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PRINCETON ON CAMERA: Filming a segment last week for her PBS series about Princeton’s contribution to the American Revolution, Darley Newman, left, learned some history from Princeton Tour Company’s Mimi Omiecinski in front of Princeton University’s FitzRandolph Gate.
By Anne Levin
Considering which towns to feature in “Revolutionary Road Trips,” her PBS (Public Broadcasting System) series about the 250th anniversary of the United States, host Darley Newman knew she wanted to do a segment about Princeton. What she didn’t realize, until spending two days here last week, was just how much of a role Princeton played in Revolutionary War-era history.
“I knew the University, of course, but I didn’t realize the depth of the history there,” said Newman, the creator, producer, and star of the long-running PBS series “Travels with Darley,” as well as “Revolutionary Road Trips,” “Look Up,” and the former series, “Equitrekking.” Her shows are also broadcast on Amazon Prime and other services.
“Going into Nassau Hall, hearing about the Battle of Princeton, learning it was the capital of the country at one time, was pretty remarkable,” she continued. “What we’re trying to do is tell untold stories of the American Revolution. I think people will be surprised about what they learn, because we don’t know the whole story.”
Newman spent time with Princeton Tour Company’s Mimi Omiecinski, Princeton University Archivist Dan Linke, Princeton Art Museum Director James Steward, and members of the Princeton Battlefield Society. She and Omiecinski rode e-bikes through areas of town, and stopped off at the Yankee Doodle Tap Room.
“We toasted with a beer in front of a painting by Norman Rockwell,” Newman said. “I went to the Clarke House, and Morven Museum and Garden, both of which are historic. I like doing shows where history is at the center of the story. We’re not trying to tell the whole history of the Revolution, but we want to tell people to go to places where they can understand more of what happened, and link it together, while meeting locals from the area.”
“Revolutionary Road Trips” has taken Newman to Alabama, South Carolina, Hawaii, North Carolina, and other states. In New Jersey, she has filmed segments in Somerville, Morristown, and Trenton, where she viewed an original copy of the Bill of Rights, and the case file from the Supreme Court case of Aaron Burr vs. Alexander Hamilton (1804).
“There’s even a letter from George Washington,” she said. “When you think of what’s in those archives, it’s a lot. It’s a good exercise for all of us in America to go back and look at those documents again. It really made me think about the founding of the country in a different way.”
“Revolutionary Roadtrips” also visited Washington Crossing, on both the New Jersey and Pennsylvania sides of the Delaware River. They stopped at the Trent House, where Algernon Ward shared the story of the First Rhode Island Regiment, the integrated unit composed of Black, Native American, and white soldiers.
Newman, who is 44 and has won numerous awards for her work, has been fascinated by travel as long as she can remember. “I started making videos and home movies as a kid,” she said. “I have always loved being creative and sharing stories.”
After graduating from George Washington University, she knew she didn’t want to work in an office. It took a lot of hard work, but she was eventually able to turn her passion for travel into a business. Her first series, “Equitrekking,” was picked up by PBS and won three Daytime Emmy awards. The experience was rewarding, until it became dangerous. She was charged by an elephant in Botswana, galloped with herds of wildebeests, and bungee-jumped off the world’s largest tower in Macao (1,109 feet).
“Equitrekking” became “Travels with Darley” 10 years ago. The series has taken Newman and her two-man crew all over the world. “We are spoiled travelers and foodies at this point,” she said. “We have been to some really life-changing places with people who are remarkable. I have interviewed celebrities, but everyday people are the ones who have stories that makes you say, ‘Wow, pretty amazing.’”
The Princeton episode will be part of season 11 of “Travels with Darley,” which debuts on PBS stations nationwide starting in January 2024.
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