How was the Hopewell Borough area involved the Revolutionary War? Here are six still-existing local places that connect back to 250 years ago. And yes, George Washington (and his army), indeed was here!
Of course, the area was not yet called Hopewell Borough in 1776, and was not a town or even a village. This was the center of the surrounding community, that consisted mostly of farm houses on large farmsteads, with a handful of taverns and mills, and a few roads also spreading out to Ringoes and Wertsville. The center of the local community was the then Baptist Meeting House, on what is now Broad Street, with a few other associated church sites and farm houses in the local Hopewell Borough area.
Old School Baptist Meetinghouse (1747 / 1822)
The Old School Baptist Meetinghouse at 46 West Broad Street was the first church in Hopewell, and the core of the early settlement of the future town. It is a significant historical site, including the Meetinghouse building and the surrounding pre-revolutionary cemetery. The site was formally recognized in 2025 by being placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The current Meetinghouse building was built in 1822. It is an amazing treasure, substantially unchanged for over a century, with the old pews and horsehair cushions – and with no major modernizing enhancements, renovations or improvements. The surrounding historic cemetery has at least 1,600 burials, dating back to 1747.
The Old School Baptist site hosts several Revolutionary War monuments and numerous graves of the people of the time. During the Revolutionary War it also was where the news of Lexington was first heard, and was used as an assembly site for local militia. The associated Hopewell Baptist Academy also contributed funding, soldiers, and chaplains for the War.
The Hopewell area Baptist Church congregation was originally formed in 1715. The first church building was constructed in 1747 at the current location. The property was donated by John Hart, who owned a large farm property north of West Broad Street. The current church building then was constructed in 1822, replacing the original. The church closed in 1974 with the end of the Old School Baptist congregation. The site is now s operated as a museum by the nonprofit Hopewell Old School Baptist Meetinghouse, Inc.
During the Revolutionary War, the Meetinghouse reportedly was the site where the news of the Battle of Lexington reached Hopewell (see Houghton Monument below). During the War, the Baptist Meetinghouse often was an assembly site for the local Hopewell companies of the local 1st Hunterdon militia regiment. Graduates of the associated Hopewell Baptist Academy also served in the war (see Runyon Farmstead below).
The site includes Revolutionary War Monuments: the John Hart Monument and the Houghton Monument (see Monuments below).
The two large buttonwood (sycamore) trees visible in front of the Meetinghouse in the 1897 photo were said to go back to Revolutionary times. One was removed in 1900, and the second in 1925 after much controversy. The Trenton Sunday Times reported that “One old gentleman of 90 years states that his grandfather used to tie his horse to the tree, and that the long chain then used for the purpose has been slowly overgrown by the trunk until only a few lengths remain.”
For more information (also see below):
Revolutionary War Monuments
The Old School Baptist Meetinghouse at 46 West Broad Street is the site of two Revolutionary War monuments, and numerous graves of the people of the time.
The John Hart Monument honors Hopewell’s signer of the Declaration of Independence. The Houghton Monument honors Lt. Colonel Joab Houghton, who brought the news of Lexington to Hopewell. The James Ewing gravesite marks a British soldier who come over to the colonial side and later became a pastor at the Meetinghouse.
John Hart Monument (1865)
John Hart (1713-1779) was a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and was in public service for 26 years, including in the Continental Congress and as Speaker of the New Jersey State Assembly. He owned a large farmstead that extended north from the current West Broad Street, with a farm house on the current Hart Avenue. He donated the property for the original Old School Baptist Meetinghouse. He also hosted George Washington and his army on his farmstead in 1778. (See below.)
In 1865 the John Hart Monument was dedicated next to the the Old School Baptist Meetinghouse. The monument is a 20-foot draped obelisk, carved from a plain shaft of Quincy granite. Hart’s remains were relocated there from what was the family and neighborhood graveyard on the farm of John P. Hunt near Woodsville. (See Find A Grave.)
The inscriptions on the four sides of the base of the John Hart Monument read:
Front: John Hart, A Signer Of The Declaration Of Independence from New Jersey, July 4th 1776. Died In 1780.” [The actual death date was 1779.]
Right: Erected by the State of New Jersey, by Act approved April 5, 1865. Joel Parker, Governor. Edward W. Scudder, President of Senate.
Joseph T . Crowell, Speaker of House. Jacob Weart, Charles A. Skillman, Zephaniah Stout, Commissioners.
Left: First Speaker of Assembly, August 27th, 1776. Member of the Committee of Safety, 1775-1776
Rear: Honor the Patriot’s Grave.
Houghton Monument (1876)
The Houghton Monument is next to to the John Hart Monument in the Old School Baptist Cemetery.
The Houghton Monument originally was installed in 1876. It has a brick base capped with a stone block. Reportedly, the stone on top of this monument was formerly a stepping stone in front of the church, used by ladies in mounting their horses. (See Find A Grave.)
Capt. Joab Houghton (1725-1798) was a Lt. Colonel in the Revolutionary Army. On April 23, 1775, the news of the battle of Lexington reached Hopewell, and after the service, Houghton mounted this stone and called for a response.
The inscription explains:
Sunday, April 23, 1775, News of the Battle of Lexington reached Hopewell while the people were worshipping in the First Baptist Church. At the close, Joab Houghton, standing on this block, inspired the men with love of liberty and desire for independence. In closing he said, “Men of New Jersey, the Red Coats are murdering our brethren in New England! Who follows me to Boston?” Every man said “I.”
Oct. 19, 1776, he was made a Capt. and March 16, 1777, a Lieut. Col.. He was a member of the first Legislature of the state, and also of the Baptist Church, Died Dec., 1798.
As a memorial of him and these events, This block was re-erected July 4, 1896, by the people of Hopewell.
James Ewing Grave (1736-1806)
The grave of Rev. James Ewing is located near the John Hart Monument in the Old School Baptist Cemetery, next to the grave of his wife, Amelia Bailey.
A native of Scotland, Ewing was a musician in the 42nd Highland Regiment serving with the British Army in North America.
However, due to his personal opposition to the war, he deserted the British Army in 1782.
After the war, Ewing became a teacher, and a pastor at the Meetinghouse. He gave a sermon at the passing of George Washington. (See Find A Grave.)
Runyon Farmstead / Hopewell Academy (c. 1732)
The Runyon Farmstead property at 19 West Broad Street was the site of the Hopewell Baptist Academy (1756-1767), possibly the first Baptist secondary school established in America. Graduates of the Academy served in the Revolutionary War as soldiers and as chaplains, and helped found the forerunner of Brown University. The site has been redeveloped, with the main house and three additional duplex units.
The Hopewell Baptist Church purchased this property around 1747 to serve as its first parsonage. It was part of a large farm tract run by David Stout and family, with the farmhouse (which is a portion of the existing building).
The Hopewell Baptist Academy then operated on the site from 1756 to 1767. It was founded by Reverend Isaac Eaton, the first pastor of the Hopewell Baptist Church. Graduates went on to found the College of Rhode Island, forerunner of Brown University.
The property was later used for the Blackwell tavern, by the Riley and Drake families, for Dalrymple’s Carriage & Harness Repository, and for Holcombe’s plumbing business, before passing to the Runyon family who were the last owners before the redevelopment.
During the Revolutionary War, the Baptist Association donated the entire bequest of Mrs. Hobbs (over 228 pounds) to the Continental Army to aid the Revolutionary cause.
Hopewell Academy graduates served in the Continental Army and as chaplains, including:
- James Mitchell Varnum won fame as a lawyer and as a General in Washington’s Army.
- Charles Thompson served as chaplain with the Continental Army.
- Samuel Jones served as chaplain of a regiment in the Pennsylvania line.
- William Worth served as a chaplain with the Second Battalion, Salem Militia Regiment.
For more information:
- Construction on the Runyon Farmstead Property in Hopewell – for the property history, construction plans, and construction photos.
- Hopewell Academy and Graduates, Dean Ashton, 1960 – reference for the full Hopewell Academy story
John Hart House (c. 1750)
The property at 56-60 Hart Avenue was the home of John Hart (c.1713-1779), a resident of what is now Hopewell, N. J., and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Hart also hosted George Washington’s army on his farmstead in 1778. The site is now privately owned.
John Hart acquired farm property in the Hopewell area starting in the mid-1700s. He owned land north of West Broad and west of Greenwood Avenue beyond the boundaries of the current Hopewell Borough. During the Revolutionary war in 1776 Hart’s property was raided by the British and he famously fled to the Sourlands.
John Hart died in 1779, and the property was split up to pay debts. The current farmhouse originated in the mid-1800s. Around 1952, the property was purchased by Lt. Colonel Cleon E. Hammond, author of the definitive book on John Hart.
Hart was a staunch supporter of the Revolutionary movement. He was in public service for 26 years, including in the Provincial Congress of New Jersey and as Speaker of the New Jersey State Assembly. He was selected as a New Jersey representative to the first and second Continental Congress, and was the third oldest signer of the Declaration at around age 65.
In June 1778, Hart hosted George Washington and his army on his farm. His sons Jesse and Nathaniel Hart helped guide Washington to Hopewell from Coryell’s Ferry (Lambertville/New Hope). (See Washington Encampment below.)
For more information:
- John Hart 1959 Pamphlet – for more background on Hart.
- Chronological History of the Hart/Phillips Farmstead (PDF), Richard L. Porter, Hopewell Museum
- Book: John Hart: The Biography of a Signer of the Declaration of Independence, Cleon E. Hammond, 1977
- Video: Beyond The Signer: The Life of John Hart, Gregory Munro and Nancy McBride Wark, 2025 (YouTube)
Washington Encampment: Hart & Golden Farmsteads (1778)
In June 1778, the Hart and Golden families hosted Washington’s army on their farmsteads on the ridge above Hopewell (above Hart Avenue). Washington was following the British Army as it retreated from Philadelphia to New York, and preparing for what became the Battle of Monmouth.
The nearly 800-acre historic farm property, formerly part of the Betty Wold Johnson estate, is now the Betty Wold Johnson Hillside Farm Preserve, owned and managed by the Delaware & Raritan Greenway Land Trust.
General Washington’s Army entered the Hopewell Valley on June 23, 1778 and camped on the high ground above the village, departing on the June 25. On June 24, Washington held a council of war on the near-by property of John Hunt in preparation for the Battle of Monmouth. (See Joseph Stout House below.)
The foraging army caused significant damage to the Hart farm during the prime growing season, but Hart was never compensated for his losses.
Joseph Stout House, Weart-Hunt House (1752)
This property on Province Line Road in Stoutsburg was the site of a major council of war held by George Washington in June 1778, in preparation for the Battle of Monmouth. It is now privately owned, and is known variously as the Joseph Stout House and Weart-Hunt House for its early owners.
The house was built in 1752 by Joseph Stout, one of the founders of the Hopewell Old School Baptist Church. During the Revolutionary War, it was occupied by John Price Hunt, who hosted Washington there. Hunt later sold the property to Jacob Weart.
On June 24, 1778, General George Washington held one of his largest councils of war here in preparation for what would be the Battle of Monmouth.
The Battle of Monmouth then was fought on June 28, 1778 in today’s Freehold Borough.
The illustration of George Washington’s Council of War prior to the Battle of Monmouth is from a bas-relief sculpture that is part of the Monmouth Battle Monument in Freehold, New Jersey. It shows the group gathered around a table, as General Lafayette stands, gesturing towards General Washington while pointing with his right hand to a map spread out on the table.
General references on Hopewell history:
- Pioneers of Old Hopewell (PDF), Ralph Ege, 1908
- List of Hopewell Valley Town References, with links
This summary was originally developed for the Hopewell 250th celebration, June 2026. Thanks to Asher Lurie, Executive Director of the Hopewell Museum, and Catherine Schurdak, designer.
More on the Old School Baptist Meetinghouse
The Old School Baptist Church was the core of the historic settlement of Hopewell Borough in the 1700s and 1800s, as the settlement grew into a village and then into a town. The current church building was constructed in 1822 on the site of the first meeting house, which was built in 1747. The Baptist congregation itself was organized in 1715.
Video
- Panel presentation video on YouTube – Discuss church building and cemetery, and future plans. (Dec. 2023)
Images
- 40+ Old School Baptist Church images in the Image Gallery
- Interior photographs from 2010 in the Image Gallery
Documents
- Historical Old School Baptist Church booklets in the Pamphlet Collection
- 1936 Historic American Building Survey (HABS) information and building plan drawings in the Pamphlet Collection
References
- A Chronological History of the Hopewell Baptist Church and Its Original Property – and A Chronological History of the Expansion of the Hopewell Baptist Church Cemetery, Richard L. Porter, The Hopewell Museum, 2024
- Old School Baptist Church and Cemetery – National Register of Historic Places Registration Form (PDF), Christie Alderman, 2024
- Hopewell Borough Cultural Resource Survey, N. J. Historic Preservation Office, 1985
- 1936 Historic American Building Survey (HABS) information and building plan drawings in the Pamphlet Collection
