Hopewell Valley History Project
Preserving Our History
This archive of twenty early Mercer County area farming and school photos comes from the 1914 Farm & Business Directory of Mercer and Middlesex Counties (see previous post). These wonderfully evocative photos include scenes of local schools and school children, and farm scenes with different animals and crops, ranging from horse-drawn plows to more “modern” … Continue reading 1914 Mercer County Farm and School Photos
Rev. 3/7/26 – Add another local Tom Thumb wedding What kind of fundraiser can you run for elementary school kids? There’s selling candy or books, or school hats or shirts, or discount cards for local businesses, or simply holding a raffle. Instead, it really would be better to have some kind of event involving the … Continue reading Tom Thumb Wedding in 1941 Hopewell
The Hopewell Elementary School at 35 Princeton Avenue is celebrating its centennial in 2026, one hundred years after it opened in 1926 as the Hopewell Grammar School. The Grammar School originally held classes for kindergarten through 8th grade, but has changed over the years with the introduction of a separate middle school between elementary school … Continue reading Hopewell Elementary School Centennial
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
The September 2025 updates to the History Project focused on the history of the Hopewell Harvest Fair and the Hopewell Elementary School, including poster sets for the Hopewell schools. (See Site Updates for more.) Hopewell Harvest Fair – 2025 The Hopewell Harvest Fair – 2025 was the 37th Annual, held on Saturday, September 20, 2025 … Continue reading September 2025 Update – Hopewell Harvest Fair and Schools History Posters
Next year is the 100th anniversary of the Hopewell Elementary School (HES), which was first opened in 1926. As part of the celebration of the upcoming centennial, the Elementary School will be at the Hopewell Harvest Fair this Saturday, September 20, 2025, sharing historic photos and artifacts and hosting tours of the building. The Hopewell … Continue reading Hopewell Elementary School History at the Harvest Fair
The 37th Annual Hopewell Harvest Fair is Saturday, September 20, 2025, from 9:45 am to 4 pm, at the Hopewell Elementary School, 35 Princeton Avenue, Hopewell, NJ. The rain date is Saturday, October 4. This volunteer community event has been providing fun and entertainment for Hopewell Valley families and friends since 1987. Walk the Town … Continue reading Hopewell Harvest Fair – 2025
We know the stories of some of our historical buildings – but who actually designed and built them, and to what specifications? Who designed and built St. Michael’s Orphanage and its additions, or the school buildings on South Main in Pennington, or other town halls and residences, schools and churches, banks and theaters? It turns … Continue reading Builders’ Guide to Hopewell Valley Construction Projects – 1888-1940
We are coming up on the 100th anniversaries for two of our local schools next year – Toll Gate Grammar School and Hopewell Elementary School. Groups at both schools are making plans, so if you have ideas and historic materials to share, please do get in touch. As a start towards celebrating the centennial of … Continue reading Toll Gate and Hopewell Elementary School Centennials
For another glimpse of long-gone school days, this is the April 1941 issue of the Hopewell Elementary School student paper, The Keyhole, kindly shared by the Kolbert family (see earlier post). It is fourteen typewritten pages with illustrations by Eleanora McAlinden, including news for what each grade was doing, personal updates on some of the … Continue reading 1941 Hopewell Elementary School Newspaper
