The July updates to the History Project included galleries of construction updates on the Hopewell Inn and Runyon Farmstead properties, more on the evolution of the Quarry Swim Club, additional Hopewell Valley church histories, and the Hopewell Bicentennial Quilt. (See Site Updates for more.)
By the numbers, we finished the month with 300 files in the Archives, including 150 documents and 150 maps and aerials. The Image Gallery now has 3353 files, and the Panoramas Collection has 44 images. The Pamphlet Collection has 210 documents, and the Property Reports Collection has 87 documents, with 58 Site Survey reports and 29 Property Briefs. The interactive History Map includes 775 addresses with 102 historic places in Hopewell Borough. The History Project YouTube Channel is hosting 28 videos, plus 16 external local history videos, including 6 videos of History Project presentations. Please keep the materials coming!
Hopewell Inn Construction Updates
See the Hopewell Inn Construction Updates post to track developments in the construction of the new Hopewell Inn building, and to view the associated construction album in the Image Gallery.
Construction started in April 2023 with digging out the full construction pit for the building. Through July, the basement footings have been poured, basement piping laid, the forms for the basement walls were construction with rebar reinforcement, and the concrete then poured for the basement walls.
Runyon Farmstead Construction Updates
Construction on the Runyon Farmstead property in Hopewell also has begun, with plans to renovate the house into two separate units, and add three duplex barn units.
Also see the associated construction album in the Image Gallery.
The Evolution of the Quarry Swimming Hole
We now have a series of photos that tell the story of the Evolution of the Quarry Swimming Hole from a flooded quarry pit into a swimming club.
From the 1920s to the 1970s, the site grew from an informal local swimming hole to help cool down during the hot summer into a formally organized swimming club with a separate swimming pool and other facilities
Hopewell Valley Church Histories
The History Project now includes more on Hopewell Valley Church Histories with new pictorial St. Alphonsus church directories in Hopewell Borough, plus histories of the Pennington churches.
There are also materials from Hopewell Presbyterian Church, Hopewell Calvary Baptist Church, and the Hopewell Old School Baptist Church.
Hopewell Bicentennial Quilt
The Hopewell Bicentennial Quilt, entirely sewn by hand, and was the work of 44 women who labored for just over a year from April 1975 to May 1976.
The quilt is 9 by 8 feet, with 42 squares that illustrate scenes, symbols, or buildings – historic or current – that are directly connected with Hopewell or the nearby countryside.
Please contact us if you have – or know of – other images and materials that we can share to help illuminate the history of our Hopewell Valley.
