Updated 2/14/24 – Thanks to multiple commentators on Facebook.
The late 1800s and early 1900s saw the beginnings of personal photography, with local drugstores selling photo postcards and photo enthusiasts carrying box cameras that used glass plate negatives.
So if a group of young people in Hopewell wanted to take some fun pictures, their version of posing at today’s selfie wall might be an excursion to the local rock fields in the Sourlands – and elsewhere around the area.
Below are some named Hopewell rocks from the period, with photos of folks having fun on them. Some were quite popular at the time, as seen in newspaper articles. A couple are somewhat remembered today, but the others are rather hazy, so we welcome more information on them all.
Many of the postcards were created by George E. Pierson for sale at his drugstore in downtown Hopewell. They are dated only by their postmark, if any, and so were printed (and the photograph was taken) no later than that year.
It’s not clear if any of these rocks are still accessible today. Some are clearly on private land. We welcome information on this that we can share.
Three Brothers Rocks
The Three Brothers Rocks are about two and a half miles north of Hopewell on Hopewell-Wertsville / Rileyville Road, past Hillbilly Hall at the corner of Mountain Church Road, just past the township line into Amwell Township, Hunterdon County.
The Three Brothers Rocks site is identified with a historic marker along the road, but is on private land.
The 1906 Pierson postcard clearly shows the three large rocks, sitting on a flatter boulder large enough to hold all of them.
The c1912 Kolbert / McAlinden family photo shows an adventurer posing on the center rock. (See the earlier post on the Hopewell Grammar School Kids for additional Kolbert photos.)
The current-day Hunterdon County historic marker repeats a local legend: many years ago three brothers decided to try to overcome the Devil, but were turned into stone on the spot, where we still see them sitting today.
In 1914, the Trenton Sunday Times Advertiser in a section titled “Landmarks in Hopewell” described the Three Brothers as “one of the wonder spots of the Hopewell Valley section of the county,” and reported a historical connection: “It is said that the three rocks were used in the Revolutionary period by men of Washington’s army as a fortress in fighting some Hessians who had strayed to this point after the Battle of Trenton.” [STA 7/5/1914]
In 1939, the same paper reported that this was part of a large field of boulders along the Sourland ridge. The route down what is now Mountain Church Road to the Mountain Christian Church was described as a “narrow, rugged road amidst huge boulders, wooded areas and a few scattered farmhouses.” [STA 10/15/1939] Also that year, there were a couple of ads in the Hopewell Herald that mentioned the “Three Brothers Rock House” of Mrs. Hullfish on Wertsville Road (?) [HH 4/19/1939]
- John Gurka also reports that there also is another big rock, Elephant Rock, near the Three Brothers. He remembers playing there as kids, and his mother remembers playing there with her brothers and sisters.
Cradle Rock
The other well-known named rock near Hopewell was Cradle Rock, located between Hopewell and Princeton along Province Line Road. It is part of the topographic feature known as the Mount Rose ridge, which runs southwest between Rocky Hill and Kingston, passing north of Princeton, through Mount Rose, and then turning more north along Crusher Road, ending just past the Hopewell Quarry west of Hopewell Borough. (See more on the Hopewell Quarry operation around the early 1900s, which mined the diabase rock along the Mount Rose ridge.)
The Cradle Rock area is in the gap where Province Line Road narrows and then ends at the Mount Rose ridge, in the area north of Rosedale Road and south of Cherry Valley Road. There also is a Cradle Rock Road on the east side of the area.
The Cradle Rock ridge now appears to be inaccessible on private land. Does anyone have more details on this?
This early photo from the HVHS Calendar shows the rock being used as a photo prop by some adventurers.
In the first couple of decades of the 1900s the Trenton Evening Times had numerous reports of Cradle Rock being used as a destination for scouts and other hikers: “An attractive spot for a one night camp or hiking party is known as Cradle Rock and is located about two or three miles back of Lawrenceville. The spot gets its name from the shape of one of the large rocks which rests on a flat surface. The bottom of the rock is rounded on the bottom like the rockers of a cradle, and the large rock, weighing several tons, can be rocked by a single person.” [TET 7/24/1909]
A 1916 report omitted the rocking action: “The rock is long and narrow, slightly tilted upon the top of one of the huge boulders in such a manner that it looks as though capable of being rocked as a cradle. The elevation at this point is about 250 feet and a splendid outlook over the surrounding country for several miles may be obtained from this position.”
Some young hikers took the Johnson Trolley Line from the East Hanover Street terminal in Trenton to the Province Line Road stop past Lawrenceville, and then hiked from there to Cradle Rock. [TET 9/29/1916] And the East Trenton Presbyterian Troop walked all the way there from Mulberry Street, travelling to Lawrenceville, presumably following the path of our Route 206, and then up Province Line Road. [TET 2/14/1916]
By 1993, The Times described Cradle Rock as a “hilly, boulder-filled region that straddles Princeton and Hopewell townships has long been a favorite among climbers, bikers, nature lovers and especially teenagers, who venture down the muddy path where police seldom go.” Teenagers called Cradle Rock “the Ridge.” It was described as “a place for beer and bonfires – out of the reach of local police.” Climbers regarded it as “a fairly harmless place to practice climbing technique” since the rocks were not very tall. [TT 2/14/1993]
- See the Lawrence Hopewell Trail site for more on the Mount Rose Ridge, Cradle Rock, and the Hopewell Quarry.
Shell Rock
This Shell Rock, Stony Brook card is postmarked 1911, and is identified as from Hopewell, N. J.
It is marked as handcolored, so the look is the artist’s conception of how to fill in the scene.
- Don Wyckoff and Peter Comiski report that Shell Rock was on Stony Brook Road, just south of Route 518:
“Back in the 70’s we fished there a lot, but we called it Slate Rock.”
“There’s a small pool in front of the rock that we used to call ‘the slate hole.’ It used to be a popular trout fishing spot.”
Any other memories / photos of Shell Rock?
Balance Rock
Another Pierson postcard, postmarked 1908, shows Balance Rock, “near Hopewell, N. J.” The picture does clearly demonstrate the origins of the name.
The same 1914 Sunday Times Advertiser in section on “Landmarks in Hopewell” also had a brief mention of Balance Rock: “Another great rock in this section is located on the Plainville road and is known as Balance rock. Visitors wonder how the rocks stay in position as their base is unusually narrow.” [STA 7/5/1914]
Does anyone know more about the what and where of Balance Rock? Is there a Plainville Road somewhere “near” Hopewell?
Palisades Rocks
This Palisades Rocks card, also by Pierson, is postmarked 1907, but is probably a couple years older because it is an “undivided back” design.
Until 1907, the post office required that the entire back of the card be used only for the address, so the fronts were designed with reduced-size images in order to leave some space available for writing messages (as shown here). Later postcards have the now-familiar “divided back,” with the the message on the left and the address on the right, so the full front could be used for the graphic.
- Emily Kettenburg reports that these Palisades Rocks are now the Ringing Rocks, past Frenchtown and then across in Pennsylvania. Ringing Rocks County Park is in Upper Black Eddy, Bridgeton Township, Bucks County. Originally known as a seven-acre boulder field by the 1870s, it is now an approximately 130-acre park known for the boulders that resonate like a bell when struck.
- Kenneth Miller reports that the “palisades” rocks are diabase, a coarser grained version of basalts. They are intrusive rock that make “sills” that intrude other rocks. The Palisades of the Hudson (named because they resemble palisades of a fort) is the largest such sill. These are like the rocks that lead to the quarries in the Hopewell Valley area, including Hopewell, Pennington, Lambertville, and Rocky Hill – and the Cradle Rock field. The palisades name applies to the entire area. These ringing of these “sonorous” rocks is partially because they are harder and denser – but the mechanism is not fully understood (see Wikipedia).
Does anyone have more information about these Palisades Rocks?
Thanks also to Kathy Browne for help with the geology and terminology.
Please contact us if you have more information these or other local named rocks that we can document and share.
