Hopewell Valley History Project
Preserving Our History
How did people go about building a house in the 1930s – in the days before cell phones and computers and the Internet? Where would you get the plans? How would you write the contract? How would you specify each of the components, from studs and siding to doors and windows to footings and insulation? … Continue reading Hopewell House Construction in 1938
These amazing photos from the second half of the 1960s show classrooms at Hopewell Central High School – providing a view of that time and place – the teachers and students, the classroom setup and equipment, and the information being taught. These photos show two classrooms for business classes taught by Edith Kostron: a typing … Continue reading Business Classes at Central High School, c. 1966
The March 2025 updates to the History Project focused on the extended history of Franco’s Pizza and the Eagle Bakery in Hopewell, and extensive detail on the operations of Central High School in the early 1960s. (See Site Updates for more.) Piggott to Franco’s Pizza and the Eagle Bakery Franco’s / Vincenzo’s Pizza, and the … Continue reading March 2025 Update – Franco’s Pizza and Eagle Bakery
What was high school like a half-century ago? We have some ideas from class photos and yearbooks, and some glimpses of school life from reports of class trips and the like. But what about daily school life? Now we have a better and more complete answer. As part of the education major in the 1960s … Continue reading Central High School 1962 Practicum Report
This 1961-62 Student Handbook for the Central High School has several very different collections of information that students need to know. The Handbook starts with an extensive discussion of school Rules and Regulations, both for normal operations and for exceptions and problems. This is followed by descriptions of the 40-some school Clubs and Activities. Near … Continue reading Central High School 1961 Student Handbook
Do you remember Franco’s / Vincenzo’s Pizza, and the earlier Eagle Bakery on Mercer Street in Hopewell? They occupied a rather interesting building that is built completely over a stream – which became a problem in 2021, when the flooding from hurricanes Henri and then Ida damaged the building so that it had to be … Continue reading Franco’s Pizza and the Eagle Bakery
The February 2025 updates to the History Project include materials on the the stories of two teachers from the Hopewell Grammar School in the 1920s, a new Schools album in the Image Gallery with additional class photos from the 1920s to 1950s, artifacts from the Hopewell National Bank, and a variety of historical Pennington booklets … Continue reading February 2025 Update – Teachers and Schools
Why does a 1900 Hopewell National Bank check have what looks like a postage stamp on it, and why is it cut through in the middle? These checks from 1886 and 1900 help us take a look into banking in this area around the turn of the century. The two 1886 checks are drawn on … Continue reading 1900s Hopewell Bank Checks
This fun photo is annotated as “Mrs. Scharringhausen & Miss Scott, my 7th & 8th grade teachers.” The note was written by Edna B. Moore, who graduated from the Hopewell Grammar School on Model Avenue in 1923 (after 8th grade), and the Hopewell High School (in Pennington) in 1927. Mrs. Scharring-Hausen (as usually spelled) and … Continue reading 1920s Hopewell Teachers – Scott & Scharring-Hausen
The January 2025 updates to the History Project include materials on the Hopewell Elementary School class plaques and the class of 1956, plus 2006 photos of downtown Pennington. (See Site Updates for more.) By the numbers, we finished the month with 332 files in the Archives, including 169 documents and 163 maps and aerials. The … Continue reading January 2025 Update – Hopewell Elementary and Pennington
