New interpretive signs are popping up around Hopewell Valley courtesy of the Hopewell Valley Historical Society.
Intended to inform, educate and raise awareness among local residents and tourists, a series of large National Park Service-style signs have been placed at choice landmarks in highly visible and easily accessible locations around Hopewell Township.
The signage program has been funded by a bequest from the late Catherine Hoch and by a grant from the Mercer County Cultural and Heritage Commission.
To date, four signs have been installed:
The iconic Hart’s Corner Schoolhouse (at the intersection of Scotch Road and the Washington Crossing-Pennington Road intersection close to the Township municipal building).Woolsey Park, where the prominent Woolsey family and long-lost Mercer and Somerset Railroad are discussed.On the bend in the hamlet of Marshall’s Corner, where the Continental Army turned and headed for the momentous pitched battle at Monmouth Courthouse in the summer of 1778.The Mount Rose Distillery (adjacent to the Lawrence-Hopewell Trail), where cider and applejack were made in the 19th century.
A fifth sign will shortly appear on the property of the D&R Greenway Land Trust at the site of the former St. Michael’s Orphanage on the edge of Hopewell Borough.
Places we drive by and walk through, perhaps daily, contain reminders of some of Hopewell Valley’s most vital and important history, including sites associated with the American Revolution. These signs will help Hopewell Valley residents and visitors travel back through time and see how these areas looked and functioned in the past for a better understanding of life here in the present.
The public is invited to come to the official unveiling of these signs on Tuesday, Nov. 13, at 4 p.m. at Woolsey Park, located at 221 Washington Crossing-Pennington Road, Titusville.
