Hopewell, New Jersey
Encyclopedia
Hopewell is a Borough
in Mercer County
, New Jersey
, United States
. As of the United States 2010 Census, the borough population was 1,922.
Hopewell was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature
on April 14, 1891, from portions of Hopewell Township
, based on the results of a referendum held on March 21, 1891. Additional portions of Hopewell Township were annexed in 1915, and the borough was reincorporated in 1924.
Hopewell was the town nearest to the estate owned by Charles Lindbergh
and Anne Morrow Lindbergh
in East Amwell Township
. Their firstborn son, Charles Augustus Lindbergh III, was abducted from their home and later found dead near the town. See Lindbergh kidnapping
for more information about the incident involving the Lindbergh child.
Hopewell Township, the much larger municipality which surrounds Hopewell Borough, includes the land along the east side of the Delaware River
to which George Washington
and the Continental Army
crossed from Pennsylvania. Once in Hopewell Township, the army marched to Trenton
on Christmas Day, 1776. The Battle of Trenton
followed. Today, Washington Crossing State Park
commemorates this important milestone in American history.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the borough has a total area of 0.7 square miles (1.8 km²), all of it land.
Hopewell Borough is an independent municipality surrounded entirely by Hopewell Township
.
of 2000, there were 2,035 people, 813 households, and 561 families residing in the borough. The population density
was 2,963.7 people per square mile (1,138.7/km2). There were 836 housing units at an average density of 1,217.5 per square mile (467.8/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 95.43% White, 1.08% African American, 0.49% Native American, 0.98% Asian, 1.23% from other races
, and 0.79% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.31% of the population.
There were 813 households out of which 36.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.0% were married couples
living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.9% were non-families. 25.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.01.
In the borough the population was spread out with 26.1% under the age of 18, 4.7% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 27.9% from 45 to 64, and 10.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 94.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.3 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $77,270, and the median income for a family was $91,205. Males had a median income of $52,656 versus $47,315 for females. The per capita income
for the borough was $38,413. None of the families and 2.1% of the population were living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and 5.2% of those over 64.
form of New Jersey municipal government. The government consists of a Mayor and a Borough Council comprising six council members, with all positions elected at large. A Mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. The Borough Council consists of six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year. All legislative powers of the Borough of Hopewell are exercised by the Borough Council. These powers can take the form of a resolution, ordinance or proclamation.
, Paul Anzano is the Mayor
of Hopewell (term expires December 31, 2011). Members of the Borough Council are Council President David Knights (2012), Deb Horowitz (2012), Sean Jackson (2013), Robert Lewis (2011), David Mackie (2013) and C. Schuyler Morehouse (2011).
Hopewell is in the
, a comprehensive regional public school district
serving nearly 4,000 students from Hopewell Borough (371 students), Hopewell Township
(2,998 students), and Pennington Borough
(497 students). Elementary school students from Hopewell Borough attend Hopewell Elementary School.
Schools in the district (with 2005-06 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics
) include four Elementary Schools (K-5) — Bear Tavern Elementary School with 532 students, Hopewell Elementary School with 522 students, Stony Brook Elementary School with 522 students, Toll Gate Grammar School with 310 students — Timberlane Middle School with 952 students in grades 6 -8, and Hopewell Valley Central High School, which has an enrollment of 1,152 students in grades 9 - 12.
a Royal British
governor of West Jersey
, in the latter half of the 17th century. All land in Hopewell can be traced back to this purchase. In 1691 Coxe transferred his land to a company called The West Jersey Society of England, who intended to sell the land. The society appointed an agent, Thomas Revell, to preside over the land and sell it to perspective buyers. Revell then attracted settlers from New England
, Long Island
, and New Jersey with questionable incentives, saying that the land was fertile, and tame. However, the families that arrived in Hopewell only found vast stretches of wilderness. The first settler in Hopewell Valley was Thomas Tindall who on November 10, 1699 bought a 300 acres (1.2 km²) tract of land from The West Jersey Society of England through Revell, for "ten pounds per hundred acres". Other early settlers in Hopewell are said to be the Stouts, who immigrated from Holmdel to Hopewell in 1706. Perhaps the first conflict between colonists in Hopewell was the dispute between Revell and the early inhabitants of Hopewell, who realized that their deeds were worthless due to Revell’s false claims. Fifty settlers then organized a class action
law suit against Revell and the West Jersey Society. The long and arduous trial took place in Burlington , and eventually ruled against the settlers, who were forced to repurchase their land or relocate. Many settlers weren’t able to repay and moved north into North Jersey
and New York
.
On April 23, 1715, the settlers who stayed in Hopewell, most notably the Stout family, organized the Old School Baptist Church, and what is now known as Hopewell was then referred to as "Baptist Meetinghouse". One of the most valued members of the meeting house was Declaration of Independence signer John Hart who in 1740 purchased 193 acre (0.78104398 km²) of land in the north of current day Hopewell, and in 1747 as a sign of Hart’s devotion to the Church, donated a plot of his land to the Baptists. The very next year the Baptists made good use of this land and in 1748 erected their Old School Baptist Church meeting house
on West Broad Street. The meeting house
brought in Baptists from miles around to Hopewell and encouraged Hopewell's early growth.
Numerous lumber mills were established in and around Hopewell at this time to process the lumber
that was generated from the clearing of forests for farms. In 1755, Isaac Eaton the first pastor of the Old School Baptist Church established his own school in Hopewell and later relocated his school to Rhode Island
where it eventually became Brown University
.
, which was backed by the Pennsylvania Railroad
. It was created largely to protect the monopoly the Pennsylvania Railroad had on New Jersey, by cutting off the first separately owned railroad in New Jersey, the Delaware and Bound Brook Railroad, by being built in the way of it. It was completed in 1874. The Delaware and Bound Brook reached Hopewell in 1876, but the railroad had to cross the Mercer and Somerset's track just to the northwest of Hopewell. A dispute occurred at the crossing, known as a frog, and escalated into each company parking locomotives over the crossing to prevent the other company from moving trains over it. Eventually militia had to be called in to keep the peace, and the Delaware and Bound Brook prevailed. Soon after the Frog War the Mercer and Somerset was liquidated having failed at its purpose. Some of the abandoned right of way for the Mercer and Somerset in Hopewell became Model Avenue. The Delaware and Bound Brook was leased by the Philadelphia and Reading
in 1879 for 999 years, and has become the CSX
Trenton Line and is still in use today. The Frog is also what gives Hopewell Elementary school it mascot, "Freddy the Frog" in honor of the Hopewell frog war.
Enters Hopewell from due west having come from Lambertville
and then turns slightly northward, joining West Broad Street. Route 518 then runs through Hopewell and exits Hopewell in the East and heads towards Rocky Hill
. Pennington Hopewell Road enters Hopewell from roughly the southwest, and immediately becomes West Broad street when it enters Hopewell. It connects Hopewell with Pennington
to the south. Princeton Avenue, Route 569
starts at Broad Street and continues south and becomes Hopewell Princeton Road, and connects Hopewell with Princeton
. Greenwood Avenue runs north out of Hopewell and connects Hopewell with Amwell
has been planning to restore passenger commuter rail service to Hopewell for several years. New Jersey Transit plans to use the existing one track right of way that CSX
owns through Hopewell, the former four-track Reading Company
Trenton Line. The proposed plan includes double tracking most of the CSX line to increase capacity and construction of a new rail station on Somerset Street. The use of the historic Hopewell Station
is not under consideration in this current proposal. The line would connect Hopewell with New York City
, as well as Philadelphia via a SEPTA connection in West Trenton
and restore service to Hopewell, which ended in 1982.
Borough (New Jersey)
A borough in the context of New Jersey local government refers to one of five types and one of eleven forms of municipal government....
in Mercer County
Mercer County, New Jersey
As of the census of 2000, there were 350,761 people, 125,807 households, and 86,303 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,552 people per square mile . There were 133,280 housing units at an average density of 590 per square mile...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. As of the United States 2010 Census, the borough population was 1,922.
Hopewell was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature
New Jersey Legislature
The New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and the Senate...
on April 14, 1891, from portions of Hopewell Township
Hopewell Township, Mercer County, New Jersey
As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 17,304. The racial makeup of the township was 86.7% White, 2.1% African American, 0.1% Native American, 8.9% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.5% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races...
, based on the results of a referendum held on March 21, 1891. Additional portions of Hopewell Township were annexed in 1915, and the borough was reincorporated in 1924.
Hopewell was the town nearest to the estate owned by Charles Lindbergh
Charles Lindbergh
Charles Augustus Lindbergh was an American aviator, author, inventor, explorer, and social activist.Lindbergh, a 25-year-old U.S...
and Anne Morrow Lindbergh
Anne Morrow Lindbergh
Anne Morrow Lindbergh was an American author, aviator, and the spouse of fellow aviator Charles Lindbergh.She was an acclaimed author whose books and articles spanned the genres of poetry to non-fiction, touching upon topics as diverse as youth and age; love and marriage; peace, solitude and...
in East Amwell Township
East Amwell Township, New Jersey
-History:During the American Revolutionary War, a small but important skirmish occurred in East Amwell when local militia under Capt. John Schenck ambushed a party of British dragoons near Larison's Corner...
. Their firstborn son, Charles Augustus Lindbergh III, was abducted from their home and later found dead near the town. See Lindbergh kidnapping
Lindbergh kidnapping
The kidnapping of Charles Augustus Lindbergh, Jr., was the abduction of the son of aviator Charles Lindbergh and Anne Morrow Lindbergh. The toddler, 18 months old at the time, was abducted from his family home in East Amwell, New Jersey, near the town of Hopewell, New Jersey, on the evening of...
for more information about the incident involving the Lindbergh child.
Hopewell Township, the much larger municipality which surrounds Hopewell Borough, includes the land along the east side of the Delaware River
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.A Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson in 1609 first mapped the river. The river was christened the South River in the New Netherland colony that followed, in contrast to the North River, as the Hudson River was then...
to which George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
and the Continental Army
Continental Army
The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
crossed from Pennsylvania. Once in Hopewell Township, the army marched to Trenton
Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton is the capital of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Trenton had a population of 84,913...
on Christmas Day, 1776. The Battle of Trenton
Battle of Trenton
The Battle of Trenton took place on December 26, 1776, during the American Revolutionary War, after General George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River north of Trenton, New Jersey. The hazardous crossing in adverse weather made it possible for Washington to lead the main body of the...
followed. Today, Washington Crossing State Park
Washington Crossing State Park
Washington Crossing State Park is a state park in the U.S. state of New Jersey that is part of Washington's Crossing, a U.S. National Historic Landmark area. It is located in the Titusville section of Hopewell Township in Mercer County, north of Trenton along the Delaware River...
commemorates this important milestone in American history.
Geography
Hopewell is located at 40.389005°N 74.764010°W (40.389005, -74.764010).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the borough has a total area of 0.7 square miles (1.8 km²), all of it land.
Hopewell Borough is an independent municipality surrounded entirely by Hopewell Township
Hopewell Township, Mercer County, New Jersey
As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 17,304. The racial makeup of the township was 86.7% White, 2.1% African American, 0.1% Native American, 8.9% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.5% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races...
.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 2,035 people, 813 households, and 561 families residing in the borough. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 2,963.7 people per square mile (1,138.7/km2). There were 836 housing units at an average density of 1,217.5 per square mile (467.8/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 95.43% White, 1.08% African American, 0.49% Native American, 0.98% Asian, 1.23% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.79% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.31% of the population.
There were 813 households out of which 36.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.0% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.9% were non-families. 25.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.01.
In the borough the population was spread out with 26.1% under the age of 18, 4.7% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 27.9% from 45 to 64, and 10.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 94.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.3 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $77,270, and the median income for a family was $91,205. Males had a median income of $52,656 versus $47,315 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the borough was $38,413. None of the families and 2.1% of the population were living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and 5.2% of those over 64.
Local government
Hopewell is governed under the BoroughBorough (New Jersey)
A borough in the context of New Jersey local government refers to one of five types and one of eleven forms of municipal government....
form of New Jersey municipal government. The government consists of a Mayor and a Borough Council comprising six council members, with all positions elected at large. A Mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. The Borough Council consists of six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year. All legislative powers of the Borough of Hopewell are exercised by the Borough Council. These powers can take the form of a resolution, ordinance or proclamation.
, Paul Anzano is the Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Hopewell (term expires December 31, 2011). Members of the Borough Council are Council President David Knights (2012), Deb Horowitz (2012), Sean Jackson (2013), Robert Lewis (2011), David Mackie (2013) and C. Schuyler Morehouse (2011).
Federal, state and county representation
Hopewell is in the 12th Congressional district.Hopewell is in the
Education
Public school students in kindergarten through twelfth grade attend the Hopewell Valley Regional School DistrictHopewell Valley Regional School District
The Hopewell Valley Regional School District is a comprehensive regional public school district serving students in preschool through twelfth grade from three communities in Mercer County, New Jersey...
, a comprehensive regional public school district
School district
School districts are a form of special-purpose district which serves to operate the local public primary and secondary schools.-United States:...
serving nearly 4,000 students from Hopewell Borough (371 students), Hopewell Township
Hopewell Township, Mercer County, New Jersey
As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 17,304. The racial makeup of the township was 86.7% White, 2.1% African American, 0.1% Native American, 8.9% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.5% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races...
(2,998 students), and Pennington Borough
Pennington, New Jersey
Pennington is a Borough in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 2,585.Pennington was established as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on January 31, 1890, from portions of Hopewell Township, based on the results of...
(497 students). Elementary school students from Hopewell Borough attend Hopewell Elementary School.
Schools in the district (with 2005-06 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics
National Center for Education Statistics
The National Center for Education Statistics is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance information in the United States...
) include four Elementary Schools (K-5) — Bear Tavern Elementary School with 532 students, Hopewell Elementary School with 522 students, Stony Brook Elementary School with 522 students, Toll Gate Grammar School with 310 students — Timberlane Middle School with 952 students in grades 6 -8, and Hopewell Valley Central High School, which has an enrollment of 1,152 students in grades 9 - 12.
British Colonial
The first Colonial influence in Hopewell was the purchase of a 30000 acres (121.4 km²) tract of land by Daniel CoxeDaniel Coxe
Dr. Daniel Coxe was a governor of West Jersey from 1687-1688 and 1689-1692.-Biography:The Coxe family traced their lineage to a Daniel Coxe who lived in Somersetshire, England in the 13th century and obtained a doctor of medicine degree from Salerno University. Daniel Coxe's father was also called...
a Royal British
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
governor of West Jersey
West Jersey
West Jersey and East Jersey were two distinct parts of the Province of New Jersey. The political division existed for 28 years, between 1674 and 1702...
, in the latter half of the 17th century. All land in Hopewell can be traced back to this purchase. In 1691 Coxe transferred his land to a company called The West Jersey Society of England, who intended to sell the land. The society appointed an agent, Thomas Revell, to preside over the land and sell it to perspective buyers. Revell then attracted settlers from New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
, Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
, and New Jersey with questionable incentives, saying that the land was fertile, and tame. However, the families that arrived in Hopewell only found vast stretches of wilderness. The first settler in Hopewell Valley was Thomas Tindall who on November 10, 1699 bought a 300 acres (1.2 km²) tract of land from The West Jersey Society of England through Revell, for "ten pounds per hundred acres". Other early settlers in Hopewell are said to be the Stouts, who immigrated from Holmdel to Hopewell in 1706. Perhaps the first conflict between colonists in Hopewell was the dispute between Revell and the early inhabitants of Hopewell, who realized that their deeds were worthless due to Revell’s false claims. Fifty settlers then organized a class action
Class action
In law, a class action, a class suit, or a representative action is a form of lawsuit in which a large group of people collectively bring a claim to court and/or in which a class of defendants is being sued...
law suit against Revell and the West Jersey Society. The long and arduous trial took place in Burlington , and eventually ruled against the settlers, who were forced to repurchase their land or relocate. Many settlers weren’t able to repay and moved north into North Jersey
North Jersey
North Jersey is a colloquial term, with no precise consensus definition, for the northern portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey. A straightforward, noncolloquial term for the region is northern New Jersey.- Two-portion approaches :...
and New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
On April 23, 1715, the settlers who stayed in Hopewell, most notably the Stout family, organized the Old School Baptist Church, and what is now known as Hopewell was then referred to as "Baptist Meetinghouse". One of the most valued members of the meeting house was Declaration of Independence signer John Hart who in 1740 purchased 193 acre (0.78104398 km²) of land in the north of current day Hopewell, and in 1747 as a sign of Hart’s devotion to the Church, donated a plot of his land to the Baptists. The very next year the Baptists made good use of this land and in 1748 erected their Old School Baptist Church meeting house
Meeting house
A meeting house describes a building where a public meeting takes place. This includes secular buildings which function like a town or city hall, and buildings used for religious meetings, particularly of some non-conformist Christian denominations....
on West Broad Street. The meeting house
Meeting house
A meeting house describes a building where a public meeting takes place. This includes secular buildings which function like a town or city hall, and buildings used for religious meetings, particularly of some non-conformist Christian denominations....
brought in Baptists from miles around to Hopewell and encouraged Hopewell's early growth.
Numerous lumber mills were established in and around Hopewell at this time to process the lumber
Lumber
Lumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....
that was generated from the clearing of forests for farms. In 1755, Isaac Eaton the first pastor of the Old School Baptist Church established his own school in Hopewell and later relocated his school to Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
where it eventually became Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
.
Frog war
The first railroad to reach Hopewell was the Mercer and Somerset RailwayMercer and Somerset Railway
The Mercer and Somerset Railway was a short-lived line of the Pennsylvania Railroad in western New Jersey, built to delay completion of the Delaware and Bound Brook Railroad, part of the National Railway line from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to New York City.The railroad ran from Somerset Junction...
, which was backed by the Pennsylvania Railroad
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
. It was created largely to protect the monopoly the Pennsylvania Railroad had on New Jersey, by cutting off the first separately owned railroad in New Jersey, the Delaware and Bound Brook Railroad, by being built in the way of it. It was completed in 1874. The Delaware and Bound Brook reached Hopewell in 1876, but the railroad had to cross the Mercer and Somerset's track just to the northwest of Hopewell. A dispute occurred at the crossing, known as a frog, and escalated into each company parking locomotives over the crossing to prevent the other company from moving trains over it. Eventually militia had to be called in to keep the peace, and the Delaware and Bound Brook prevailed. Soon after the Frog War the Mercer and Somerset was liquidated having failed at its purpose. Some of the abandoned right of way for the Mercer and Somerset in Hopewell became Model Avenue. The Delaware and Bound Brook was leased by the Philadelphia and Reading
Reading Company
The Reading Company , usually called the Reading Railroad, officially the Philadelphia and Reading Rail Road and then the Philadelphia and Reading Railway until 1924, operated in southeast Pennsylvania and neighboring states...
in 1879 for 999 years, and has become the CSX
CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation operates a Class I railroad in the United States known as the CSX Railroad. It is the main subsidiary of the CSX Corporation. The company is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, and owns approximately 21,000 route miles...
Trenton Line and is still in use today. The Frog is also what gives Hopewell Elementary school it mascot, "Freddy the Frog" in honor of the Hopewell frog war.
Roads
Hopewell has four major roads that travel through it. Route 518County Route 518 (New Jersey)
County Route 518 is a county highway in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The highway extends from Route 165 in Lambertville to Lincoln Highway in Franklin Township...
Enters Hopewell from due west having come from Lambertville
Lambertville, New Jersey
Lambertville is a city in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 3,906.Lambertville was originally incorporated as a town by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 1, 1849, from portions of West Amwell Township...
and then turns slightly northward, joining West Broad Street. Route 518 then runs through Hopewell and exits Hopewell in the East and heads towards Rocky Hill
Rocky Hill, New Jersey
Rocky Hill is a Borough in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States, named for the Rocky Hill Ridge. It was earlier known as the Devil's Featherbed because it was difficult to travel the rocky terrain by horse and wagon...
. Pennington Hopewell Road enters Hopewell from roughly the southwest, and immediately becomes West Broad street when it enters Hopewell. It connects Hopewell with Pennington
Pennington, New Jersey
Pennington is a Borough in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 2,585.Pennington was established as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on January 31, 1890, from portions of Hopewell Township, based on the results of...
to the south. Princeton Avenue, Route 569
County Route 569 (New Jersey)
County Route 569, abbreviated CR 569, is a county highway in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The highway extends from Quakerbridge Road in Lawrence Township to Broad Street in Hopewell Borough.-Route description:...
starts at Broad Street and continues south and becomes Hopewell Princeton Road, and connects Hopewell with Princeton
Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...
. Greenwood Avenue runs north out of Hopewell and connects Hopewell with Amwell
Amwell Township, New Jersey
Amwell Township was a Township that existed in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, United States, from 1708 to 1846.The Township was established by a royal patent on June 8, 1708, from Queen Anne, the first sovereign of the combined kingdom of Great Britain, while the area was part of West Jersey...
Rail
New Jersey TransitNew Jersey Transit
The New Jersey Transit Corporation is a statewide public transportation system serving the United States state of New Jersey, and New York, Orange, and Rockland counties in New York State...
has been planning to restore passenger commuter rail service to Hopewell for several years. New Jersey Transit plans to use the existing one track right of way that CSX
CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation operates a Class I railroad in the United States known as the CSX Railroad. It is the main subsidiary of the CSX Corporation. The company is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, and owns approximately 21,000 route miles...
owns through Hopewell, the former four-track Reading Company
Reading Company
The Reading Company , usually called the Reading Railroad, officially the Philadelphia and Reading Rail Road and then the Philadelphia and Reading Railway until 1924, operated in southeast Pennsylvania and neighboring states...
Trenton Line. The proposed plan includes double tracking most of the CSX line to increase capacity and construction of a new rail station on Somerset Street. The use of the historic Hopewell Station
Hopewell Station
Hopewell Station, is located in Hopewell, New Jersey. The station was built in 1876 by the Delaware and Bound Brook Railroad and added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 22, 1984...
is not under consideration in this current proposal. The line would connect Hopewell with New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, as well as Philadelphia via a SEPTA connection in West Trenton
West Trenton (SEPTA station)
West Trenton is the northern terminus of the SEPTA West Trenton Line. It is officially located at Grand & Railroad Avenues in Ewing, New Jersey, however this address only applies to the southbound station house on the west side of the tracks...
and restore service to Hopewell, which ended in 1982.
Notable residents
Notable current and former residents of Hopewell include:- Danielia CottonDanielia CottonDanielia Cotton is an American rock singer, songwriter and guitarist from Hopewell, New Jersey. Danielia comes from a musical family. She is the daughter of jazz vocalist, Wenonah Brooks and the niece of jazz vocalists Jeannie Brooks and Carol Brooks-Meyners...
, singer-songwriter. - John Hart (c. 1711-1779), signer of the United States Declaration of IndependenceUnited States Declaration of IndependenceThe Declaration of Independence was a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen American colonies then at war with Great Britain regarded themselves as independent states, and no longer a part of the British Empire. John Adams put forth a...
. His grave is located in the First Baptist Church graveyard on Broad Street. - Leo Halpin MahonyLeo Halpin MahonyLeo Halpin Mahony, AIA, , was an American architect who practiced in the mid to late-twentieth-century Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, under his own name as Leo H. Mahony Leo Halpin Mahony, AIA, (born November 5, 1931), was an American architect who practiced in the mid to...
(born 1931), architect of Mahony & ZvosecMahony & ZvosecMahony & Zvosec, Architects & Planners was an American architectural practice based in Princeton, New Jersey, active in the mid to late-twentieth-century Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. It was established in 1967 by Leo Halpin Mahony, AIA , who had previously practiced under...
. - James W. MarshallJames W. MarshallJames Wilson Marshall was an American carpenter and sawmill operator, whose discovery of gold in the American River in California on January 24, 1848 set the stage for the California Gold Rush. The mill property was owned by Johan Sutter who employed Marshall to build his mill...
(1810–85), sawmillSawmillA sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
operator, whose 1848 discovery of goldGoldGold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
in the American RiverAmerican RiverThe American River is a California watercourse noted as the site of Sutter's Mill, northwest of Placerville, California, where gold was found in 1848, leading to the California Gold Rush...
in CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
set the stage for the California Gold RushCalifornia Gold RushThe California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
. - Richard PrestonRichard PrestonRichard Preston, born August 5, 1954 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S., is a New Yorker writer and bestselling author perhaps best-known for his books about infectious disease epidemics and bioterrorism, although he has written other non-fiction works...
(born 1954), author of The Hot ZoneThe Hot ZoneThe Hot Zone is a best-selling 1994 non-fiction bio-thriller by Richard Preston about the origins and incidents involving viral hemorrhagic fevers, particularly ebolaviruses and marburgviruses...
. - Keith Robertson (1914–91), author of children's literatureChildren's literatureChildren's literature is for readers and listeners up to about age twelve; it is often defined in four different ways: books written by children, books written for children, books chosen by children, or books chosen for children. It is often illustrated. The term is used in senses which sometimes...
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External links
- Hopewell Borough web site
- Hopewell Valley School District
- Data for the Hopewell Valley Regional School District, National Center for Education StatisticsNational Center for Education StatisticsThe National Center for Education Statistics is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance information in the United States...
- Photos from Around Hopewell