History Project References

Collections of references for popular topics on the History Project site, with links to associated posts, full History Briefs (PDF), images, and presentation videos.

Contents


More on Hopewell Railroads

Two railroads were built in the 1870 to connect Philadelphia and New York by travelling up from the Delaware River, through Pennington and Hopewell, and then north towards New York. The Mercer and Somerset opened in 1874, but was shut down in 1880. The Delaware and Bound Brook opened in 1876, and is the predecessor of the line that still runs through the area.

Hopewell Valley Railroad Lines (1870s)

The Frog War (1876)

Hopewell Railroad Presentations

Railroad and Train Station Artifacts and Artwork


More on the Frog War

The “Frog War” is the name of the confrontation that took place on January 5 and 6, 1876 at a railroad crossing just south of Hopewell Borough, as the Delaware & Bound Brook Railroad (D&BB) needed to construct a “frog” so that the tracks of its new line could cross the existing tracks of the Mercer & Somerset Railroad (M&S). After a violent confrontation, the D&BB succeeded, and brought two rail lines across the Hopewell Valley.

The Frog War (1876)


More on Industrial Hopewell – Railroad Avenue and Somerset Street

The arrival of two railroads in the 1870s spurred the growth of the town of Hopewell. But local boosters also saw a greater opportunity, and invested in developing Railroad Place as an industrial district that could support larger-scale manufacturing. Further down, Somerset Street also was used as an incubator area for starting new businesses.

Industrial Hopewell – Railroad Place

Railroad Place

Somerset Street


More on Industrial Sites on Model Avenue

Model Avenue was the first site of industrial development in Hopewell Borough after the arrival of train service in the 1870s, followed by Railroad Place.

Hopewell with the Arrival of the Railroad

Finney & Fetter Saw & Feed Mill (1874)

Golden & Van Doren Lumber Yard (1892)

The Hopewell Creamery (c. 1887)


More on the Hopewell Inn – 15 East Broad

The Hopewell Valley Bistro & Inn building at 15 East Broad Street on the corner of Seminary Avenue was demolished in July 2022. Long known as the Central Hotel, the building had a nearly 150 year history as a residential home and store, bar and restaurant, and lodging and apartments.

Upcoming Talk – May 3, 2023

Hopewell Inn History

Hopewell Inn Tours – 2022

Hopewell Inn Memorabilia

Hopewell Inn Demolition – July 2022


More on Hoproco Toys

Hoproco, the Hopewell Products Company, operated from 1923 to 1929 at 18 Burton Avenue in Hopewell, and is still remembered for the five known metal toys it created.

Hoproco History

Video

Briefs

Images

Map


More on Information from Local Photos

Even prosaic family snapshots of everyday life can be tremendously useful in understanding and illustrating local history, as they show more in the backgrounds, providing glimpses of people and places that were previously through to be lost.

Here are examples of the kind of information we can find from photo collections, that have been shared by several local families.


More on Hopewell Phone Directories

Phone service in Hopewell started in 1899 with the Hopewell Telephone and Construction Company, which was acquired in 1904 by the Delaware and Atlantic Telephone Co., part of the Bell System. We have early phone directories from c1910. We also have the 1932 (Lindbergh) Hopewell Phone Directory that was compiled by the New Jersey State Police, who tracked toll calls made from the Hopewell area around the date of the kidnapping.

c1910 Phone Directories

1932 (Lindbergh) Phone Directory