The November 2025 updates to the History Project were focused on the Ferrante Dress Factory, with the talk and video, presentation notes, and full History Brief report. There also was an update to the history of the Chocolate Factory building. (See Site Updates for more.)
The Ferrante Dress Factory
The unexpected Italianate villa that stands alone in a field on Wertsville Road in the Sourland Mountains above Hopewell Borough turns out to be associated with the The Ferrante Dress Factory, that operated in Hopewell from 1934 to 1957.
The associated talk (available on video) tells a quintessential early 20th century Hopewell story: a young family – first-generation Italian immigrants – who came to Hopewell from the Bronx in the early 1930s, seeking both a good home for their family and a supportive environment for their entrepreneurial spirit. It also explores the larger social and business context for this small company, including the evolution of women’s dresses, the process of manufacturing dresses, and the impact of world events and government regulation.
== Read the full Ferrante Dress Factory History Brief (PDF) ==
Chocolate Factory Updates
The Chocolate Factory building on Railroad Place in Hopewell Borough has a long history, back to its original use as the Hopewell Shirt Factory in 1892. It also has been the home of two different chocolate companies, Belle Mead Sweets and the Hopewell Chocolate Company, and in between was used by the Electric Thermo Vibra Company for electrical vibrating massagers.
The original post and associated History Brief report have been updated to add more information on later uses (from the 1940s), including Rockwell Manufacturing (with a police shooting range in the basement), an organ builder, and multiple small businesses and artists. Finally, it was converted into three condominium units in 1998.
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.
