Hopewell Valley History Project
Preserving Our History
This wonderful bandana with a Hopewell Valley map is by Ann Gross, and dated 1974. The map features our major places, roads, and rivers, and is decorated with fun illustrations of life in the valley, ranging across farms and barns, cows and birds, kids fishing and biking, skiers and golfers and painters, and even two … Continue reading Hopewell Valley Map Scarf by Ann Gross
Can you picture what our area was like twenty years ago, fifty years ago, a hundred years ago? We actually have a good collection of photographs of important local scenes across the Hopewell Valley around the turn of the century (1900), from postcards and some local photographers, and because local boosters were creating publications to … Continue reading History in Local Photos – 2000 and Today
Part of our Pamphlet Collection is a growing category of pamphlets from local schools, including the original Hopewell High School from the 1890s to 1920s (now the firehouse), and then Central High School from the 1930s. These include yearbooks, graduation programs, and programs for class plays. And now, courtesy of Roger Labaw, we have the … Continue reading Hopewell Elementary School 1952
In the recent post about Hopewell School Mascots, we discussed the interesting names of some of our local schools, including Toll Gate (named for the gatekeeper of the toll road) and Bear Tavern (named for a revolutionary-era drinking establishment). But where did the “Timberlane” name came from? Nicole Gianfredi, principal of Timberlane Middle School, kindly … Continue reading The Timberlane School Name
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
The arrival of railroad service in the 1870s along the foothills of the Sourlands helped drive the development of Hopewell into the town that we know today. See below for the presentation video and slides, and references from the Life in 1900s Hopewell With the Arrival of the Railroad presentation by Douglas Dixon, held on … Continue reading Hopewell with the Arrival of the Railroad – Video and References
Maps are beautiful! Local atlas and topographic maps provide amazing glimpses into the past – showing the topology, rivers and roads, and even buildings with identifications. These are impressive examples of the cartographic arts, combining lines, text, and symbols with color and shading – all at different sizes and scales – into a coherent and … Continue reading Historic Maps – Topographical and Geological
It’s Hopewell Borough’s annual Town-Wide Yard Sale weekend, Saturday and Sunday, June 11 & 12. So as you clear out the attic and browse the sales – this weekend and this summer – please be on the lookout for historic artifacts that we can preserve and share here on the History Project site. Here are … Continue reading Yard Sailing for Local History
This is an amazing 1914 map of the entire Delaware & Raritan Canal system. The map was drawn by the Pennsylvania Railroad, who owned the canal from 1871 until 1933. The canal then reverted to the state of New Jersey and used as a water supply. The 70-mile Delaware & Raritan Canal State Park was … Continue reading 1914 Delaware & Raritan Canal Map
The mania of trolley construction in the United States in the early 1900s included one line from Trenton servicing Hopewell and Pennington from 1902 to 1931, and two competing lines to Lawrenceville and Princeton from 1899 to 1939. The rails have long since been torn up – apparently to be used as scrap for World … Continue reading Hopewell Valley Trolley Routes – 1902 – 1931
