Hopewell Valley History Project
Preserving Our History
One welcome result of working on this year’s Seminary Avenue Historic Walking Tour has been the discovery four previously-unknown historic photos of East Broad Street and Seminary Avenue in Hopewell from around the 1920s. Seminary Avenue Historic Walking Tour: Sat. May 21 – Mon. May 21 See References for the tour, including the Handout, plus … Continue reading Lost Hopewell Photos – Seminary & Broad
What do you remember about 21 East Broad Street in Hopewell Borough, the building at the entrance to Seminary Avenue? The two-story structure seems unremarkable – a simple rectangular building split into two storefronts on the ground floor, with residential space above. But this building has a long history of well-known occupants, back to its … Continue reading 21 East Broad – Hopewell Groceries / Barbers / Restaurants
Harry Cox was a Hopewell institution as a barber on Seminary Avenue for over 35 years, from 1909 to his death in 1945. He was a farm laborer at age 16, became an apprentice barber at 20, and opened his own shop at age 21. He expanded his shop multiple times, and in 1920 bought … Continue reading Harry Cox – Hopewell Barber (1909-1945)
Douglas Dixon, Hopewell Valley History Project A Hopewell Valley Heritage Week Event Co-sponsored by the Hopewell Public Library Tours on Sat., May 21 at 11 am and 2 pm; Sun., May 22 at 1 pm and 3 pm; and Mon., May 23 at 2 pm Free, but limited places – Pre-Registration Required … Continue reading Seminary Avenue Historic Walking Tour
Here are two mystery Hopewell artifacts, thanks to Doug Robbins – a shaving mug decorated with a confusing design, and an optical angle tool that we don’t understand at all. Do you know more about these, or similar objects? UPDATE (same day): Optical angle tool identified! Optical Angle Tool The first mystery is a foldable … Continue reading Mystery Objects: Shaving Mug and Angle Tool
Yes, Hopewell did have a toy company, albeit a short-lived one. Hoproco, the Hopewell Products Company, operated from 1923 to 1929 at 18 Burton Avenue in Hopewell, manufacturing metal and wooden mechanical toys and novelties. We know of only five toys that were manufactured by Hoproco, circa 1925 to 1928. These products are nicely designed … Continue reading Hoproco – Hopewell’s 1920s Toy Company
With the end of World War II, the people of Hopewell were ready for a return to normalcy, and looking forward to renewing the annual Memorial Day parade with a spirit of both enthusiasm and reverence. Thanks to Richard Anderson, we have three short videos converted from 8mm film clips that show this time, with … Continue reading Hopewell Parade Videos 1946 – 1948
Oh, look! – A charming view down Railroad Avenue in Hopewell in the early 1900s. In the foreground are the flowers that decorated the train station, and down the street from right to left are the house at the corner of Blackwell Avenue, then the front of a barn, the back of another barn, and … Continue reading Fletcher’s Castoria
We’ve compiled together twenty History Briefs written over the past two years and packaged them up as a “book” (free PDF download) for convenient reference, searching, and printing. These History Project research reports provide historical information and chronologies on Hopewell Borough organizations, businesses, and properties, and the people that made them. See below for some … Continue reading Hopewell Borough History Briefs – The Book
The webinar video for the Hopewell Train Stations: History and Art meeting and online presentation held on December 1, 2021 has been posted for viewing. See the References post for other associated material on the train stations, including the presentation slides, slide shows, associated briefs for the train stations and railroad lines, and information on … Continue reading Hopewell Train Stations – Webinar Video
