Hopewell Valley History Project
Preserving Our History
Following up on the previous post asking for help locating the Hopewell Valley WW II Honor Rolls, we have some more information on honor rolls in Pennington. The original World War II Pennington Honor Roll is discussed and pictured in Margaret J. O’Connell’s 1966 book, Pennington Profile. The first photo below shows the 1943 dedication, … Continue reading Where are the Pennington Honor Rolls?
Have you seen the Hopewell Borough Honor Roll and Service Flag that were created during World War II to honor residents serving in the armed forces? And what about the Honor Rolls for Hopewell Township or Pennington or Washington Crossing / Titusville ? These honor rolls and service flags were commonly created by different groups … Continue reading Where are the Hopewell Valley WW II Honor Rolls?
This archive of twenty early Mercer County area farming and school photos comes from the 1914 Farm & Business Directory of Mercer and Middlesex Counties (see previous post). These wonderfully evocative photos include scenes of local schools and school children, and farm scenes with different animals and crops, ranging from horse-drawn plows to more “modern” … Continue reading 1914 Mercer County Farm and School Photos
4/3/26 – Add 1913 & 1927 Maps – 4/1/26 – Add Mercer County farming photos We have another amazing reference source that gives us a view into the lives of people in the Hopewell Valley in 1914, through data on farming and from lists of the people and the businesses of the time. The contrast … Continue reading 1914 Hopewell Area Farms & Businesses
by Douglas Dixon This document reports end of year highlights from the 2026 additions to the History Project site, with links to more information, plus associated documents, maps, photos, and videos. Thanks to assistance from many families and other contributors, major research projects this year included the Ferrante Dress Factory, 4 Mercer Street (Franco’s Pizza … Continue reading Hopewell History Project – 2025 Highlights
We know the stories of some of our historical buildings – but who actually designed and built them, and to what specifications? Who designed and built St. Michael’s Orphanage and its additions, or the school buildings on South Main in Pennington, or other town halls and residences, schools and churches, banks and theaters? It turns … Continue reading Builders’ Guide to Hopewell Valley Construction Projects – 1888-1940
We are coming up on the 100th anniversaries for two of our local schools next year – Toll Gate Grammar School and Hopewell Elementary School. Groups at both schools are making plans, so if you have ideas and historic materials to share, please do get in touch. As a start towards celebrating the centennial of … Continue reading Toll Gate and Hopewell Elementary School Centennials
This is a Hopewell baby book from 1916, kindly shared by Hope Sudlow, that records the birth of Hope’s mother, Lou Etta Laning, on May 27, 1916. This charming book is written as a love letter from the mother, also Lou Etta [Thatcher] Laning (1888-1968), addressed directly to her new baby daughter, who had the … Continue reading Lou Etta Laning Baby Book from 1916
As the United States geared up to enter World War II after the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, businesses were ordered to end non-essential production, and therefore began to search for new contracts to contribute to the war effort. In Hopewell, for example, the H. A. Smith Machine Company (later Rockwell) manufactured … Continue reading Building World War II Avenger Torpedo Bombers at Mercer Airport
by Douglas Dixon Here are some highlights of the 2024 additions to the History Project site, with links to more information, plus associated documents, maps, photos, and videos. The purpose of the Hopewell Valley History Project is assemble an archive of reference material in local history, freely shared online in digital and searchable formats for … Continue reading Hopewell History Project – 2024 Highlights
