Hopewell Valley History Project
Preserving Our History
What is this nondescript small building next to the former lumberyard on Model Avenue in Hopewell Borough? It’s actually related to the long apartment building on the right side – since both are part of the Hopewell Grammar School that was built there starting in 1888. The Model Avenue school, also known as the Lincoln … Continue reading Hopewell Grammar School Annex – Jewelry, Guitars, and Metalwork
Here are seven Pennington Players programs from 1958 through 1966, plus one more from the Prevue Players from 1958. These are wonderful historical records of these performing groups, of course, plus they provides the names of local people in the production staff and the patrons, and include advertisements for a wide range of local businesses, … Continue reading Pennington Players Programs – 1958-1966
What is “Hopewell 57” – that big brick building complex at the corner of Hamilton Avenue and Somerset Street in Hopewell Borough, which was earlier known as Rockwell and then Kooltronic? That block along Hamilton actually has an agglomeration of buildings that developed over time as part of a quintessential Hopewell story – as an … Continue reading Talk: Smith to Rockwell to “Hopewell 57”
Mike Thomsen has kindly contributed some 75 photographs of Pennington from around 1958, up to when he completed high school. These include scenes of the buildings and businesses along Main Street and Delaware Avenue, views of the train station and other area bridges, and fun views of the local schools, Memorial Day parades, family, and … Continue reading 1950s Memories of Pennington
The interactive Hopewell History Map has been updated to display over 100 new property information summaries as you click to view local addresses. It brings together other materials from the History Project site, displaying over 1700 photos of local properties from the Image Gallery, and providing links to now some 100 detailed History Briefs and … Continue reading New Property Info in the Hopewell History Map
Could you pass the written test for a New Jersey driver’s license? How about the test from 1932 – ninety-some years ago? This small 12-page brochure from around 1932 can help – “Questions and Answers Upon the Motor Vehicle Laws.” It has 120 questions – and answers – including the driving laws and rules, plus … Continue reading 1932 N. J. Driver’s Test Brochure
The July 2024 updates to the History Project include 1960s vintage road maps showing changes to the local road network, railroad timetables from 1945 to 1978 illustrating the decline of service from the 1940s, plus more on the St. Michael’s Orphanage, school, and cemetery. (See Site Updates for more.) By the numbers, we finished the … Continue reading July 2024 Update – Road Maps, Train Schedules, and St Michael’s
Every now and then we can get a glimpse back in time to what life in Hopewell was like 50 or 100 years ago. Sometimes these come from newly-discovered photos or writing. And sometimes they come from names and numbers on a page, as with two newly-discovered sets of St. Michael’s Mission and School annual … Continue reading St. Michael’s School & Mission Annual Reports, 1940s-1973
Train service arrived in Pennington and Hopewell in the mid 1870s, through the center of the Hopewell Valley. The arrival of the railroads helped drive the development of the towns that we know today. But after World War II service went through a slow decline, reducing the number of trains, dropping local stations, and eliminating … Continue reading Hopewell Reading Line Railroad Timetable Collection
So what changed in the Hopewell Valley landscape in the 1960s? One answer comes from comparing these 1962 and 1972 Hopewell Township road maps that continue the story of the development of the Hopewell Valley road network (see links below). Much of the Valley is still shown as open land, but these maps also show … Continue reading Hopewell Valley Changes – 1962 & 1972 Road Maps
