Hopewell Valley History Project
Preserving Our History
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 A.L.A. Automobile Green Book Official Touring Guide is an early version of what we now know as AAA tour guides, with maps, travel information, and directions. These were published from c. 1920 through the 1940s and apparently into the 1950s. This 1924 Volume 2 had 924 pages in small type with turn-by-turn directions for … Continue reading 1924 A.L.A. Automobile Green Book
by Douglas Dixon Here are some highlights of the 2023 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, shared online in digital and searchable formats for education … Continue reading Hopewell History Project – 2023 Highlights
Belgian Draft Horse Chester: A Story of Friendship is a wonderful book by local historian Larry Kidder about his long friendship with Chester, a draft (working) horse at the Howell Living History Farm. It’s a charming story that includes some sad moments, and also moments of great satisfaction as Kidder describes his growing friendship and … Continue reading A Man and a Horse: Larry Kidder and Chester
We have five fascinating historic (and snowy) images of 65 Main Street, known as “Dixie Farm” when it was the home of William P. Howe, Sr. from 1910 to around 1913. The postcard shows a formal view of the structure from around the 1910s, with a two-story circular colonnaded portico framing the front door and … Continue reading William Howe’s “Dixie Farm” on S. Main in Pennington
The March updates to the History Project featured the updated Hopewell Borough History Briefs – 2022 Edition, plus a variety of fun contributions, and the upcoming talk on the Hopewell Inn. (See Site Updates for more.) By the numbers, we finished the month with 299 files in the Archives, including 149 documents and 150 maps … Continue reading March 2023 Update – History Briefs Edition
This is the 2022 Edition of a compilation of some 40 Hopewell Borough History Briefs written over the past three years. These History Project research reports have been compiled into a book, which is now available as a free PDF download for convenient reference, searching, and printing. The goal of this ongoing work is to … Continue reading Hopewell Borough History Briefs – 2022 Edition
Can you imagine what it would be like in the late 1890s to have local telephone service become available in your town? Now you could call around town to chat with friends or for shopping, and in emergencies you could summon a doctor or report a fire. And soon thereafter you could call to farms … Continue reading Early Telephone Service – 1908 Phone Book
by Douglas Dixon Here are some of the highlights of the 2022 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, shared online in digital and searchable formats … Continue reading Hopewell History Project – 2022 Highlights
Tomatoes and milk, chocolates and lumber – just some of the products that helped Hopewell grow after the arrival of the railroads in the 1870s. This Thursday, October 27, Doug Dixon will present Life in 1900s Hopewell with the Arrival of the Railroad, exploring how the arrival of the railroad drove the development of Hopewell … Continue reading When The Railroad Came to Hopewell
