Hopewell, Pennsylvania | |
|---|---|
Unincorporated community & Former Borough | |
%252C_Hopewell%252C_Chester_County%252C_PA_HABS_PA%252C15-HOPE%252C1-1.tif.jpg.webp) Hopewell Academy | |
 Approximate location in Chester County and the U.S. state of Pennsylvania | |
  Hopewell Location within the state of Pennsylvania | |
| Coordinates: 39°46′45″N 76°00′59″W / 39.77917°N 76.01639°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | Chester |
| Townships | East Nottingham & Lower Oxford |
| Incorporated as Borough | May 1853[1] |
| Unincorporated | 1914[1] |
| Elevation | 344 ft (105 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| GNIS feature ID | 1203835[2] |
Hopewell is an unincorporated community and former American borough which is located in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States.[1]
This Pennsylvania village was incorporated as a borough in May 1853. After declining in the late 1800s, it was reabsorbed into East Nottingham and Lower Oxford townships in 1914.[1]
It lies at an elevation of 344 feet (105 m) and is also the location of the Hopewell Historic District.[2][3]
History
The village of Hopewell began when Samuel Dickey III settled in the area and built Hopewell Mill.[1][4] Samuel & his brothers, David & Ebenezer (father of John Miller Dickey), founded a company called S. E. & D. Dickey around 1816. The business began by selling cotton yarn produced by the mill but later grew to include a grist mill.[1] The company also began to recruit skilled labor, such as carpentry and masonry, which drew talent and settlers to the village.[1][4]
In 1835, Samuel Dickey died and left his business to his sons. The Hopewell works continued to prosper, and the Dickey family petitioned the county government to grant Hopewell Borough status.[1]
The village of Hopewell was formed from portions of Lower Oxford and East Nottingham Townships, and was officially incorporated as a borough in May 1853.[1]
The Hopewell Academy was founded in 1834 and later expanded to become a private preparatory school in 1841. The academy offered lessons in Mathematics, Latin, Greek, botany, chemistry, and many other subjects.[1][4]
By 1860, the Hopewell Mill was the fourth most profitable mill in Chester County;[1] however, Hopewell began to decline with the start of the American Civil War in April 1861. The academy closed its doors that year, and the Dickey business, now called S.J. Dickey & Brothers, went bankrupt in 1862.[1][5] With the failure of the Dickey Company, agriculture became the main driver of the Hopewell economy.[1][5]
The borough finally received a railroad connection in 1872 with the completion of the Peach Bottom Railway,[1] but Hopewell continued to decline; the local creamery closed in 1879. The grist mill also burned down at this time, further damaging Hopewell's prospects.[1]
During the late 1800s, people began to ally themselves with the neighboring towns of Oxford and Nottingham. By 1897, thirty-five of the forty-five people eligible to vote held some borough office,[4] and Hopewell had become little more than a small cluster of buildings.[4]
Unhappy with high borough taxes and the poor state of the village's roads, residents of Hopewell began petitioning the county government to revoke the borough charter during the mid-1890s.[4][6] West Chester granted the petition in December 1913.[6]
The borough of Hopewell finally ceased to exist in 1914; its territory was returned to East Nottingham and Lower Oxford Townships.[1]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1860 | 278 | [7] | — |
| 1870 | 268 | [8] | −3.6% |
| 1880 | 216 | [9] | −19.4% |
| 1900 | 182 | [10] | — |
| 1910 | 136 | [11] | −25.3% |
Present day
Many of the buildings in the former borough, such as the Academy and Hopewell Post Office, are now contributing properties of the Hopewell Historic District.[1] It is now also home to Hanover Farms, Hopewell UMC and Boy Scouts of America Troop 8.[2][3]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Maley, Patricia A. (September 1990). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Hopewell Historic District" (PDF). Retrieved November 10, 2022.
- 1 2 3 "Hopewell, Chester County, Pennsylvania". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
- 1 2 "Hopewell".
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "A Farce Comedy in Borough Legislation". The Philadelphia Inquirer. October 31, 1897.
- 1 2 "Hopewell Historic District Historical Marker". explorepahistory.com. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
- 1 2 "Hopewell to Lose Its Charter". The Philadelphia Inquirer. December 24, 1913.
- ↑ "1860 United States Federal Census for Hopewell Borough, Chester County, Pennsylvania". Ancestry.com. July 19, 1860.
- ↑ "1870 United States Federal Census for Hopewell Borough, Chester County, Pennsylvania". Ancestry.com. July 23, 1870.
- ↑ "1880 United States Federal Census for Hopewell Borough, Chester County, Pennsylvania". Ancestry.com. June 21, 1880.
- ↑ "1900 United States Federal Census for Hopewell Borough, Chester County, Pennsylvania". Ancestry.com. June 20, 1900.
- ↑ "1910 United States Federal Census for Hopewell Borough, Chester County, Pennsylvania". Ancestry.com. May 13, 1910.
