Local historian, Jack Koeppel, will be giving a presentation about historic Hopewell Borough as part of the Hopewell Public Library Wednesday Night Out series, on May 6th, 7:00pm at the Hopewell Train Station.
This presentation will highlight Hopewell Borough’s special 19th century character by juxtaposing the old with the new. Images from the collection of the Hopewell Valley Historical Society are matched up with current views of Hopewell. Glimpse at how the town looked back then compared to today. It may surprise you!
Today a Historic Preservation Commission protects the 19th century character of the structures, but even prior to its introduction, many of the old homes and businesses had remained relatively intact. The special legacy from the town’s past gives the Borough its charming old-time feel today.
Through years of collecting, old images have surfaced and will be presented to give the impression of strolling down the street. Starting at the intersection of Broad Street and Greenwood Avenue viewers will be shown the street scape today, and through the magic of PowerPoint the image will morph into how each structure looked in the past. Some buildings even have two versions.
See how each corner of this main borough intersection looked in years past. One corner (Dana Building) is drastically different – find out why! Fortunately many photographs were taken in the past along Broad Street and will be shown during the program. The hour-long presentation is sure to capture interest for anyone who knows the town today and wonders what it may have looked like in the past. Some of the photographs show little change, but a few buildings former selves will amaze you.
Jack Koeppel is a longtime resident of Hopewell Valley, local historian, and current Archivist for the Hopewell Valley Historical Society. The images in this presentation are from their collection. For more information, call the Hopewell Public Library 466-1625.
