Hopewell Valley History Project
Preserving Our History
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
The Hopewell Township Police Department is celebrating its 50th anniversary (1994-2024) as a full-time police department this summer – and has kindly shared the 50th Anniversary Brochure plus department patches and other materials to memorialize the event. The department was started as a part-time operation in the 1920’s or early 1930’s. The full-time department then … Continue reading Hopewell Township Police – 50th Anniversary Brochure
This is a fun collection of material from the Cointreau distillery that operated in Pennington from 1942 through 1967. These include colorful liqueur labels, collections of mini-bottles, and photos including a 1960s staff photo with names. These are all thanks to the Jamieson family, whose grandparents lived next to the Cointreau plant and worked there. … Continue reading The Cointreau Distillery at the Straube Center
Our Hopewell Valley and towns are seeped in history – deep in the names and landscape and buildings around us. One fun way to get out and around and explore this past is with a history tour – driving around the area and walking in the towns. You also can explore virtually online to learn … Continue reading Explore Historic Hopewell Valley – House and Street Tours
The Hopewell Township Police Department is celebrating its 50th anniversary as a full-time police department this year. The 50th anniversary event is scheduled for Saturday June 8, 2024 at 1 pm at Woolsey Park. There will be vendors, food trucks, games, etc., and a newly rebuilt retro police car alongside current vehicles. As part of … Continue reading Hopewell Police History & Township 50th Anniversary
So what’s up with all these menus – I thought we were doing history here? Well, yes, the History Project is collecting and sharing materials from Hopewell’s past, but there’s also the future history to think of – preserving the history of our own time for the next generations. == View 2000s Hopewell Menus in … Continue reading History on the Menu – Future History
The Pennington Presbyterian Church at South Main Street and East Delaware Avenue traces its history back to 1709, when the farming families of present-day Lawrenceville, Trenton, Ewing, Pennington, and Hopewell requested the services of a minister from the newly-created Presbytery of Philadelphia. This was only one year after the 1708 first recorded European settlement in … Continue reading Pennington Presbyterian Church Anniversary Booklets
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
For a look back to the Hopewell area in the 1970s and 1980s, we can explore Hopewell Community Day – a very full day of community fun and activities that was the predecessor to the current Hopewell Harvest Fair. Over the years, Community Day developed into a fundraiser for the many local volunteer and non-profit … Continue reading Remembering Hopewell Community Day, 1974 – 1985
