Hopewell Images During the Lindbergh Kidnapping (1932)

Local historian Jim Davidson has kindly contributed some fascinating images of the activity around the Hopewell area in March 1932 caused by the explosion of interest in the Lindbergh kidnapping. These are from one of his multitude of presentations about the Lindbergh story.

== View the Davidson Images in the Image Gallery ==

There are four outside images of Gebhart’s Hotel (top row of image above), which is today’s Hopewell Inn and Bistro, at the corner of East Broad Street and Seminary Avenue. This was the epicenter of press activity during the search for the child from March 1932 to May (when the body was found). You can see the crowds of people on the sidewalk – and spilling into the street – including cars with movie cameras set up on the roofs.

The left side of the building is Gebhart’s Lunch Room, with a sign on Seminary promoting Arctic Ice Cream. The sign over the front entrance offers “Room for Tourists” – presumably including the folks standing out on the balcony above.

These photos are from several angles and elevations, so they also offer tantalizing hints of views down the entrance of Seminary Avenue, but unfortunately there’s not enough detail in focus to see much.

There’s also an inside image of the packs of reporters (bottom left), set up in the building with all the latest technology – NBC and Columbia radio microphones, telegraph keys, and manual typewriters – including the associated wires running along the floor. However, confounding the cliche, there’s only one cigarette and one pipe in the image.

Plus there are two images outside of town, facing back towards Hopewell from the east (bottom right). One shows the corner of Route 518 and Hopewell-Amwell Road, with the house of Amandus Hockmuth, who identified Hauptmann as being in the area the day of the kidnapping. The other shows the N. J. National Guard moving out on horseback to search for clues.

All these photos have been added to the Image Gallery, where you can browse them by street and address within the town, or search by name.

== View the Davidson Images in the Image Gallery ==

In addition, Davidson has an aerial image of Hopewell and the surrounding area, annotated with the route from the Lindbergh house to Mount Rose, where the child’s body was found (bottom center).

The view is facing north from Mt. Rose, so your can see all the open fields around the area, with the streets and houses of the town in the distance. Most obvious on the south side of the town are the St. Michael’s property and the Elementary School (built in 1926).

== View the Hopewell Borough Aerial Panoramas ==

This joins the other aerials in the Map Archive, which include two additional 1932 aerials of Hopewell shot as press photos.

More on the Hopewell Inn – 15 East Broad

The Hopewell Valley Bistro & Inn building at 15 East Broad Street on the corner of Seminary Avenue was demolished in July 2022. Long known as the Central Hotel, the building had a nearly 150 year history as a residential home and store, bar and restaurant, and lodging and apartments.

Hopewell Inn History