Hopewell Valley History Project
Preserving Our History
Here are some views of downtown Pennington from 2006, along North Main Street around Delaware Avenue, kindly shared by Tim Geoghan. Historic Photos Yes, 2006 does not seem that historic, compared to an album of old faded photos in sepia tones. However, these images are now around twenty years old. Some perennial stores still are … Continue reading Downtown Pennington Photos – 2006
by Douglas Dixon Here are some highlights of the 2024 additions to the History Project site, with links to more information, plus associated documents, maps, photos, and videos. The purpose of the Hopewell Valley History Project is assemble an archive of reference material in local history, freely shared online in digital and searchable formats for … Continue reading Hopewell History Project – 2024 Highlights
The December 2024 updates to the History Project include a 2016 / 1966 Hopewell Valley Scrapbook with 330+ photos and the evolution of the Hopewell Museum. (See Site Updates for more.) By the numbers, we finished the month with 332 files in the Archives, including 169 documents and 163 maps and aerials. The Image Gallery … Continue reading December 2024 Update – 2016 Class Scrapbook, Hopewell Museum
Thanks to Charles Hunt, we have a collection of over 230 images of sites across Hopewell Valley from 2016, plus recollections of them back to 1966. How many of these sites, buildings, and businesses do you remember? These are from a reunion scrapbook prepared for the Hopewell Valley Central High School Class of 1966 at … Continue reading 2016 / 1966 Hopewell Valley Scrapbook and Photos
The August 2024 updates to the History Project include the video of the “Hopewell 57” / Rockwell talk, a major update of property information to the Hopewell History Map, 1950s memories of Pennington, and more. (See Site Updates for more.) By the numbers, we finished the month with 331 files in the Archives, including 168 … Continue reading August 2024 Update – Rockwell, Grammar School Annex, Pennington
Here are seven Pennington Players programs from 1958 through 1966, plus one more from the Prevue Players from 1958. These are wonderful historical records of these performing groups, of course, plus they provides the names of local people in the production staff and the patrons, and include advertisements for a wide range of local businesses, … Continue reading Pennington Players Programs – 1958-1966
Mike Thomsen has kindly contributed some 75 photographs of Pennington from around 1958, up to when he completed high school. These include scenes of the buildings and businesses along Main Street and Delaware Avenue, views of the train station and other area bridges, and fun views of the local schools, Memorial Day parades, family, and … Continue reading 1950s Memories of Pennington
Train service arrived in Pennington and Hopewell in the mid 1870s, through the center of the Hopewell Valley. The arrival of the railroads helped drive the development of the towns that we know today. But after World War II service went through a slow decline, reducing the number of trains, dropping local stations, and eliminating … Continue reading Hopewell Reading Line Railroad Timetable Collection
So what changed in the Hopewell Valley landscape in the 1960s? One answer comes from comparing these 1962 and 1972 Hopewell Township road maps that continue the story of the development of the Hopewell Valley road network (see links below). Much of the Valley is still shown as open land, but these maps also show … Continue reading Hopewell Valley Changes – 1962 & 1972 Road Maps
The June 2024 updates to the History Project focused on the Straube Center and the Cointreau Distillery in Pennington, plus more on the St. Michael’s Orphanage farm, the Hopewell Township Police 50th, and tips on using the History Project resources to explore Hopewell Valley. (See Site Updates for more.) By the numbers, we finished the … Continue reading June 2024 Update – Cointreau and the Straube Center
