2023 Programs

In the last few years local historical researchers and preservation experts have been finding out more about the history of the nationally important Old School Baptist Meeting House and its congregation, founded in the early 1700’s. Come and hear about what is being uncovered, and about planning for the future of this historic Hopewell treasure. Followed by a Q&A session.

Presentations:

The Historic Importance of the the Old School Baptist Church and its Congregation
- Christie Alderman
Researching the Historical Documents of the Old School Baptist Meeting
- Cynthia O'Connor
The African-American Old School Baptists
- Elaine Buck and Beverly Mills
The 1747 Graveyard: Where and Who?
- Ian Burrow
Preserving the Old School Baptist Meeting for the Future
- Michael Mills
Q and A - Moderated by Ian Burrow

About the Speakers:

Historic postcard of Old Baptist Church Hopewell, NJ

Watercolor painting of the Old School Baptist Church building representing an idealized view of the church and grounds. The carriage house originally sat behind the building and cemetery. Painted by Bordentown artist John Collins in 1869 for Catherine Stout. Courtesy the Hopewell Museum.
See article in Town Topics - THE WAY IT WAS: The Old School Baptist Meeting on Broad Street in Hopewell was the subject of a painting done in 1869

Christie Alderman holds a Master's degree in Heritage Preservation, has written several nominations to the National Register of Historic Places, and previously served on the board and led preservation planning for the Old Stone Church in Baptistown, NJ. Outside of her volunteer activities, Christie serves as a Senior Vice President for the world's largest publicly traded P&C insurance company, building products to help businesses manage cyber risks.

Cynthia O'Connor currently researches family history narratives for people interested in the stories of where their families originated. Additionally she creates house histories - essentially genealogy for buildings - for clients of the Hopewell Valley Historical Society as well as privately beyond the Hopewell Valley. She is also a trustee of the Hopewell Museum and the Hopewell Valley Historical Society. After a business career in the freight rail industry in response to deregulation in the 1980s, she also has worked for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and Rutgers Archaeological Survey Office.

Elaine Buck and Beverly Mills are the founders of the Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum and co-authors of "If These Stones Could Talk." They proudly received the Kirkus Book Review in October 2018 and in 2019 the New Jersey Author's Award Non-Fiction Popular Works Category. In 2020, they partnered with the Museum of the American Revolution for an exhibition titled "When Women Lost the Vote". In 2021, they received Doris C. Carpenter Award on behalf of Preservation New Jersey for their work on the March of America's Diverse Army through New Jersey and the Solomon Northup Family Award for uplifting the memory of enslaved people. Their new book, "African Americans of Central New Jersey: A History of Harmony and Hostility", was released in July.

Ian Burrow is a semi-retired archaeologist. He was born, raised and educated in England. After working there for 10 years as a professional archaeologist, he emigrated to the United States in 1988 to continue his archaeological career in New Jersey and surrounding states. He serves on the Board of the Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum (among other things).

Michael Mills has devoted his career to the preservation and adaptive use design of some of the region’s most significant historic structures. He has lectured at Princeton University’s School of Architecture and Urban Planning , and serves as Associate Graduate Faculty in the Rutgers University Cultural Heritage and Preservation Studies program. He is is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects.

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

1 baptist

Hopewell Holiday Open Houses

Hopewell Public Library - Holiday Open House - 13 East Broad Street Come to the Hopewell Public Library for our annual Holiday Open House, our biggest event of the year! Activities will be available in the Children's Room. Enjoy homemade refreshments while you peruse our collection, review 2023 programming, and see what we have in store for next year!

Hopewell Museum - Annual Holiday Open House - 28 East Broad Street Please join us at The Hopewell Museum for our annual Holiday Open House. Themed "Behind the Scenes, Act II," there will be tours of our many projects happening inside the building. Refreshments and bagpipe selections by Vincent Janoski will be offered in a heated tent on the front lawn. We will also honor the memory of our late past president and friend, David M. Mackey.

Hopewell Old School Baptist Church - Open House & Bake Sale - 46 West Broad StreetSupport and learn more about the Meetinghouse by joining us for an Open House and Bake Sale fundraiser!

2 Holiday

Following the DNA Trail: Using Ancestry.com DNA Results to Solve Genealogical Mysteries Presented by Joseph Klett

Joseph Klett, Executive Director of the New Jersey State Archives and President of The Hopewell Museum, will discuss the use of autosomal DNA matches to help trace challenging lineages and identify hitherto unknown ancestors.He will draw from case studies to show how DNA results have guided and redirected his own research into 18th- and 19th-century New Jersey families, leading to the discovery of documentary sources. In one case study, DNA matches suggesting a common lineage through a shared surname led to the discovery of hitherto unknown ancestry in an altogether different family.

In another case study, the lack of cousin matches in one branch of the family tree led to the realization that a presumed biological ancestor was in fact a step-ancestor. Click for flyer.

About the speaker: Joe has worked at New Jersey State Archives since 1983, and served as a trustee of the Genealogical Society of New Jersey from 1987 to 2023. A genealogist since age 12, he is descended from many early Hopewell and central New Jersey families.

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

3 Klett

Ferries: A Lifeline for Colonial Hopewell Valley Travelers Presented by Stanley Saperstein

Hopewell Valley is home to many bridges, but how did people get around before they were built?
Early colonists may have been able to wade their horses across our many streams but imagine no Scudder Falls or Washington Crossing Bridge! Pennsylvania was just an aspiration to many before ferries were established every couple of miles along the Delaware. Who ran those operations and how did it work when you wanted to visit your cousin in Yardley ? Or buy goods in Philadelphia? Or defeat the British?
Join us on October 22 as historian Stan Saperstein explains early ferry operations and how important they were both to regular people and to General Washington in winning the Revolutionary War.

"Washington Crossing Delaware 1776" ferry painting by Lloyd Garrison

About the speaker. Stanley Saperstein is a professional historian, living historian and author. He is a graduate of Rider University and the College of New Jersey with a masters in History and Education. He has taught History courses for the Princeton Evergreen Forum and has been an adjunct instructor for several local colleges. He served on the Board of Directors of the Swan Historical Foundation, Director of Preservation for The Sons of the Union Veterans of the Civil War Museum, served on the Trenton Bicentennial Commission, and is a trustee of the Washington Crossing Park Association. Saperstein also is a Master Carver Furniture Maker and Conservator Emeritus, and founder of Artisans of the Valley, Fine Custom Wood Working.

Co-sponsored by the Hopewell Valley Historical Society, the Hopewell Museum, and the Washington Crossing Park Association. Click for flyer.

Painting of Washington's troops crossing the Delaware

4 Ferries

2023 Annual Meeting of the HVHS - Program: “The Archaeology of Two Hopewell Farms”

2 pm - HVHS Annual Membership Meeting with Election of Officers and Trustees.

The public is welcome to attend. Members will vote on HVHS business.
Presentation of the Hopewell Valley History Awards.

3 pm - Historic Preservation Program

The HVHS is honored to have two eminent New Jersey archaeologists talk to you about two of the Hopewell Valley’s historic farm families.

Moore House outline

Michael J. Gall is a Principal Senior Archaeologist at Richard Grubb & Associates, Inc., a cultural resource management firm in Cranbury, New Jersey, and serves as an Adjunct Professor in the History and Anthropology Department at Monmouth University.

Dr. Richard Hunter is President of Hunter Research, Inc., an historic preservation consulting firm. The company provides historical, archaeological and historic architectural services to a wide range of clients. A long-time resident of Hopewell Township, he currently serves as a Mercer County Cultural & Heritage Commissioner and past President of the Hopewell Valley Historical Society.

Mr. Gall’s talk will be on the Moore Family Farmstead in Hopewell. That archaeological work was undertaken in advance of construction for the Capital Health Medical Center in Hopewell and revealed important clues about the mid-18th-century Moore family. Their story is told through the archaeology of their former farmstead and the artifacts the family left behind.

Dr. Hunter’s talk will trace the Phillips Family of Pleasant Valley, especially as it relates to Howell Living History Farm. Over the course of the 18th and 19th centuries, the Phillips’ farmed, milled, and smithed in the Valley. The house of blacksmith John Phillips no longer exists but the house of his farmer/grist miller son Henry still exists on the grounds of Howell Living History Farm.

Click for flyer.

5 2023 Annual Meeting

Memories of the Hopewell Quarry: Stones to Swimming - Presented by Douglas Dixon

1930s [Nancy Kennedy]

The Hopewell Quarry Swim Club, west of Hopewell Borough, was once the site of a rock quarry that operated from the 1890s to around 1920, making crushed stone for local roads. And the stone crusher equipment there did provide the name for the adjacent Crusher Road.

In this profusely illustrated presentation, Doug Dixon will survey this century and a quarter of local history, from stones to swimming. First, we will drill into historic maps and newspapers to trace the development of quarries in Hopewell, which saw strong demand to improve the local dirt roads. Then, we will do a deep dive into a large collection of photos contributed by multiple generations of “quarry rats” to fathom 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.

Read the HVHS Newsletter article on Summertime at the Quarry
Click for References for the Hopewell Quarry presentation (History Project site)

About the speaker: Doug Dixon is an independent technology consultant and writer, now morphed into a history enthusiast and author. He is a board member of The Hopewell Museum and the Hopewell Valley Historical Society.Since mid-2019, Doug has developed the Hopewell Valley History Project to collect and freely share digital copies of local historical materials to aid research into area people and places (HopewellHistoryProject.org). With the assistance of over 130 local contributors, the History Project now hosts some 560 documents and maps, 3400 images and videos, and an interactive historical map of Hopewell to aid research into Hopewell area people and places.With these materials, Doug also has authored some 40 Hopewell Borough History Briefs, 500 pages of research reports on local organizations, businesses, and properties – and the people who made them. As a software technologist, Doug specializes in Web technology, databases, and digital media. He has authored four books on digital media, published hundreds of feature articles, and presented over a hundred technical seminars and talks.

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

6 Quarry

On Saturday, August 19, the Hopewell Public Library is sponsoring the 2023 Hopewell Valley Garden Tour across eight sites in the Hopewell Valley, including Hopewell, Pennington, and Titusville. This year's self-guided tour of some of Hopewell Valley’s hidden gems focuses on native plantings.

As a bonus on the Garden Tour, one of the sites in Titusville recently has been recognized by the Hopewell Valley Historical Society with a plaque identifying its history and lineage.

So when you stop by the garden during the tour, the HVHS will be

co-sponsoring displays to explain the history of the house, and to explore

the development of Titusville as a major transportation center in the 1800s

- with the Delaware River, Delaware & Raritan Canal, and Belvidere

Delaware Railroad.

Read HVHS Newsletter Articles on Titusville History
View Titusville Town Maps (History Project site)
View Titusville Image Gallery (History Project site)

Dig Into Titusville History - during the 2023 Hopewell Valley Garden Tour

7 Garden tour

Letters to the Hopewell Township Zoning Board Re: Hollystone Manor

Letters to the Hopewell Township Zoning Board of Adjustment concerning the application for the Hollystone Manor / "The Hopewell" property at 29 Fiddlers Creek Road:

From the Hopewell Township Historic Preservation Commission (HTHPC) - 10/31/2022

From the Hopewell Valley Historical Society (HVHS) - 12/26/2022

17 Letters re Hollystone

A Return to Summer Socials - with the Hopewell Valley Historical Society

Spend an afternoon renewing old friendships and exploring new places in the clubhouse of the updated Hopewell Valley Golf and Country Club, with hors d’oeuvres by Chez Alice and a cash bar.

The Hopewell Valley Golf and Country Club is now part of the Mercer County Park system. The 190-acre, 18-hole golf course was designed by Thomas Winton in 1927. The facility also includes tennis, swimming, paddle tennis, and pickleball.

In the 1875 Mercer County atlas etching, below, the barn on the left is the location of the clubhouse, and the brick house on the right is the present office of the Golf Club.

The Hopewell Valley Golf Club was founded relatively early in American golf history. “In September of 1927 the establishment of a golf course in Hopewell Township may have seemed like a modern and radical idea. Yet, the founders were on to something. There was apparently a pent-up desire to play golf.”

To learn more, read HVHS Newsletter, Vol. XXXVI, No. 1, Fall 2017, p. 853 - Click for newsletters.

HVHS Awarded Pennington Day Grant for Oral History Project

Sat., May 20, 2023, South Main Street, Pennington Borough

The HVHS booth was out at Pennington Day again on Saturday, May 20. Even with a rather wet morning, we enjoyed meeting people who stopped by to view our display of historic photos and to chat about local history, places, and people. We also had historic books, maps, notecards, and other materials on display.

We are also pleased to report that the Hopewell Valley Historical Society was selected to receive a 2023 Pennington Day Grant. The grant of $250 was awarded to support the HVHS Oral History Project, especially to defray the costs of transcriptions of our ongoing oral history interviews, and to process a backlog of older Pennington interviews.

The costs of transcribing these oral history interviews is the largest single line item in the HVHS budget, since the organization strongly believes that this is important work. Any additional donations to help with this expense would be appreciated.

2023 Pennington Day Grant presentation to the HVHS Oral History Project.
Left to right: Amy Kassler-Taub, Pennington Day Grants Committee Chair; Alan Upperco, HVHS Treasurer; Douglas Dixon, HVHS Oral History Project; and Lindsay Manolakos, Pennington Day Committee

8 2023 Social

18 Grant

Hopewell Valley Heritage Week

Hopewell Valley Heritage Week is back, May 19 - 29, 2023, celebrating the rich heritage of the Hopewell Valley with a full week of events, some virtual and others outdoors. This year’s theme is Farm to Table—Honoring Hopewell Valley’s Agricultural Roots.

10 HV Heritage Week

Heritage Week Events

Walking Tour of St. Michael's Preserve - Hosted by Rick Klevze

Rick Klevze hosts a walking tour of St. Michael's Preserve, including the land farmed by the Klevze family. Rick will explain the history of the farm, the orphanage and the farm's relationship to St. Michael's Orphanage.

Rick Klevze is a lifelong area resident who was raised on and worked the St. Michael's farm until 1997. He has a Bachelor’s degree in animal science from Cook College/Rutgers University and a Masters degree in soils and crops from Rutgers. He is currently employed by Growmark FS as a Certified Professional Agronomist and Certified Crops Advisor, where he has worked for 43 years. Klevze serves on the

Farm Credit East Customer Service Council and is a member of the MidAtlantic CCA exam writing committee for the American Society of Agronomy.

Klevze's grandfather, Charles Murphy, came to St Michael’s as an orphan in 1902. His grandmother, Mary Fish Murphy arrived between 1909 and 1920. They became a caretaker and cook respectively. His mother, Catherine Murphy Klevze, was born in 1932 and was raised on the farm. In 1949, his father, Frank Klevze, was sponsored by the Catholic Church and emigrated to the US. He was placed at St. Michael’s to work the farm. In 1955, he partnered with Klevze's uncle, John Eichinger, and leased the property from the Diocese. He operated a dairy until 1976 and then continued with livestock and field crops until 1997.

This is a Hopewell Valley Heritage Week event, sponsored by the Hopewell Valley Historical Society. Click for flyer.

Rick Klevze

History of the Mercer County 4-H Fair - Presented by Larry Kidder

Leon Brady's award winning Ayrshire heifer he raised for the Pleasant Valley Calf Club and entered in the 1928 Miss Pleasant Valley beauty contest

Larry Kidder tells the story of the changing nature of agriculture that led to changes in rural life in the early 20th century. New opportunities in towns and cities resulting from the industrial revolution, combined with a focus on celebrating rural life and finding ways to make farming a viable lifestyle, led to the creation of educational opportunities for all ages and especially the young. The 4-H programs that we know today grew out of that movement. In Pleasant Valley, one of the earliest and very successful programs for young people in Mercer County developed into the Pleasant Valley Calf Club during the second decade of the twentieth century. One activity of the club was putting on a community wide agricultural fair in the summer, which was held at the rural school house in the center of the Valley. The Calf Club and other youth clubs devoted to aspects of rural life became part of the growing 4-H program and the annual county 4-H fair. Today, the Mercer County 4-H Fair is held in central Pleasant Valley near where those early Calf Club Fairs were held. Click for flyer.

This summer's annual Mercer County 4-H Fair will be held on July 29 & 30, 2023 at Howell Living History Farm. The fair includes animal shows and exhibits, homemade ice cream, hay rides, pony rides, music, magic shows, and farm tours. Admission and parking are free.

For more than thirty-five years, Larry has been a volunteer at the Howell Living History Farm, part of the Mercer County Park System, in Hopewell, New Jersey where he has served as an historian, interpreter, and draft horse teamster. He is an avid member of the Association for Living History, Farm, and Agricultural Museums (ALHFAM).
Larry is the author of five books focusing on the American Revolution in the Mercer County region. Active in historical societies in Ewing (past president), Hopewell (also a past president), and Lawrence townships, Larry has given a number of talks to a variety of groups in New Jersey, New York, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. He has worked on several projects for Crossroads of the American Revolution, including as editor for its Meet Your Revolutionary Neighbors project and consultant for the creation of its recent Ten Crucial Days Audio Tour. He is also a consultant and battlefield tour guide for the Princeton Battlefield Society. As a founding member of the non-profit TenCrucialDays.org he helps narrate full-day bus tours of Ten Crucial Days sites. For more of Larry's projects and books, visit his website, wlkidderhistorian.com.

This is a Hopewell Valley Heritage Week event, co-sponsored by the Hopewell Valley Historical Society, The Hopewell Museum, and the Hopewell Branch of the Mercer County Library.

William L. (Larry) Kidder received his bachelor's and master's degrees from Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania and is a retired high school history teacher who taught for forty years in both public and private schools, including 32 years at the Hun School of Princeton. He served four years of active duty in the US Navy and was assigned to the US Navy Research and Development Unit, Vietnam and then the destroyer USS Brownson (DD868) home ported in Newport, Rhode Island. In the 1980s he was the lead researcher and writer for the creation of the Admiral Arleigh Burke National Destroyermen’s Museum aboard the destroyer museum ship USS Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. (DD850) at Battleship Cove in Fall River, Massachusetts.

Milk bottles from Hopewell Valley dairy farms

Also check out the Dairy Farms of Hopewell Valley exhibit of milk bottles from local dairies at the MCL Hopewell Branch Library. These include bottles from Pennington, Hopewell, and Titusville dairies, with both painted labels and older examples with embossed labelling.

Hopewell Branch of the Mercer County Library, 245 Pennington-Titusville Rd., Pennington, NJ.

Grow It, Cook It, Serve It!: Historic Utensils and Implements from the Farm to the Table

Join William L. Kidder, Catherine Granzow, and Sarah Mezzino - local experts in historical agriculture, hearth cooking, and decorative arts - for a “show and tell” about antique farm tools, kitchen gadgets, and serving ware.

The program will feature objects from The Hopewell Museum, Howell Living History Farm, and the Granzow personal collection.The event will be held outdoors, behind the the Hopewell Museum at 28 East Broad Street, Hopewell Borough, weather permitting.

This is a Hopewell Valley Heritage Week event. Click for flyer.

9 St Michael's tour

11 MC 4H fair

12 Utensils

The Story of the Hopewell Inn and the People Who Sustained It - Presented by Douglas Dixon

The Hopewell Inn, long known as the Central Hotel, had a nearly 150 year history as a part of the town of Hopewell before it was demolished in July 2022. The building was used for residential and retail, hotel and livery, saloon and apartments, luncheonette and rooming house, and bar and bistro. This presentation explores the forgotten history of the Hopewell Inn, and of the people and families who nurtured and reinvigorated the building and ran the businesses through the years. We also will take a visual tour of 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.

News outlets during Lindbergh trial in Hopewell, NJ

“Times Square” at Gebhart’s Hotel - 1932 Lindbergh press

For more on the Hopewell Inn, and references for the presentation, see the Hopewell Valley History Project. The story of the Hopewell Inn begins in the 1870s with the Sexton sisters, who sold their family farm and opened Hopewell’s first drug store in the building. After being converted into a hotel in 1893 and expanded in the early 1900s, the building’s heyday continued into the 1930s, when, as Gebhart’s Hotel, it became the headquarters for the world press after the Lindbergh kidnapping.

Since the 1950s, the building was shepherded by multiple generations of two different families, as it evolved into a friendly neighborhood bar, restaurant, and gathering space. In addition to the building owners who focused on food and lodging, we also will remember others there who contributed to Hopewell, including Mrs. Carter’s Millinery and Fancy Goods store (and Library!), Cray’s Oyster Saloon and Livery, Funeral Director F. K. Forsythe, and Paul (“Pop”) and Bertha Gebhart’s Lunch Room.

Short video clip from c. 1975 of the Hopewell Inn bar. The property was owned by Albert and Rose Mar Rathousky from 1970 to 1977. (Albert is the bartender, and Rose is the only woman.)

This "The Jersey Gin Mill" clip was included in "Jean Shepherd on Route 1... and Other Major Thoroughfares," a NJN / PBS special from 1984. A copy of the "Route 1" piece is posted on YouTube, but is missing both the opening and the ending. The original source of this clip is unclear, since it was shot around a decade before the broadcast.

Doug Dixon is an independent technology consultant and writer, now morphed into a history enthusiast. He is a board member of The Hopewell Museum and the Hopewell Valley Historical Society. Over the past few years since 2019, Doug has developed the Hopewell Valley History Project (HopewellHistoryProject.org), working with over 100 local contributors to collect and freely share digital copies of local historical materials. The History Project now hosts some 500 documents and maps, 3000 images and videos, and an interactive historical map of Hopewell to aid research into Hopewell area people and places. As a software technologist, Doug specializes in Web technology, databases, and digital media. He has authored four books on digital media, published hundreds of feature articles, and presented over a hundred technical seminars and talks.

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

13 Hopewell Inn

Hopewell Clean Communities Day

The Hopewell Valley Historical Society (HVHS) is participating in the Clean Communities cleanup day on Saturday, April 15, 2023. Please volunteer your time helping to clear our local roads of litter. Volunteers also earn donations to their favorite non-profit for time worked. The HVHS is a qualified non-profit organization to which you can donate your hours.

This has been a twice a year event in the Hopewell Valley for over 30 years. Please do two good deeds at the same time: clean our community and provide funding to the HVHS.
For further information contact the HVHS coordinator at hvhisttreas@gmail.com.

More on New Jersey Clean Communities in Hopewell: New Jersey Clean Communities is a statewide litter-abatement program 1986. The nonprofit New Jersey Clean Communities Council oversees the implementation of litter abatement programs in 558 municipalities and 21 counties. In the Hopewell Valley, Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space (FoHVOS) implemented the first Clean Communities Day in 1991, and has since run 63 of these semi-annual events. The program now will be transitioned to management by Hopewell Township.
On Clean Communities Day, volunteers - groups and individuals - pick up discarded trash from Valley roadways and parks. They also raise money for a selected non-profit by reporting their hours worked in its name. See the Hopewell Express article for more on the history of the cleanup day in the Hopewell Valley.

There are two ways you can participate in Clean Communities: You can register to be part of the event, pick up supplies, and be assigned an area that needs cleaning, or you can clean up on your own and then check in with the HVHS to record your hours.

To register in advance, click here. Then on the morning of April 15, go to the Hopewell Township Public Works Dept., 203 Washington Crossing-Pennington Road, to borrow orange safety vests, work gloves, grabber tools and plastic bags. Participants will also receive event T-shirts. Then patrol your assigned Hopewell Valley area. When finished, return your borrowed items back to the Public Works building and place the trash in the dumpster. While there, notify the on-site event coordinator of your hours worked and designate the HVHS as your non-profit.
Or you can clean up on your own, patrolling your favorite Hopewell Valley location that needs attention. (Hopefully your favorite historical spot.) When done, email the HVHS coordinator to report your hours worked at hvhisttreas@gmail.com.

HVHS Treasurer Allan Upperco cleans up

19 Clean Communities

A Pennington Profile: Margaret J. O’Connell - Educator, Author, Historian - Presented by Jack Koeppel and Jordan Antebi

Pennington Profile's author Margaret J. O'Connell proudly displays her invitation to the 1960 Presidential inauguration of John F. Kennedy to her high school students

Jack Koeppel is a lifelong Pennington resident with a passion for preservation. In the 1980’s Mr. Koeppel developed an interest in local history and began uncovering dozens of old photographs and other historical artifacts pertaining to Hopewell Valley’s past. While serving as a trustee of the Hopewell Valley Historical Society he, along with other dedicated members, established a permanent collection dedicated to preserving these items. The collection continues to grow.Mr. Koeppel served as president of the Hopewell Valley Historical Society; Pennington Business Association; and was a trustee of the Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space; and Howell Living History Farm. He has three grown children and lives with his wife in Pennington.

A lifelong Pennington resident, Jordan Antebi received his A.B. degree in History from Princeton University. His undergraduate thesis was the recipient of the Paul A. Stellhorn New Jersey History Award, as well as the

Margaret O’Connell was a pioneer in public history, who helped raise awareness for local history and culture, and educated an entire generation of Hopewell Valley students. Most famously, she wrote Pennington Profile, the Borough’s landmark history, which she considered her legacy to the children whom she could no longer teach.

This talk highlights the life and legacy of a trailblazing woman whose contributions helped shape today’s Valley community, and whose courage in the face of adversity can inspire others today. Click for flyer.

A new Digital Edition of Margaret O’Connell’s comprehensive book, Pennington Profile, A Capsule of State and Nation, is now available as a free digital download, with searchable text and over 190 annotated photos, through the cooperation of the Pennington Library and the Hopewell Valley History Project.

Jack Koeppel & Jordan Antebi

C.O. Joline Prize in American History and the Dean Hank Dobin Prize in Community Based Scholarship. As a high school student, he also worked with Hopewell Valley educators to develop a local history curriculum supplement for the public schools. Currently, Jordan serves as a volunteer trustee of the Lawrence Hopewell Trail and is a lifetime member of the Hopewell Valley Historical Society.

Co-sponsored by the Pennington Public Library, the Hopewell Valley Historical Society, and The Hopewell Museum.

14 Peggy O'Connell

A Slice of Life: A panel discussion featuring African American families with deep roots in Hopewell Valley - Moderated by Catherine Fulmer-Hogan

In honor of Black History Month, please join us for A Slice of Life: A panel discussion featuring African American families with deep roots in Hopewell Valley.

This is a great opportunity to hear about our local history from residents who were often marginalized but led wonderful lives and built a powerful community in spite of it.

Moderator Catherine Fulmer-Hogan is the current President of Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum (SSAAM), board member of the Hopewell Museum and Founder and Chair of Hopewell Valley Heritage Week.

Photos are courtesy of Evelyn Brooks, Beverly Mills, Elaine Buck & First Baptist Church of Pennington.

Co-sponsored by the Hopewell Valley Historical Society and The Hopewell Museum. Click for flyer.

14 AA Families

When the Railroad Comes to Town: The Belvidere-Delaware Railroad in Hopewell Valley - Presented by Robert Lawless

Pennsylvania Railroad steam locomotive from Down Along the Old Bel-Del – The History of the Belvidere Delaware Railroad Company by Warren F. Lee.

The Belvidere-Delaware Railroad ran along the eastern bank of the Delaware River from Trenton through Phillipsburg and beyond to Manunka Chunk in Warren County. The arrival of the railroad in 1851 brought significant changes to the communities along its route. These effects were not limited to economic opportunities, but also resulted in long-lasting impacts on the societal and cultural aspects within the region.

In this presentation, we will travel back in time to explore the by-gone days when the Bel-Del Railroad was an integral facet in daily life for the citizens of the Hopewell Valley.

Robert Lawless is a board member of the Hopewell Valley Historical Society, and Chairperson of the Program Planning Committee. His extensive research has focused upon the development and operations of railroads in New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania. Robert has worked in the railroad industry for most of his career, and presently employed by a regional transportation authority.

Co-sponsored by the Hopewell Valley Historical Society, the Hopewell Museum, the Hopewell Township Historic Preservation Commission, and the Titusville Presbyterian Church.

16 Bel Del

Preserving History in the Hopewell Valley