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A−History
History · Hopewell

Hopewell dates to 1891, and 52% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 80% of U.S. towns. What drives it

2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 1 buildings. Below: maps from 1902 on and the census since 1900.

1891founded
2on the National Register
52%homes built before 1940
4famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Hopewell began

When was Hopewell founded?

1891

Hopewell dates its founding to 1891 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). The census first counted it in 1900.

First census: 980 in 19002020 census: 1,918135 years

How historic is Hopewell?

A−

More historic than 80% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Hopewell’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Hopewell is more historic than 80% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.

A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Hopewell’s overall grade.
Founding era1891, from Wikidata: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 194052.0% of homes (±5.3) · typical NJ town 14.7% · U.S. 8.4%A+National Register2 listings, 3 historic buildings, 16.5 per 10,000 residents · typical NJ town 3.7 · U.S. 2.4B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 80%
NewerOlder

New Jersey towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical New Jersey town has 3.7 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Hopewell’s 16.5 sits above most of its state (74% of New Jersey towns have fewer) while its 3 historic buildings outnumber those of 65% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.3 points). Two sources give 1891.

Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Hopewell’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Hopewell are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Hopewell’s homes were built before 1938.Mapped building by building3 fire insurance maps, 1902 to 1927, drew every building in Hopewell.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Hopewell’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Hopewell’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Hopewell came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Hopewell.

Read it all →

The Lenape tribe of Native Americans were the original inhabitants of the area that would later become Hopewell. The first Colonial influence in Hopewell by European settlers was the purchase of a 30,000-acre (120 km2) tract of land by Daniel Coxe 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 prospective buyers. Revell then attracted settlers from New England, Long Island, and New Jersey falsely claiming 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 N…

ChaptersColonial eraFrog warThe Hopewell Herald

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Every building

Hopewell, building by building, 1902–1927

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

Hopewell fire insurance map, 1902, sheet 11902Sheet 1 of 4
Edition
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Timeline

Hopewell, 1727 to 1979

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 18th century
  2. 1727Born hereJohn Gano is born here
  3. 19th century
  4. 1891
    FoundingHopewell is established
  5. 1894Born hereStanley Kerr is born here
  6. 1896Born hereGladys Edgerly Bates is born here
  7. 20th century
  8. 1954On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  9. 1979Born herePeter Brown is born here
By decade

Hopewell, decade by decade

Today12 recent
Hopewell Borough, NJ public library, Oct. 20242024Hopewell Borough, NJ public library, Oct. 2024Hopewell Borough, NJ borough hall, Oct. 20242024Hopewell Borough, NJ borough hall, Oct. 2024Calvary Baptist Church, Hopewell, NJ, Oct. 20242024Calvary Baptist Church, Hopewell, NJ, Oct. 202410 East Broad Street, Hopewell, NJ - 2024202410 East Broad Street, Hopewell, NJ - 2024FoHVOS Trail Maps Thompson 2018 02 212018FoHVOS Trail Maps Thompson 2018 02 21Hopewell Call to Duty Marker2016Hopewell Call to Duty MarkerColonel John Van Cleve Homestead on Poor Farm Road, Hopewell Twp., New Jersey2014Colonel John Van Cleve Homestead on Poor Farm Road, H…Queen Anne - Hopewell, NJ - Webster Edgerly House ("The Castle") (1)2013Queen Anne - Hopewell, NJ - Webster Edgerly House ("T…Hopewell 2 - Flickr - USDAgov2011Hopewell 2 - Flickr - USDAgovHopewell 1 - Flickr - USDAgov2011Hopewell 1 - Flickr - USDAgovHOPEWELL, MERCER COUNTY, NEW JERSEY2007HOPEWELL, MERCER COUNTY, NEW JERSEYHOPEWELL PUBLIC LIBRARY2007HOPEWELL PUBLIC LIBRARY
On the map

Hopewell on the map, 1954 to 1970

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Hopewell. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Hopewell on the 1954 USGS mapHopewell on the 1970 USGS map1954Hopewell sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Hopewell.

On the National Register

2 historic places in Hopewell

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
3
each building in a district counts
first listed
1984
Hopewell Station
Hopewell StationThe Old School Baptist Church and Cemetery of Hopewell
BuildingsDistricts
Hopewell StationBuilding
The Old School Baptist Church and Cemetery of HopewellDistrict

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

People over time

Hopewell, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 2,271

Between 980 and 2,271 people in every census since 1900.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Hopewell’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

4 famous people were born in Hopewell

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Peter BrownAmerican illustrator · b. 1979
S
Stanley KerrAmerican academic · b. 1894
John GanoAmerican Baptist minister · b. 1727
G
Gladys Edgerly BatesAmerican sculptor · b. 1896

Questions about Hopewell’s history

What year was Hopewell founded?

In 1891, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. the census of 1900 counted 980 people here.

How does Hopewell rank for history?

Hopewell is more historic than 80% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Hopewell?

Two places: the Hopewell Station (listed 1984) and the Old School Baptist Church and Cemetery of Hopewell (2024).

How old are the homes in Hopewell?

52% of Hopewell’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.3 points), against a typical 15% for a New Jersey town; the median home was built in 1938.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (12), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.