History Project Events & News

Memories of the Hopewell Quarry: Stones to Swimming
– Wed., Sept. 6, 2023, 7 pm; Hopewell Presbyterian Church, 80 W. Broad St., Hopewell, NJ

In this profusely illustrated presentation, Doug Dixon surveys over a 130 years of local history at the Hopewell Quarry Swimming Club, west of Hopewell Borough. This was once the site of a rock quarry that operated from the 1890s to around 1920, making crushed stone for local roads. First, we trace the development of quarries in the Hopewell area. Then, we explore how the site evolved as a swim club over time. The result is a story of the growth of the Hopewell area, and of the dedicated efforts by a handful of entrepreneurs and families to preserve and enhance this local resource for over a century.

Hopewell Public Library Speaker Series.
Co-sponsored by the Hopewell Valley Historical Society and The Hopewell Museum.

• See the Hopewell Quarry presentation video and references for links to the online video, presentation slides, more detailed History Brief research papers on the quarries and the swim club, plus related posts.

The Story of the Hopewell Inn – and the People Who Sustained It
– Wed., May 3, 2023, 7 pm; The Hopewell Theater, 5 S. Greenwood, Hopewell, NJ

Doug Dixon of the Hopewell Valley History Project will explore the forgotten history of the Hopewell Inn, and the people and families who nurtured and reinvigorated the building and ran the businesses through the years. We also will take a visual tour the building in its final form – not only the exterior and public spaces, but also the upstairs rooms and cellar – and discover clues about how the building was constructed and expanded over time.

Hopewell Public Library Speaker Series.
Co-sponsored by the Hopewell Valley Historical Society and The Hopewell Museum.

• See the Hopewell Inn presentation video and references for links to the online video, presentation slides, more detailed History Brief research papers, plus related posts.

Hoproco – Hopewell’s 1920s Toy Company – Talk & Exhibits
– Wed., Nov. 2, 2022, 7 pm; The Hopewell Theater, 5 S. Greenwood, Hopewell, NJ
Doug Dixon of the Hopewell Valley History Project will explore the history of Hoproco, the Hopewell Products Company, and discuss the five known toys that the company created. Plus, come early to see examples of the actual antique toys (and even original product boxes), exhibited by several local collectors, The Hopewell Museum, and the Hopewell Valley Historical Society.

Hopewell Public Library “Wednesday Night Out” Lecture Series.
Co-sponsored by the Hopewell Valley Historical Society and The Hopewell Museum.

• See the Hoproco presentation video and references for links to the online video, presentation slides, more detailed History Brief research papers, plus related posts.

Life in 1900s Hopewell With the Arrival of the Railroad
– Thurs., Oct. 27, 2022, 7 pm; Hopewell Train Station, Railroad Place, Hopewell, NJ
Join Doug Dixon of the Hopewell Valley History Project to explore how the arrival of train service in the 1870s along the foothills of the Sourlands drove the growth of the small village of Columbia into the town of Hopewell.

Sourland Conservancy Train Station Series

• See the presentation video and references for links to the online video, presentation slides, more detailed History Brief research papers, plus related posts.

Seminary Avenue Historic Walking Tour
– Tours on Saturday, May 21 through Monday, May 23, 2022

A historic walking tour of Seminary Avenue in Hopewell Borough – plus two more blocks down Broad and Greenwood to Gazebo Park. Explore the stories of the people and businesses of this nondescript street that helped to provide the initiative and energy to help a small village grow into a prosperous town.

A Hopewell Valley Heritage Week Event
Co-sponsored by the Hopewell Public Library

• See the References for the Walking Tour, including the Tour Handout, plus briefs on Seminary Ave. and East Broad / South Greenwood, and on individual properties and local organizations.

Industrial Hopewell: The Growth of Railroad Place
– Tues., Jan. 18, 2022, 7 pm – Somerset County Library System
Explore the stories of turn-of-the century Railroad Place as it developed into an open industrial area crisscrossed with railway spurs serving multiple factories and freight businesses. (Update to earlier presentation.)

• See Industrial Hopewell: Railroad Place for links to the presentation slides, tour handout, associated briefs for the individual properties, and associated slide shows.

Hopewell Train Stations: History and Art
– Wed., Dec. 1, 2021, 7 pm; The Hopewell Theater, 5 S. Greenwood, Hopewell
Doug Dixon of the Hopewell Valley History Project presents a visual history of the Hopewell and Pennington train stations, featuring imagery from local photographers and artists.

Hopewell Public Library “Wednesday Night Out” Lecture Series. Co-sponsored by the Hopewell Valley Historical Society and The Hopewell Museum.

• See Hopewell Train Stations: History and Art – References for links to the online video, presentation slides, associated slide shows on the two stations, and more detailed briefs on the Train Stations and the Railroad Lines, plus related posts with additional information on the art and artists.

Hopewell Transportation Slide Show: Using Postcards to Explore History
– Tues., Sept. 21, 2021, 8 pm, Washington Crossing Card Collectors Club (WC4), Union Fire Company, Titusville, N.J.

Doug Dixon of the Hopewell Valley History Project demonstrates the use of postcards in sharing history (many from WC4 members), using the Hopewell Transportation Slide Show developed for the recent Hopewell Valley Heritage Week.

• See summary in the WC4 Newsletter, Oct. 2021 (PDF)

Industrial Hopewell: The Growth of Railroad Place
An Online Virtual Tour – “Trains, Tomatoes, and Chocolates”
– Thurs., June 10, 2021, 7 pm
In this online version of his historical walking tour, Doug Dixon of the Hopewell Valley History Project explores turn-of-the century Railroad Place in Hopewell, and the industrial buildings that helped drive the growth of Hopewell after the arrival of the railroads in the 1870s.

Co-sponsored by the Hopewell Valley Historical Society, The Hopewell Museum, the Hopewell Public Library, and the Hopewell Branch of the Mercer County Library.

• See Industrial Hopewell: Railroad Place for links to the presentation slides, tour handout, associated briefs for the individual properties, and associated slide shows.

Industrial Hopewell: Trains, Tomatoes, and Chocolates
Hopewell Borough Historical Walking Tour
– Thurs., June 10, 2021, 1:30 pm – Hopewell Township Recreation Dept.
– Sat., May 22, 2021, 11 am, 2 pm, & 4 pm – Hopewell Public Library
(Hopewell Valley Heritage Week)

Doug Dixon of the Hopewell Valley History Project hosts a one-hour walking tour of Railroad Place in Hopewell, exploring the industrial buildings that helped drive the growth of Hopewell after the arrival of the railroads in the 1870s. Registration Required.

• See Industrial Hopewell: Railroad Place for links to the tour handout, associated briefs for the individual properties, and schedules of tours and talks.

Sharing Information on the Web: The Hopewell Valley History Project
– Dec. 8, 2020 – Princeton Macintosh Users Group – Zoom
– Dec. 12, 2020 – Main Line Macintosh Users Group – Zoom
Doug Dixon of the Hopewell Valley History Project explores the approaches used on the History Project website to present different types of materials using various Web technologies. While some do require custom programming, most use off-the-shelf components that could be applied to your own projects

• See History Project Site Index

Hopewell Borough Seminary Avenue Tour
– Oct. 15 & 22, 2020 – Hopewell Township Recreation Department
Historic walking tour by Doug Dixon of the Hopewell Valley History Project exploring the expansion of the small town of Hopewell with the arrival of the railroads in the 1870s, leading to the construction of major town institutions (hotels, banks, churches, schools) and the expansion of housing and small businesses.

• See Hopewell Township Recreation – Upcoming Events
• See brief on Seminary Avenue History in Hopewell Borough (PDF)

Hopewell Valley History Project: Discover Hopewell Valley History from Home
– May 17, 2020 – Pennington Public Library,
Hopewell Valley Historical Society, and The Hopewell Museum – Zoom
Doug Dixon of the Hopewell Valley History Project explains the background of the History Project, and provides a tour of the materials that are currently available using the example of investigating the beginnings of public libraries in Hopewell.

• See Summary of the talk, with slides and references

Digital Heritage: The Hopewell Valley History Project
– Jan. 14, 2020 – Princeton Macintosh User’s Group – Princeton Theological Seminary
Doug Dixon demonstrates the History Project WordPress site, provides examples of some of its uses in exploring questions of local history, and also discusses some of the web design issues behind its implementation.

The Hopewell Valley History Project
– Dec. 4,  2019 – Hopewell Public Library – Hopewell Train Station

Doug Dixon introduces the Hopewell Valley History Project, explore the variety of digital materials already online, and show examples of how to kick-start your own investigations.

• View talk slides (PDF)

Aug. 16, 2022 – MercerMe – Hopewell Valley History Project documents end of an era and celebrates a digital book, Amie Rukenstein

Hopewell Inn demolition – and Pennington Profile Digital Edition

July 26, 2022 – MercerMe – Demo of Hopewell Inn starts today, Amie Rukenstein

Nov. 18, 2021 – MercerMe – HB Resident Doug Dixon Puts Local History At Your Fingertips, Amie Rukenstein

Summer 2020 – Preservation New Jersey Newsletter – Preservation through Digitization: Hopewell Valley History Project, by Rikki Massand (Blog)

May 11, 2020 – MercerMe – Hopewell Valley Historians Offer Seminar On Researching From Home, Amie Rukenstein (Blog)

Nov. 29, 2019 – Community News Service – Hopewell Valley History Project: Digitizing a Region’s History, by Erin Kamel (Blog)