Hopewell Valley History Project
Preserving Our History
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
Why does this Italianate villa stand alone in a field on Wertsville Road in the Sourland Mountains above Hopewell Borough? This house was built by the Ferrante family, who immigrated from Italy in 1914, set up garment businesses in the Bronx, and came to Hopewell in 1934. They started operations at 65 East Broad Street … Continue reading The Ferrante Dress Factory
An Italianate villa stands alone in a field in the Sourland Mountains above Hopewell Borough. This was the home of the The Ferrante family, who immigrated from Italy in 1914 and set up in the garment business in the Bronx. They came to Hopewell in 1934, built this house, and a since-demolished factory behind for … Continue reading Ferrante Dress Factory – Presentation Video and References
Investigating The Hopewell Dress FactoryPresented by Douglas Dixon, Wednesday, November 5, 2005 – Talk References – Ferrante Dress Factory Presentation Video and Slides– Full History Brief – Ferrante Dress Factory History Brief (PDF)– View Talk Video – Ferrante Dress Factory Presentation Video (YouTube) Why is this Italianate villa standing alone in a field in the … Continue reading Talk: Investigating The Hopewell Dress Factory
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
The video and slides from the “Hopewell 57” presentation on Oct. 9, 2024 now are available on the History Project site, along with the updated 25-page History Brief research paper on the facility and the street. This work is intended to document the history of this for this crazy-quilt of a manufacturing complex, and the … Continue reading Understanding “Hopewell 57” – Rockwell / Smith
The “Hopewell 57” complex at the corner of Hamilton Avenue and Somerset Street in Hopewell Borough was first known as Smith Novelty, and then Rockwell and Kooltronic. This presentation – Smith to Rockwell to “Hopewell 57” – chronicles the saga of Hugh A. Smith, who chose Hopewell in 1901 to pursue his dream of establishing … Continue reading Smith to Rockwell to “Hopewell 57” – Presentation Video and References
What is the story of the “Hamilton 57” site on Somerset Street in Hopewell? How did it grow and evolve over the past 100 years? Here are some questions in anticipation of the upcoming presentation – with brief answers. The Building Q: What is this crazy quilt of a building? Was it designed as a … Continue reading “Hopewell 57” Historical Questions
This wonderful collection of invoices from 1910s Hopewell companies vividly show the interconnections of local businesses of the time. The customer here was the Smith Novelty Company on Somerset Street (the predecessor to Rockwell), which at the time was growing past 40 employees. These invoices also show how local companies viewed their own businesses, with … Continue reading Smith Novelty Business Invoices c1910
The August 2024 updates to the History Project include the video of the “Hopewell 57” / Rockwell talk, a major update of property information to the Hopewell History Map, 1950s memories of Pennington, and more. (See Site Updates for more.) By the numbers, we finished the month with 331 files in the Archives, including 168 … Continue reading August 2024 Update – Rockwell, Grammar School Annex, Pennington
