Rick Porter has kindly contributed a package of Hopewell railroad research material that clarifies the construction of the Hopewell Railroad Station and the path of the Mercer & Somerset railroad tracks through Hopewell Borough.
The date of the construction of the Hopewell station is surprisingly inconsistent in various sources. We now have extracts from the Hopewell Herald detailing its construction during 1876, and showing it open for business in January 1877.
In addition, the architect / builder of the station is listed as unknown in the National Register nomination. The Hopewell Herald extracts show the contractors as “Messrs. [John] McPherson and [Daniel A.] Clarkson of Pennington,” who also received the contact for the Pennington Station. (Clarkson is credited as the builder in the Pennington National Register application, which reports the station was completed in 1882.)
McPherson and Clarkson also are shown in Pennington in the 1875 Everts & Stewart map, with their residences shown between the two tracks, and the 1880 U. S. Census records recording McPherson as “Architect” and Clarkson as “Dealer in Coal.”
The exact path of the Mercer & Somerset tracks through Hopewell Borough also is unclear, as it is described variously as running along Model Avenue, or shown in the 1875 Everts and Stewart map as above Model, with the then station between it and the new D&BB tracks just to the north. We now have Mercer County deeds from 1874 and 1876 for the purchase of the D&BB right of way through properties in Hopewell Borough that includes maps showing the D&BB and M&S lines.
So it appears that the right of way for the M&S ran down below the current Model Avenue, extending through the current Cook Place.
For more on our local railroad stations, see the earlier post on Railroad Stations in the National Register of Historic Places, with the National Register nomination documents for the Hopewell and Pennington stations, plus the preservation plan for the Hopewell railroad station.
More on Hopewell Railroads
Two railroads were built in the 1870s to connect Philadelphia and New York by travelling up from the Delaware River, through Pennington and Hopewell, and then north towards New York. The Mercer and Somerset opened in 1874, but was shut down in 1880. The Delaware and Bound Brook opened in 1876, and is the predecessor of the line that still runs through the area.
Hopewell Valley Railroad Lines
- Post – The Railroads of the Frog War – Hopewell Valley Railroads
- Post – Hopewell Reading Line Railroad Timetable Collection – Local train service
- Post – Hopewell Railroad Research – Mercer & Somerset in Hopewell Boro
- Post – Railroad Trains and Flooded Bridges
- Post – Hopewell Valley Railroad Artifacts
- Post – The “Frog War” in Hopewell – with references
- History Brief – Hopewell Valley Railroad Lines (PDF)
Hopewell Valley Train Stations
- Post – The Hopewell and Pennington Train Stations (1876)
- Post – Railroad Stations in the National Register of Historic Places – Documents
- Post – Hopewell Railroad Sidings
- Post – Pennington Train Station Underpass
- History Brief – The Hopewell and Pennington Train Stations (PDF)
Hopewell Railroad Presentations
- Presentation / Video – Industrial Hopewell: Railroad Place – References
- Presentation / Video – Life in 1900s Hopewell With the Arrival of the Railroad – References
- Presentation / Video – Hopewell Train Stations: History and Art – References
Train Stations in Photos
- Post – Train Station Photos by Harry Abendroth
- Post – Ralph Curcio Hopewell Railroad Photos
- Post – Hopewell Train Station in 1881
- Post – Hopewell Train Station Photos – 1914 & c1940
- Post – Hopewell Trains and Stations – 1955
- Post – Images of the HOPE Switch Tower – 1950s
- Post – Hopewell & Pennington Train Stations and Buildings – 1973
Railroad Collections
- Pamphlets – Railroad Timetable Collection
Media – Railroads in Image Gallery
- Artwork Gallery – Hopewell Train Station Art Gallery
- Gallery – All Hopewell Train Images and Hopewell Train Station Images (HwRR)
- Gallery – All Pennington Train Images and Pennington Train Station Images (PnRR)
Media – Railroad Artwork
- Post – Hopewell Train Station Art Gallery
- Post – More Intriguing Hopewell Train Station Art
- Post – Hopewell Train Station Art by Jerry Cable
- Post – Hopewell Train Station Painting with Steam Engine 602
Media – Railroad Video
- Video – 1940s videos of people boarding trains at the Hopewell Train station (YouTube)
