Hopewell Borough is blessed to have the historic Old School Baptist Meetinghouse, including the incredibly well-preserved church and associated cemetery with memorials back before the Revolutionary War. The Meetinghouse was recently recognized by being listed in the National Register of Historic Places
The current building at 46 West Broad Street was built in 1822, replacing the original church from 1747. The building is substantially unchanged since the last modifications in 1900-1901, still with the open style wood pews and cushions stuffed with straw and cotton. The surrounding cemetery dates back to 1747, when the original church was built, and contains at least 1,600 burials.
Services at the church ended in 1974, and it was changed to a nonprofit trust. It is now managed by the nonprofit Hopewell Old School Baptist Meetinghouse, and still used for events including community meetings, music performances, and ecumenical community holiday services.
The Old School Baptist Meetinghouse will be open on Saturday, December 12 from 1 to 4 pm, as part of the annual Hopewell Holiday Open House event, which also includes the Hopewell Public Library, the Hopewell Calvary Baptist Church, and the re-opening of the Hopewell Museum. There also will be a model train layout of the Hopewell train station – on display at the train station (of course). It’s a day to explore these historic sites and enjoy activities and refreshments.
Meetinghouse History
The original Hopewell Baptist Church congregation was organized in 1715, and the original church building was built in 1747 on property donated by John Hart, signer of the Declaration of Independence. Over the years, it has been variously known as the Hopewell Baptist Meeting House, the Hopewell First Baptist Church, and more recently as the Old School Baptist Church. The church was the core of the village that grew around it to become Hopewell, so much so that the village was referred to as Hopewell Meeting House through the eighteenth century.
The current building replaced the original church in 1822 on the same site, and so is over two centuries old. (The two signs between the front windows report these 1747 and 1822 dates.)
The church grounds also contain several monuments from the Revolutionary War period.
- Reverend Isaac Eaton (1725-1772) was the first pastor of the church. Eaton was buried inside the original 1747 church building. When the current building was built in 1822, his tombstone was relocated to its current location on the east side of the building and his remains were reportedly buried under the pulpit.
- The John Hart Monument was installed in 1865 to honor local John Hart (1713-1779), a signer of the Declaration of Independence. It is a 20-foot granite draped obelisk placed just to the east of the church. Hart’s remains were re-interred under the monument.
- The Houghton Monument was installed in 1896 to honor Capt. Joab Houghton (1725-1798), who served in the Revolutionary Army. Reportedly, the stone on top of this monument was formerly a stepping stone in front of the church. In April 1775, when the news of the battle of Lexington reached Hopewell, Houghton mounted this stone and called for a response.
- The near-by grave of James Ewing (1736-1806) marks a native of Scotland who deserted from the British Army and later became a minister at the Meetinghouse. He gave a sermon at the passing of George Washington.
Please contact us if you have additional information or materials that you can share on the Old School Baptist Meetinghouse.
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.
Posts
- Main post: Old School Baptist Church – Pictorial History
- Hopewell Borough Sites in the Revolutionary War – Including the Meetinghouse and John Hart Memorial
- Hopewell’s Historic Old School Baptist Meetinghouse – Substantially unchanged
Video
- Panel presentation video on YouTube – Discuss church building and cemetery, and future plans. (Dec. 2023)
Images
- 50+ Old School Baptist Church images in the Image Gallery – Exterior, interior, monuments
Documents
- History Brief: 46 West Broad – Old School Baptist Meetinghouse (1747) (PDF)
- Historical Old School Baptist Church booklets in the Pamphlet Collection
- Old School Baptist Meetinghouse: Cemetery Tour by Ian Burrow (PDF)
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
- 1936 Historic American Building Survey (HABS) information and building plan drawings in the Pamphlet Collection
- Hopewell Borough Cultural Resource Survey, N. J. Historic Preservation Office, 1985 (PDF)
