The January 2025 updates to the History Project include materials on the Hopewell Elementary School class plaques and the class of 1956, plus 2006 photos of downtown Pennington. (See Site Updates for more.)
By the numbers, we finished the month with 332 files in the Archives, including 169 documents and 163 maps and aerials. The Image Gallery now has 4528 files, and the Panoramas Collection has 50 images. The Pamphlet Collection has 329 documents, and the Property Reports Collection has 102 documents. The interactive History Map includes 775 addresses with 103 historic places in Hopewell Borough. The History Project YouTube Channel is hosting 34 videos, plus 22 external local history videos, including 9 videos of History Project presentations. Please keep the materials coming!
Hopewell Elementary School Class Plaques – 1926-1966
These 41 Hopewell Elementary School wooden class plaques hang along the front corridor of the school, and list the names of the members of each graduating class from 1926 to 1966.
They start in 1926 when the school was built, and end after 1966 when the school changed to kindergarten to 6th grade (no longer continuing through 8th grade).
The plaques are made of pine and shaped as shields, approximately 11 x 14 inches. They contain the names of graduating students in two or three columns, ranging from around 15 to 30 names. The shields are decorated with class colors selected by the students, including blue, blue & white, blue & gold, and red & white.
There also is a School Principals plaque with the names of the principals since 1926, from the first, Bertha Scott, to the current principal, Scott Brettell.
Hopewell Elementary School Class of 1956
The Hopewell Elementary School Class of 1956 graduated from 8th grade at the current Hopewell Elementary school building on Princeton Avenue. Rich Anderson has kindly shared the 1956 Hopewell Elementary “The Graduate” Yearbook, a gold mine of historical information, including lists of the school staff, and student descriptions of class history and events.
We also have two 1956 issues of Hopewell Hi-Lights school newsletter, with contributions from kids in different classes with class news including sports, music, class trips, and school events. Plus three photos of the class, the 8th grade graduation and probably Kindergarten and 2nd grade, annotated with the names of many of the students.
Downtown Pennington Photos – 2006
This collection of views of downtown Pennington from 2006, along North Main Street around Delaware Avenue, was kindly shared by Tim Geoghan.
- View the 2006 Downtown Pennington Photos in the Image Gallery
Yes, 2006 does not seem that historic, compared to an album of old faded photos in sepia tones. However, these images are now around twenty years old.
Some perennial stores still are with us – including Vito’s Pizza, the Pennington Apothecary, Agabiti’s Cobbler, the Village Salon, and the Blackwell Memorial Home. But others stores are now gone – including the Sun National Bank, Pennington Hardware, and other small businesses including the Cup of Joe café. Yet the buildings and the look are still with us.
You also can compare these 2006 photos to the set of 2016 Pennington Photos contributed by Charlie Hunt.
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.
