The Hopewell Valley Historical Society has identified and is applying for a $15,000 matching grant, for the restoration of the Hart’s Corner Schoolhouse, from The 1772 Foundation. Hopewell Township at its committee meeting, last week, passed a resolution supporting the grant application of the Hopewell Valley Historical Society and agreed that it would match up to $10,000, with the understanding that the Historical Society would contribute $5,000. The building is owned by Hopewell Township with an agreement with the Hopewell Valley Historical Society to undertake the restoration project.
Hart’s Corner Schoolhouse is a one-room schoolhouse, built in 1906, located at the intersection of Scotch Road and Washington Crossing-Pennington Road, next to the current Hopewell Township Municipal Building. Now vacant, Hart’s Corner Schoolhouse served as part of the Bear Tavern School District (prior to the present day Bear Tavern Elementary School) and was the destination for students as far away as Titusville who were brought to school by horse-drawn wagon. Thirty years after its opening as a schoolhouse, the building was used as the seat of the Township’s government as the municipal building and court from 1928 to 1963.
For the proposed project, the Historical Society will work with Hopewell Township to restore and re-use the historic Hart’s Corner one-room schoolhouse. The hope is that Hart’s Corner Schoolhouse will serve as a historic site open to the public and can serve as a display area for public viewing of photographs and articles featuring the history of the building and other historic Hopewell Valley sites.
For more information about the Hopewell Valley Historical Society, please see their website at www.hopewellvalleyhistory.org.
