The March 2025 updates to the History Project focused on the extended history of Franco’s Pizza and the Eagle Bakery in Hopewell, and extensive detail on the operations of Central High School in the early 1960s. (See Site Updates for more.)
Piggott to Franco’s Pizza and the Eagle Bakery
Franco’s / Vincenzo’s Pizza, and the earlier Eagle Bakery on Mercer Street in Hopewell occupied a nondescript but rather interesting building that is built completely over a stream.
The property’s history goes back to 1881, with the construction of J. H. Piggott’s Agricultural Implement business. That original building collapsed into the stream in 1895, but quickly was replaced by the current building with a similar size and look.
In the early 1900s, building was occupied by a variety of businesses, also with two to three adjacent smaller buildings. The next major occupant was Ludwig (“Louie”) Gerhard’s Eagle Bakery, from the 1930s until 1970.
After the Eagle Bakery, Franco’s / Vincenzo’s Pizza occupied the right side of the building from 1974 to 2020, operated by Francesco (Franco) Lettieri. The right side of the building and the second floor also were used by other businesses, including travel agencies.
The building was damaged in 2021 by hurricanes Henri and then Ida, and is now vacant.
== View the full History Brief on 4 Mercer St. – Piggott Agricultural / Eagle Bakery / Franco’s Pizza (PDF) ==
Central High School 1962 Practicum Report
This astounding 70-page Central High School 1962 Practicum Report was prepared by Edith Kostron Labaw as part of the education major in the 1960s at Rider College. The students were assigned a Junior Practicum to spend a week in the field at a week at a selected school, speaking with staff, attending classes and events, and learning about how the school was run. The students then wrote an extensive report on the school’s operations and procedures.
In addition to observations by Edith Kostron from attending school activities and individual business classes, the report also includes an amazing array of official school documents for tracking and guiding students,, as well as the various forms and paperwork that keep a school operating.
Central High School 1961 Student Handbook
This 1961-62 Student Handbook for the Central High School has several very different collections of information that students needed to know.
The Handbook includes school Rules and Regulations, both for normal operations and for exceptions and problems, descriptions of the 40-some school Clubs and Activities, and school events. It concludes with school cheers, song, and pledge.
The Rules and Regulations cover normal daily activities (e.g., arrival, lunch, study hall, to departure), unusual events (fire drills), and unfortunate situations (late arrival to expulsion).
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.
