Property Brief: Rockwell Fire Brigade – 8 Somerset St., Hopewell
There is a small one-story building at 8 Somerset Street in Hopewell Borough – at the intersection with Hamilton Avenue, on the railroad side of the street, just past the Tomato Factory and before the parking lot, across the large former Rockwell / Kooltronic industrial facility.
This small building seems to appear on maps back to 1927 as a “Stock Shed,” but the first known specific use was for the Rockwell Fire Brigade, which served Rockwell and Hopewell from 1954 to 1968.
Chronology:
1900, 1912 – H. A. Smith / Rockwell (old rectangular shed)
1927, 1935 – Stock Shed
1954 – 1968 – Rockwell Fire Brigade
1970s – J. B. Hill Hardware – Outdoor furniture, etc. – Joseph Hill II & Arthur Wright
1980 – 1988 – Mower Ranch – Merrill & Beverly Mellott
1988 – 2003 – Hopewell Antique Cottage – David & Karen Dutch, Winona & David Frye
2003 – 2016 – Princeton Doll and Toy Museum – Virginia Aris / Nancy O’Connor
2016 – present – twine. – Melissa Cookman
Tag – HwBoro
File – 2022-HwBoro-Rockwell-Fire-Brief-HvHist.pdf