The January 2026 updates to the History Project were focused on more late1800s Hopewell trade cards that provide new information on Hopewell businesses, and in packing up the story of the Hopewell Elementary School for this Centennial year. There were also significant additions of materials to the Image Gallery and the Pamphlet Collection. (See Site Updates for more.)
Late 1800s Hopewell Trade Cards
Several new late 1880s trade cards for local Hopewell businesses provide fascinating views into the late 1800s.
One is the first known artifact from Mrs. M. A. Carter’s Millinery store in the 1880s (later the Hopewell Inn).
A second mystery card for the unknown “T. A. Puison & Bro.,” turns out to be typo for the T. A. Pierson & Bro. drug store in the 1890s, with Dr. Theodore A. Pierson and brother, George E. Pierson.
The third card is for J. Thomas Gandy, who ran an earlier drug store in Hopewell from the mid-1880s until 1888 with details of Gandy’s important products.
== View all the Business Trade Cards in the Image Gallery ==
Hopewell Elementary School Centennial
The Hopewell Elementary School at 35 Princeton Avenue is celebrating its centennial in 2026, one hundred years after it opened in 1926 as the Hopewell Grammar School.
This post and the associated Summary History Brief lay out the story of the school, the changes due to regionalization, including the range of grades and the two major expansions.
These also discuss the community activities supported by the Elementary School, and the history of the Elementary School mascot, “Freddy” the Frog
== Read the Hopewell Elementary School Summary Brief (PDF) ==
Additional Materials
The month also saw the addition of various materials to the Image Gallery and the Pamphlet Collection, across a range of topics and across the Hopewell Valley.
In the Image Gallery, new images for Hopewell Borough included old Borough Hall, 1970s/1994 Elementary School, 1959 Walnut St, 1940 Reading Railroad Ticket Stub, Allen’s Flowers, Veterans Memorial Plaque, and 1981 Buttons. Others included Pennytown, 1932 Pennington First National Bank, 1908 Titusville Railroad Station, 1948 Egomatic, and 1920c Trolley. Other postcards included WWI embroidered card, 1976 Bicentennial, and NJ Revolution.
In the Pamphlet Collection, new items included the new Downtown Hopewell brochure / map, Pennington Holiday Walk, restaurant menus, 1971 Hopewell Masonic Lodge, and local No Kings posters.
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.
