Hopewell Valley History Project
Preserving Our History
What is “Hopewell 57” – that big brick building complex at the corner of Hamilton Avenue and Somerset Street in Hopewell Borough, which was earlier known as Rockwell and then Kooltronic? That block along Hamilton actually has an agglomeration of buildings that developed over time as part of a quintessential Hopewell story – as an … Continue reading Talk: Smith to Rockwell to “Hopewell 57”
The May 2024 updates to the History Project focused on the St. Michael’s Orphanage presentation and videos and images of local Memorial Day activities. (See Site Updates for more.) By the numbers, we finished the month with 323 files in the Archives, including 161 documents and 162 maps and aerials. The Image Gallery now has … Continue reading May 2024 Update – St. Michael’s Presentation
History, Presentation Video, Media, and References St. Michael’s was a major local institution that operated just outside of Hopewell Borough for three quarters of a century (1898 to 1973), to provide support and education for abandoned and neglected children. St. Michael’s was home over the years to thousands of children, over a hundred Sisters of … Continue reading St. Michael’s Orphanage
Doug Dixon provides a visual history of St. Michael’s, exploring the grounds, building, and interior using photos and memories from a variety of contributors Presented by Douglas Dixon, Hopewell Valley History Project Wed., May 8, 2024, 7 pm – Free and open to the public – Attend in person – Hopewell Presbyterian Church, 80 W … Continue reading Talk: St. Michael’s Orphanage: A Visual History
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
The Hopewell Quarry Swim Club, west of Hopewell Borough, was once the site of a rock quarry that operated from the 1890s to around 1920, making crushed stone for local roads. And the stone crusher equipment there did provide the name for the adjacent Crusher Road. In this profusely illustrated presentation, Doug Dixon surveys this … Continue reading Memories of the Hopewell Quarry – Video and References
The story of the Hopewell quarry that made crushed stone for local roads in the 1890s, and of the Quarry Swim Club that developed in the 1920s as the quarry pit filled in with water, which then was sustained and enhanced for over a century, and now has been preserved as open space. Douglas Dixon, … Continue reading Talk: Memories of the Hopewell Quarry: Stones to Swimming
The June updates to the History Project included a collection of Pennington Day booklets, the “Houses of Hopewell” by Harry McCandless, information on the Construction on the Runyon Property in Hopewell, and the Hopewell National Bank Stone Sign. (See Site Updates for more.) By the numbers, we finished the month with 300 files in the … Continue reading June 2023 Update – Pennington Day
The May updates to the History Project included a video of the 1965 Titusville July 4th celebration and a 1975 video of the bar at the Hopewell Inn, plus historic images of William Howe’s “Dixie Farm” in Pennington, and video and references for the Hopewell Inn presentation. (See Site Updates for more.) By the numbers, … Continue reading May 2023 Update – Memorial Day
This amazing video from around 1975 shows patrons at the bar of the Hopewell Inn, 15 East Broad Street at Seminary Avenue in Hopewell, N. J. The video is short, under five minutes long, and has been enhanced and brightened for better visibility in the dark bar. So how do we know that this is … Continue reading 1975 Video of the Hopewell Inn Bar
