Programs
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The Hopewell Valley Historical Society regularly sponsors 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.
Upcoming:
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Note on Internet Webinars: These upcoming programs are presented as online webinars, typically using the Zoom video conferencing application. You can use Zoom to view these presentations live on a computer, or on a mobile tablet or even a smartphone. (You also can use Zoom for videoconferencing, using a camera with your device to send your own video and audio, but you don't need these features just to view the presentations.) See Using Zoom on the Pennington Library site for more information on setting up Zoom.
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Trolley Car in the House:
The Rescue of Trenton Transit #288
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Thurs., March 25, 2021 - 7 pm ET
Internet Webinar via GotoMeeting In cooperation with with the Hopewell Branch of the Mercer County Library Registration Required -> Register here (through the Mercer County Library) Note: The MCL uses GoToMeeting for video webinars - see GoToMeeting Installation Instructions (PDF) J.R. May will describe the Trenton Trolley #288 Project. This trolley was found embedded in a Hamilton home that was being demolished. It was rescued and is in the process of being restored. The program will include information about finding the car, the history of the car, moving the car, efforts to develop drawings of the missing elements of the car, and opportunities for the public to volunteer to assist with the effort. The talk will also mention inspiration and experience gained from the restoration of a Pennsylvania RR 1915 N6b caboose, or “cabin car” which, like the 288, is a wood body on a steel frame.
J.R. May has a longstanding commitment to the history of railway and trolley transportation. He has volunteered for the New Jersey Museum of Transportation (NJMT) in various capacities since 1972, working on a range of acquisitions, restoration projects, and hands-on operating and maintenance activities, and serving as Chairman of the Board of NJMT from 2000 to 2004. Since that time he has worked personally on the acquisition and restoration of several steam locomotives and a caboose, most recently with Liberty Historic Railway, Inc., which saved Trenton Transit Co. #288 during the demolition of a house where it was discovered. He is currently part of the effort to restore the trolley car to its original state. Mr. May is president of Melvin M. May Associates, Inc. of Manasquan, NJ, and serves on several professional organization boards. He lives in Wall Township, NJ with his wife Patti. Co-sponsored by the Hopewell Valley Historical Society and The Hopewell Museum with the Hopewell Branch of the Mercer County Library. |
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Who Lies Where?
Documenting and Mapping Historic Cemeteries
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Thurs., April 15, 2021 - 7 pm ET
Internet Webinar via Zoom In cooperation with with the Pennington Public Library Registration Required -> https://www.penningtonlibrary.org/wholieswhere/ Have you ever had trouble navigating a cemetery to the graveside of a loved one? Or were just curious about who was buried where in a cemetery jam-packed with old gravestones? Jim Lee and Alexis Alemy of Hunter Research will demonstrate cutting edge methods currently being used to document and map historic burial grounds drawing on studies of a series of abandoned Methodist cemeteries across New Jersey. In addition, this same methodology has been applied to documenting graves in the well maintained Pennington African Cemetery. Jim and Alexis will present the preferred techniques for surveying, recording and photographing grave markers on the ground and explain the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (aka UAVs or drones) and geographic information system (GIS) technology to organize and process cemetery data into an interactive mapping format that can guide you to the grave of your choosing at your desktop or on your mobile phone.
Jim Lee, Vice President and Principal Archaeologist at Hunter Research, a Trenton-based historic preservation and cultural resource management consulting firm, specializes in the excavation and recording of cemeteries, canals, house sites and many other types of historic properties. He resides at an inclined plane tender’s house on the Morris Canal near Phillipsburg. Alexis Alemy, Archaeologist at Hunter Research, is a recent graduate of the Master’s program in archaeology at Monmouth University. Expert in the study of human remains, she spent much of 2018-19 retrieving and analyzing several hundred skeletons from the Halsey Street Methodist Episcopal cemetery in Newark and has more recently been excavating burials at the Randolph Friends Meeting House cemetery in Morris County. Co-sponsored by the Hopewell Valley Historical Society and The Hopewell Museum with the Pennington Public Library. |
Jim Lee and Alexis Alemy of Hunter Research
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