A volunteer effort to collect, digitize, organize, and share the history of the Hopewell Valley in Mercer County, New Jersey.
Latest Updates: 1939 Hopewell Carnival Mystery Photo
Site Organization (scroll down for an overview of each section):
- Visit Hopewell Valley Places – Town Indexes for quick links for information on specific local towns, including History Project reports, images, maps, and property documents.
- Explore the Hopewell History Map to browse properties in Hopewell Borough and view historical images and information.
- The Image Gallery contains property and town images from historic books and postcards.
- Use the Panoramic Aerials Gallery to explore 180 degree panoramic drone views.
- The Book Archives and Map Archives contain the primary reference materials of our local history, organized in interactive tables to browse and search.
- The Reference Guides are printable overviews of key materials and research references.
- The Pamphlet Collections contain more recent leaflets and pamphlets from local towns and organizations.
- Follow the Blog and Facebook for updates on changes and additions to the site.
Site Tour
The Hopewell Valley History Project is a new volunteer effort to collect and organize the important sources of our local heritage in digital form, and share them online for open and convenient access.
We are posting curated copies of materials already in digital format, including historic ebooks and scanned maps, and also seeking out paper documents and images to manually photograph and scan for the site.
Visit the Site Index to to explore the organization of the site by different types of materials. Scroll down for previews of the major sections of the site.
Recent Updates
- Add 1939 Hopewell Carnival Mystery Photo
- Add Memorial Day Parade Snapshots – Behind the Scenes
- Update Hopewell History Map – Image Pan & Zoom
- Add post on Snowy Day in Hopewell in the 1910s at Blackwell & Railroad
- Add post on Snowy Day in Hopewell in the Early 1900s
- Add The Mercer & Somerset Railroad and a Frog War from John Kilbride (2016)
- Add video of History Project talk, May 2020, researching the Hopewell Public Library
- Add talk – Sharing Information on the Web: The Hopewell Valley History Project
- Add Panoramic Aerials pages for Hopewell and Pennington
- Add Hopewell Bottling Company / Michael Staiger
- Add Hopewell High Schools in the 1920s
- Add Hopewell Mementos Gallery
- Add Hopewell Fire Dept. 50th Anniversary booklet (1911-1961)
Add Be It Ever So Humble by Dean Ashton - Add Hopewell images during the Lindbergh kidnapping (1932) from Jim Davidson
- Add post on Hopewell Valley Historic House Tours and Hopewell Boro Architecture Tour
- Add Hopewell Train Station Art Gallery (post) to Image Gallery (direct link)
- Add Pennington Historic Walking Tour Guide (c1990) – with Pennington History & Tour site
- Add brief on Seminary Avenue History in Hopewell Borough and Hopewell Boro Barbers
- Add Hopewell & Pennington Histories by David Blackwell
- Add brief on History of the Hopewell Borough Fire Companies
- Add Hopewell News – 1943-1946 by Dean Ashton – from the WWII Homefront
- Add John Hart Farmstead Plaque Dedication (1959)
- Add more Hopewell Borough Memorial Day parade photos, 1950 – 1990
- Add Hopewell Valley Places, with Historic Town Maps
- Add Hopewell Borough History Timeline
- Add brief on History of the Hopewell Public Library
- Add Hopewell Borough Aerial Panoramas from six different views above the town
- Add brief on Broad & Louellen Streets (Presbyterian Church related buildings)
- Use the Hopewell History Map to view current-day images of properties around town
- Add five Hopewell Valley Cultural Resource surveys
Contribute
Help share our local history with the community – for more information, email info@hopewellhistoryproject.org.
- Collect and organize historical material on interesting topics
- Digitize and transcribe historical materials
- Write summaries on important people, places, houses, etc.
Hopewell Valley Places – Indexes By Municipality
See Hopewell Valley Places for quick links to information on this site for specific local communities – Hopewell Borough, Pennington Borough, Titusville / Washington Crossing, and Hopewell Township – including images, property documents, maps, and related materials.
Hopewell History Map – Properties and Images
The interactive Hopewell History Map (About / Help) uses a map interface to explore information and images on historical properties in Hopewell Borough.
Browse the street addresses in the Map or Table, and click a property to view the available information in the other panels, including photo and postcard views in the Info Panel, and documentation on selected properties.
- Explore the Hopewell History Map (separate site)
Image Gallery – Properties
The Image Gallery (About/Help) includes albums on Hopewell Artwork, Hopewell Memorial Day Parades, and Hopewell Mementos – plus town galleries with photos and postcards of buildings and streets in the Hopewell Valley region, including Hopewell Borough, Pennington, Titusville / Washington Crossing, and Hopewell Township.
The town files are named by street address and year for convenient searching and sorting. This makes it easy to compare images along the same street, at the same address in different years, or from different sources.
- Browse the Image Archives (separate site)
Pamphlet Collections
The Town Pamphlets Collection (About/Help) includes scans of leaflets and pamphlets distributed by local municipalities and organizations within the last 40-some years (e.g., “ephemera”). These are typically short informational handouts that capture interesting information on towns and businesses and people. See the Books Archive for longer-form historical material.
- View the Town Pamphlets Collection (separate site)
Reference Guides – Printable Listings
The Books and Maps Reference Guides include several types of printable guides (PDF), including Galleries with images and catalogs of available sources and materials, Chronologies with listings of all the materials in the archives (plus other interesting related material) with additional information, and Sources Guides with references for further investigation (especially digital).
Book and Map Archives – Tables of Resources
The Book and Map Archives contain copies of the available resource files for convenient browsing. Browse all materials, or specific types:
- Full Archives – All Document and Map materials
- Document Archives – Historic documents, including books and pamphlets, back to the early 1900’s (large PDFs)
- Map Archives – Maps of the Hopewell Valley region, including historic maps covering the region, municipal maps (e.g., tax and zoning), and other formats.
Quick search of all Archives, with listings of available materials. Search, sort, and filter as desired.
Recent Blog Posts – Site Updates
Listing of recent Blog posts with updates on new additions. Search, sort, and filter as desired.
| Image | Title | Summary | Categories | Author | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 1939 Hopewell Carnival Mystery Photo | So, what the heck is this? The image was provided courtesy of Bill Frenchu, and … | Images, Places, Properties | ddixon | 16th January 2021 |
 | Memorial Day Snapshots – Behind the Scenes | We have more Hopewell Borough Memorial Day Parade photos in the Image Gallery courtesy of … | Images, Places, Properties | ddixon | 9th January 2021 |
 | History Map Update – Image Pan & Zoom | The Hopewell History Map has been updated to make it easier to have fun interactively … | Images, Map, Places | ddixon | 2nd January 2021 |
 | December 2020 Update – | The December updates on the Hopewell Valley History Project site focused on providing convenient access … | Images, Map, Places, Presentation, Updates, Video | ddixon | 1st January 2021 |
 | Snowy Day in Hopewell in the 1910s at Blackwell & Railroad | Here’s another photo of a snowy day in Hopewell from the 1910s, courtesy of Bob … | Images, Places | ddixon | 26th December 2020 |
 | Snowy Day in Hopewell in the Early 1900s | Here’s a view of a snowy day in Hopewell in the early 1900s, thanks to … | Images, Places | ddixon | 17th December 2020 |
 | The “Frog War” in Hopewell | So what’s all this about a “Frog War” in Hopewell? And why does the frog … | Presentation, Updates, Video | ddixon | 13th December 2020 |
| History Project Talk on YouTube | The Pennington Public Library has begun posting videos of the many Zoom presentations that they … | Presentation, Updates, Video | ddixon | 11th December 2020 |
 | Sharing Information on the Web: The Hopewell Valley History Project | by Douglas DixonTuesday, December 8, 2020, 7 pmPrinceton Macintosh Users GroupWebinar via Zoom If you’re … | Book, Images, Map, Pamphlets, Places, Presentation, Updates | ddixon | 3rd December 2020 |
 | November 2020 Update – Mementos | The November updates on the Hopewell Valley History Project site featured new a new Mementos … | Images, Pamphlets, Places, Updates | ddixon | 1st December 2020 |
 | Hopewell Bottling Company / Michael Staiger | Here’s a beer bottle for your Thanksgiving holiday weekend. And a mystery – who was … | Bottles | ddixon | 28th November 2020 |
| Hopewell High Schools in the 1920s | What was it like to graduate from high school in the Roaring Twenties, or in … | Images, Pamphlets, Places | ddixon | 21st November 2020 |
 | Shop Hopewell – and Area Maps | The Downtown Hopewell group (@downtownhopewell) has just released a new Shop Hopewell brochure promoting the … | Images, Map, Pamphlets, Places | ddixon | 14th November 2020 |
 | Hopewell Mementos | It’s time to start planning ahead for your holiday shopping, so break out your coin … | Images, Places, Properties | ddixon | 7th November 2020 |
 | October 2020 Update – Images | The October updates on the Hopewell Valley History Project site feature lots of images, including … | Book, Images, Pamphlets, Places, Properties, Updates | ddixon | 6th November 2020 |
 | Hopewell Valley Fire Departments | Our local fire companies – Hopewell Fire Department & Emergency Medical Unit, Pennington Fire Company … | Book, Images, Places, Properties | ddixon | 31st October 2020 |
 | Full Set of 20 Local Scenes by Gray’s Watercolors | We now have a full set of images of 20 local scenes from Gray’s Watercolors, … | Images, Places, Properties | ddixon | 24th October 2020 |
 | Hopewell Images During the Lindbergh Kidnapping (1932) | Local historian Jim Davidson has kindly contributed some fascinating images of the activity around the … | Images, Map, Places, Properties | ddixon | 10th October 2020 |
| Memorial Day 1967 – Eagle Bakery | We’ve added some fun photos of the 1967 Hopewell Borough Memorial Day parade, courtesy of … | Images, Places, Properties | ddixon | 3rd October 2020 |
 | September 2020 Update | Hopewell Valley History Project site updates for the month of September were focused on Hopewell … | Book, Images, Pamphlets, Places, Properties, Updates | ddixon | 30th September 2020 |
 | Hopewell Valley Historic House Tours | We’re heading into Autumn, so this is a great time to get out and about … | Pamphlets, Places, Properties | ddixon | 30th September 2020 |
 | Historical Sketch of the Village of Hopewell – from 1876 | We recently posted histories of Hopewell and Pennington boroughs, written by the late David Blackwell … | Book, Places | ddixon | 26th September 2020 |
 | Hopewell Train Station Art Gallery | The Image Gallery now has a new Hopewell Train Station Art Gallery, focused on images … | Images, Places, Railroad | ddixon | 21st September 2020 |
 | Pennington Historic Walking Tour Guide | We are pleased to now have the Pennington Historic Walking Tour Guide (PDF), prepared by … | Pamphlets, Places | ddixon | 12th September 2020 |
 | More Intriguing Hopewell Train Station Art | As follow up to last week’s post on Hopewell Train Station Art, here are some … | Images, Places, Railroad | ddixon | 5th September 2020 |
 | August 2020 Update | Site updates for the month of August were widely varied, from Pennington aerials to the … | Book, Images, Places, Updates | ddixon | 1st September 2020 |
 | Hopewell Train Station Art | Our Hopewell and Pennington train stations are not just historically interesting, they are also favorite … | Images, Places, Railroad | ddixon | 29th August 2020 |
 | Pennington Borough Aerials c1996 | Here are three large aerial views of Pennington Borough, showing South Main Street and West … | Images, Map, Places | ddixon | 22nd August 2020 |
 | V-J Day in Hopewell – August 14, 1945 | During World War II, Dean Ashton, a Hopewell journalist, wrote the Hopewell News, a newsletter … | Book, Places | ddixon | 14th August 2020 |
 | History Project Article from Preservation New Jersey | Very nice article on the Hopewell Valley History Project in this month’s Preservation New Jersey … | Places, Properties, Updates | ddixon | 11th August 2020 |
 | Seminary Avenue History | One way to understand our local history is to look at our towns house by … | Book, Images, Map, Places, Properties | ddixon | 9th August 2020 |
 | July 2020 Update – Collections and Archives | Site updates for the month of July included several important new documents, a new Pamphlet … | Book, Images, Pamphlets, Places, Updates | ddixon | 1st August 2020 |
 | Hopewell Harvest Fair Almanacs | Rev. 7/30/20 – Added 2009 & 2011 – Only 2003 missing The Hopewell Harvest Fair … | Pamphlets, Places | ddixon | 28th July 2020 |
 | Hopewell & Pennington Histories | We’ve posted two extensive chronological histories of Hopewell Borough and Pennington Borough, written by the … | Pamphlets, Places | ddixon | 24th July 2020 |
 | Hopewell Borough Fire Companies | Hopewell Borough has been served by four different fire companies, with up to three of … | Book, Images, Map | ddixon | 18th July 2020 |
 | “Hopewell News” – from the WWII Homefront | We’ve just added the full set of bound issues of Dean Ashton’s Hopewell News – … | Book, Updates | ddixon | 12th July 2020 |
 | Hopewell Fire Department 100th Anniversary Booklet – and Mystery Photo | We’ve just scanned in the Hopewell Fire Department 100th Anniversary Booklet (1911 – 2011) (PDF). … | Book, Images, Pamphlets, Places, Updates | ddixon | 9th July 2020 |
 | Town Pamphlets Collection | Thanks to the people and organizations who continue to contributing material to this site, we … | Book, Pamphlets, Places, Updates | ddixon | 3rd July 2020 |
 | June 2020 Update – Memorial Day and Veterans | The month of June was focused on follow-up to our earlier postings of Hopewell Memorial … | Book, Places, Properties, Updates | ddixon | 1st July 2020 |
 | Pennington History & Walking Tour | The Hopewell Valley History Project is now hosting the wonderful Pennington Borough History and Tour … | Book, Places, Properties, Updates | ddixon | 27th June 2020 |
 | John Hart 1959 Pamphlet | Here’s an interesting pamphlet from the 1959 dedication of a John Hart plaque at the … | Book, Places, Properties, Updates | ddixon | 20th June 2020 |
 | Flag Day – Hopewell Borough Veterans Organizations | Continuing with our Memorial Day theme, we have been investigating the history of the parades, … | Places, Properties, Updates | ddixon | 14th June 2020 |
 | Hopewell Scenes – Memorial Day 1950 – 1990 | Thanks to new photos from Terry Devlin, we now have over 60 images of past … | Places, Properties, Updates | ddixon | 5th June 2020 |
 | May 2020 Update – Hopewell Valley Places | The month of May saw our Zoom video presentation on the Hopewell Valley History Project, … | Book, Map, Places, Properties, Updates | ddixon | 31st May 2020 |
 | Hopewell High School Yearbook – 1917 | Happy Graduation season! Of course it’s been a bit off this year, but thanks to … | Places, Updates | ddixon | 30th May 2020 |
 | Hopewell Borough Memorial Day Parade – 1992 | Update 5/25/20: Added photos of the 1970 (more likely early 1960’s) Hopewell Borough Memorial Day … | Images | ddixon | 23rd May 2020 |
 | Slides for History Project Talk on Hopewell Libraries | Our webinar on the the Hopewell Valley History Project, “Discover Hopewell Valley History from Home,” … | Updates | ddixon | 20th May 2020 |
 | New – Hopewell Valley Places and Town Maps | The new Hopewell Valley Places page provides direct links to images, Historic Town Maps, and … | Images, Map, Places, Properties, Updates | ddixon | 13th May 2020 |
 | MercerMe Article on the “History From Home” Talk | MercerMe has published a nice article on the upcoming talk on the Hopewell Valley History … | Updates | ddixon | 11th May 2020 |
 | Hopewell Borough History Timeline | So when was the Hopewell train station built? What were the two railroads that were … | Places, Properties | ddixon | 9th May 2020 |
| Hopewell Valley History Project: Discover Hopewell Valley History from Home | by Douglas Dixon Sunday, May 17, 2020 at 3 pmWebinar via ZoomRegistration Required – See … | Book, Images, Map, Places, Properties, Updates | ddixon | 5th May 2020 |
 | Historic Photos from 1966-67 Hopewell Boro Jaycee Calendar | This wonderful 1966-67 Hopewell Boro Community Calendar (PDF) was created by the Hopewell Valley Jaycees … | Book, Images, Places, Properties | ddixon | 2nd May 2020 |
 | April 2020 Update – Exploring Hopewell Borough | April was focused on hunkering down in Hopewell Borough, viewing the town from above with … | Book, Map, Places, Properties, Updates | ddixon | 1st May 2020 |
 | The History of the Hopewell Public Library | To celebrate Library Week this year, we have worked with the Hopewell Public Library to … | Places, Properties | ddixon | 21st April 2020 |
 | Hopewell Fire Department 75th Anniversary Booklet | We are pleased to scan and share the 75th Anniversary Program booklet for the Hopewell … | Places, Properties | ddixon | 19th April 2020 |
 | Cultural Landscape History from Ian Burrow | Archaeologist and historian Ian Burrow has kindly contributed two documents on the cultural landscape and … | Places, Properties | ddixon | 17th April 2020 |
 | “Real Photo” Postcards of Titusville, Pennington, and the Valley | The Image Gallery has added more than 95 postcards thanks to the continued kindness of … | Images, Places | ddixon | 15th April 2020 |
 | Hopewell Borough Aerial Panoramas | We wanted to get some aerial images of Hopewell Borough to help understand and explain … | Places, Properties | ddixon | 10th April 2020 |
 | Hopewell Boro Church Anniversary Booklets (1966 & 1977) | In case you missed the PS in the last post, we have scanned and posted … | Places, Properties | ddixon | 7th April 2020 |
 | Explore Historic Hopewell: Broad & Louellen | Have you noticed the interesting buildings as you drive into Hopewell Borough on West Broad … | Places, Properties | ddixon | 4th April 2020 |
 | March 2020 Update – Map the Hopewell Boro Historic District | March saw the culmination of the goal of photographing the entire Hopewell Borough historic district, … | Map, Places, Properties, Updates | ddixon | 3rd April 2020 |
 | Hopewell Memorial Day Parades c. 1950 | We have added a fun collection of 30 family photos and postcards to the Image … | Places, Properties, Updates | ddixon | 31st March 2020 |
 | Tour The Hopewell Borough Historic District | You now can take a visual tour of the full Hopewell Borough historic district on … | Map, Places, Properties, Updates | ddixon | 29th March 2020 |
 | Explore Hopewell Then and Now | The Hopewell History Map now shows thumbnail images of properties on the map, so you … | Map, Places, Properties, Updates | ddixon | 18th March 2020 |
 | Explore The Growth of Early Hopewell Boro | The Hopewell History Map now animates the growth of Hopewell Borough by stepping through time … | Map, Places, Properties, Updates | ddixon | 10th March 2020 |
 | February 2020 Update – Historical Properties | February was focused on the expansion of the Hopewell History Map, including doubling the number … | Map, Places, Properties, Updates | ddixon | 1st March 2020 |
 | Stroll Through Historic Hopewell with Audrey Jones | We’ve posted another hidden treasure – A Stroll Through Historic Hopewell by Audrey Jones – … | Book, Places, Properties, Updates | ddixon | 28th February 2020 |
 | Visualizing Hopewell Boro in 1891 | There are two new additions to the Map Archives to better visualize and understand the … | Places, Properties, Updates | ddixon | 22nd February 2020 |
 | “Women Win the Vote!” Book Released | Local author Nancy Kennedy’s new book, Women Win the Vote!: 19 for the 19th Amendment, … | Places, Properties, Updates | ddixon | 11th February 2020 |
 | Pennington Seminary Ladies’ Room & More Postcards | In addition to the fascinating Hopewell Borough aerial photos from 1932, Sam Castoro also has … | Places, Properties, Updates | ddixon | 10th February 2020 |
 | January 2020 Update – Hopewell History Map | January was focused on the development and enhancement of the Hopewell History Map, an interactive … | Map, Places, Properties, Updates | ddixon | 1st February 2020 |
 | New Hopewell Boro Postcards | We have added over 70 historic postcards to the Image Archives, kindly contributed by Bill … | Places, Properties, Updates | ddixon | 30th January 2020 |
 | Hopewell Boro Aerials from 1932 | We have two wonderful new aerial views of Hopewell Borough, photographed in March 1932, immediately … | Places, Properties, Updates | ddixon | 26th January 2020 |
 | Hopewell Area Cultural Resource Surveys | Are you interested in historic sites, streets, and buildings in the Hopewell Valley? Maybe our … | Places, Properties, Updates | ddixon | 22nd January 2020 |
 | Introducing the Hopewell History Map | Introducing the Hopewell History Map, an interactive map for exploring historical properties in Hopewell Borough, … | Places, Properties, Updates | ddixon | 11th January 2020 |
 | December 2019 Update | Most of the December additions are already covered in blog posts, so here’s the summary. … | Updates | ddixon | 5th January 2020 |
 | Hopewell Academy by Dean Ashton | We are thrilled to add another neglected publication to the site — A completely unknown, … | Updates | ddixon | 2nd January 2020 |
| New Image Archives Design | The site has a new design for the Image Archives, with more flexibility in browsing, … | Places, Updates | ddixon | 27th December 2019 |
 | New Jersey Suffrage | With the help of Nancy Kennedy and the N.J. Council for the Social Studies we … | Places | ddixon | 18th December 2019 |
 | Hopewell Railroad Research | Rick Porter has kindly contributed a package of Hopewell railroad research material that clarifies the … | Places, Updates | ddixon | 12th December 2019 |
 | Hopewell Valley History Project – Talk Slides | Our public introduction of the Hopewell Valley History Project and this site was held on … | Updates | ddixon | 10th December 2019 |
 | November 2019 Update | It’s been a busy month, with several major additions already covered in blog posts, so … | Updates | ddixon | 1st December 2019 |
 | Community News Article Introducing the Hopewell Valley History Project | The Hopewell Express has published a article on the beginnings of the Hopewell Valley History … | Updates | ddixon | 29th November 2019 |
| Hopewell Valley History Project – The Talk | Our public introduction of this site and the Hopewell Valley History Project will be the … | Updates | ddixon | 22nd November 2019 |
 | Railroad Stations in the National Register of Historic Places | The railroad stations in Hopewell and Pennington boroughs are both listed on the National Register … | Places, Properties | ddixon | 22nd November 2019 |
 | House and Street Images | We have expand from collecting books and maps into assembling images of local buildings and … | Properties | ddixon | 16th November 2019 |
 | Hopewell’s Past by Betty Gantz | We are thrilled to announce that the site now includes the Hopewell’s Past book by … | Properties | ddixon | 10th November 2019 |
 | New Jersey Maps and Atlases | We’ve added some interesting historic maps of New Jersey, and some of the early Atlases … | Updates | ddixon | 5th November 2019 |
 | October 2019 Update | As of the end of October 2019, the site has 108 files posted, including 86 … | Updates | ddixon | 5th November 2019 |
| Hopewell Borough Cultural Resource Survey | If you’re interested in the history and architecture of our local communities, it might interest … | Places, Properties | ddixon | 10th October 2019 |
 | September 2019 Update | As of the end of September 2019, the site has 106 files posted, including 86 … | Updates | ddixon | 30th September 2019 |
 | August 2019 Update | As of the end of September 2019, the site has 95 files posted, including 82 … | Updates | ddixon | 31st August 2019 |
 | The Mystery of Honey Hollow / Richard Hunter | On Sunday, June 9, 2019, Richard Hunter of Hunter Research presented a talk on “The … | Properties | ddixon | 26th July 2019 |
 | The Hopewell “Castle” in the News | Diccon Hyatt recently wrote a feature article for the U.S. 1 Newspaper, “Uncovering the Dark … | Properties | ddixon | 26th July 2019 |
| Image | Title | Summary | Categories | Author | Date |
