About the HVHS

The Hopewell Valley Historical Society was formed in 1975 by a group of individuals interested in preserving the rich history of Hopewell Township, including the boroughs of Hopewell and Pennington, and the villages of Harbourton, Mt. Rose, Titusville, Washington Crossing, and Woodsville, located in Mercer County, New Jersey.

We are an independent, non-profit organization of volunteers, funded primarily by membership. Membership in the Society supports the ongoing work we do to help keep local history alive.

Our Mission

The mission of the Society is to preserve the early heritage of our Hopewell Valley:

• Sponsor interesting public programs on history for the community
• Collect, record and preserve materials pertaining to the history of the Hopewell Valley so that they will be accessible to persons for educational purposes
• Encourage preservation of existing sites of historical, architectural and/or genealogical interest
• Publish a newsletter with well-researched articles about Hopewell Valley history
  

Programs and Events

We regularly sponsor community programs on local history, often in partnership with the Hopewell Museum and the Pennington Library. These programs typically are free and open to the public.

The Hopewell Valley Heritage Weekend of multiple local organizations to promote our local heritage, held annual on Memorial Day weekend.

Collections

Our collections are housed at the Hopewell Township branch of the Mercer County Library in Pennington.  The room is staffed on Thursdays from 12 noon to 4 pm.

The collections include documents including newspapers, maps, and other materials, historical photographs of the Hopewell region, audio and video recordings of presentations and oral histories, and family history materials.

If you would like to visit, or would like help with researching, please send an e-mail to hvhswebsite@gmail.com.

Mercer County (1849)

Acquisitions

We collect, preserve, and make accessible published and unpublished material on the history of the Hopewell Valley, from presettlement to today. We collect primary and secondary resources documenting the inhabitants, institutions, and communities of the Hopewell Valley.

Please contact us at hvhswebsite@gmail.com to discuss possible donations.

Woodward Collection

Special Projects

The HVHS works to bring history alive within the Hopewell Valley community  through special projects, community outreach programs, and participation in community events.

Our current special projects to collect and communicate local history within the community include historical signage, working with community groups to post historically appropriate signage at historic sites, and oral history, working with other local organizations to interview long time residents to record their memories of life in Hopewell Valley.

Reenactors at Hopewell Valley Heritage Weekend

Membership / Donations

We are an independent non-profit organization of volunteers, funded primarily by membership. Membership benefits include advance notice of events, our quarterly newsletter, volunteer opportunities, and special members-only events including our Annual Meeting.

We also welcome donations to help continue the work of preserving and sharing history of Hopewell Valley.