Hopewell Valley
Heritage Week Awaits

Hopewell Valley Heritage Weekend is coming soon! Participate in exciting activities, learn about local history, and connect with fellow history lovers.

Coming September 12 - 20 to venues all over the Hopewell Valley

Full Schedule coming very soon

HVHS News and Coming Events

Click on each headline to learn more and register to attend events

Historic reenactor dressed in late 18th century garb chats with 21st century patrons in a tavern

Rev NJ brings Tavern Talks to Needle Creek Brewery on Titus Mill Road

Hopewell Valley Historical Society is proud to co-sponsor with The Hopewell Museum, Needle Creek Brewing and Revolution NJ: Tavern Talks, an experience of immersive history where you can explore the ideals and motivations behind the American Revolution. Attendees are invited to imagine that you are in a colonial tavern. Neighbors, family, and friends with conflicting ideologies are all around you. In a defining moment for the American colonies, you must decide which side to t

POSTPONED: Fun for Kids & Adults: The Geology of Hopewell - Fossils, Rivers & Rocks!

This program has been postponed. Please keep an eye on the website for announcement of a new date. Thank you. Sunday, August 16 ~ 1:30-5pm in two sessions, with activities for kids Hopewell Presbyterian Church ~ 80 West Broad Street, Hopewell, NJ 08525 Free and open to the public but please register. Hopewell Township has a remarkable geological history. Spend the afternoon with Geologist Pierre Lacombe, as he covers A) splitting of North America from Africa during the ear

Learn about the experiences of African American People during the Revolutionary War

Wednesday, July 15 ~ 6:30 - 8:30 pm at the Hopewell Presbyterian Church or on Zoom

July 2, 1776 was a big day for New Jersey!

A little history and coming events The New Jersey Archives tells us that on July 2, 1776, "New Jersey became the fourth American colony to adopt a constitution declaring independence from Great Britain. It was composed in five days and although the delegates considered it a temporary charter, it remained New Jersey's state constitution for sixty-eight years."(1) Earlier in the year, New Jersey was divided on whether Independence was a good idea. After much wrangling, the loya

Remembering the Bicentennial

Stop by our display case at the Mercer County Library - Hopewell Branch to see memorabilia from 1976 (some of us remember it well!) What a different kind of celebration that was. The display is made possible thanks to the family of the late H. David Earling, project director of the NJ Bicentennial Commission, for the loan of unique artifacts & memorabilia. The Commission began in 1974 and concluded in 1983. When it was over, the Commission gave money back to the state! And to

James Ewing: From the Black Watch to a NJ pulpit - Music, War & Reinvention

Coming July 8th. Register today! In 1782, as the American War drew to its close, a musician in the 42nd Highland Regiment serving with the British Army in North America made a decision that would change his life entirely. He deserted. Within the decade, James Ewing was a teacher and pastor in New Jersey. Speaker Josh Mason will trace Ewing's remarkable journey as a way into the hidden world of British military bands: privately funded, little understood, and far more human tha

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About the hopewell Valley

Comprising Hopewell Borough, Hopewell Township, and Pennington Borough, the Hopewell Valley was the Crossroads of the American Revolution. It was here that Washington's troops crossed from Pennsylvania to turn the tide of the war by defeating the Hessians at Trenton. It was this close-knit community of Valley residents, yearning for freedom, who guided the troops and gave everything they had for liberty.

But, who cherished the land before the Europeans came? And who came after the Revolution to develop towns and churches, schools and farms?

At the HVHS, we will tell you, show you, and immerse you in the rich history of our Valley.