The property was sold to the State of New Jersey in 1966 with the intention that it replace Morven as the governor’s official residence, but it was not formally converted until 1982 after years of restoration and fundraising.

Gov. Jim Florio and First Lady Lucinda Florio became the first gubernatorial couple to live there after the restoration in 1990, overseeing further modernization of the living quarters and grounds.

“Drumthwacket is the people’s house, and we look also forward to continuing to bring it to life for New Jersey residents and highlight all the incredible history it offers,” Sherrill and her husband said.