Swimming at the Crossing ca.1910 from the collection of Bob & Carol Meszaros
Summertime in Hopewell Valley
While many of us escape to places far away to enjoy the summer, many local residents in the past spent those hot months right here at home. Read on to learn about these places and look at some of the photos we have collected along the way.
Of course there’s the Delaware River with its refreshing water and easy access. What had been an important place for commerce in the early years of our community’s growth, the river would take on a new meaning as a place of recreation and relaxation in the 20th century. With the building of camps along the river bank and the opening of Washington Crossing State Park, many looked no further for their summer escape.
Also in the early and mid 20th century a few enterprising local residents created wonderful places to swim and relax in beautiful natural settings around Hopewell Valley. The Quarry Swim Club remains today just outside Hopewell and to the south, on Rt.31, was Hiohelo Sportland. All that remains now is the lake and the old changing house.
In his article "Victorian Summer Fun", Jack Davis combed our old issues of the Hopewell Herald for any mention of summer activities in the Valley’s past. His story finds our Victorian ancestors enjoying 4th of July parades and fireworks, Harvast Home celebrations and railroad excursions "down the shore."
It's not all play though. In his article "Knee High by the Fourth of July", David Blackwell reveals the hard work endured by our farming forefathers and a look into the 1875 diary of Oliver Titus of Harbourton.
The research has come from many sources including Newspaper Archives.com who has digitized the original Hopewell Herald newspapers from our collection. Also some of the information about the Quarry Swim Club came from oral history sources including Jean Mahan Koeppel.
Additional sources of images came from Bob & Carol Meszaros and Jim and Nancy Gypton, owners of the Quarry Swim Club. We thank them for their help.
Jack Koeppel
June 2008
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The following story appeared in our Summer 2007 newsletter
Summertime at the Quarry
In an age when new developments are named for the very thing they have replaced or destroyed (i.e. Oak Ridge, Pine Valley) one could be skeptical of a name like the Quarry Swim Club. But for many that name evokes very fond memories of summers long ago. Of lazy days with nothing to do but be outside and to be swimming.
On a recent warm summer afternoon I visited the Quarry Swim Club on Crusher Road and a flood of those memories filled my thoughts. Since the Quarry is one of the Valley’s long time institutions, I’m sure that these same cherished memories are in the hearts of many who spent time growing up here. It’s so wonderful to see that this tradition has continued under the guidance of current owners, Jim and Nancy Gypton. The Gyptons have toiled and reshaped the place with great love and devotion for the last 19 years.
Quarry Gals ca.1945 from the collection of Jim & Nancy Gypton
I will try to shed a little light on its history here but it will be by no means complete. My earliest memories came from listening to my mother who learned to swim there under the guidance of my grandfather in 1930. It’s said that at some early time in the 20th century a thriving quarry operation did take place here and during its normal course of operations a natural spring was struck and the whole pit filled with water. The mining operation quickly ceased and the place was boarded up and in the minds of its owners abandoned.
Invariably when those hot hazy days of summer hit we humans are drawn to water. On those days when school is out and kids have time and adventure on their minds no fence or wall or sign can keep them away from a great swimming hole. As word spread, locals began to climb over and around the rickety fence that surrounded the place. The local kids would walk, bicycle and hitch-hike to this beautiful spot to cool off and enjoy the water. A 1932 article in the Trenton Times reports of a spectacular fall from high off the rock face there by a young man from Trenton.
Ultimately the property owners hired Frank Zavikowski, a local teacher, to guard the place by keeping the swimmers safe. Not to keep people away as one might think. Later on my grandfather paid a small fee, as many local families must have, to help offset the cost of Frank’s wages. Folks would come from far and wide to the best swim’n hole for miles around.
The daring boys would climb a narrow path that wound along the cliff face to dive off Indian Head Rock, perched high above the water. The debris of the mining operation was still strewn about and it’s said that the kids could dive down and sit on the edge of the little rail carts submerged below the surface of the water.
Quarry Swimming ca. 1930
From the collection of Jim & Nancy Gypton
As time passed and things began to evolve, a young man came on the scene who would really organize the swimming operation. It would be not only a place to cool off, but also a place where many people, young and old, could learn how to swim safely. Dezzie Casey took over in 1941 and worked hard to make it into the place that many of us grew up to know.
Newspaper articles from 1946, 1949 and 1951 reported that the Quarry Swim Club, along with the American Red Cross, held spectacular Water Carnivals every summer. Dezzie claimed that the ability to swim was not only for recreation, but also for one’s personal safety in case of flooding. Even today more people die each year from flooding than from hurricanes, tornados and other natural disasters. In addition to the fantastic diving competitions off the cliffs that drew huge crowds, demonstrations on water safety and boating were given. Dezzie even taught a swimming class to elderly woman who had never before learned how to swim.
Quarry from the Cliff Above ca.1941 - This view looking down from the cliff shows the newly
opened pool in the background. From the collection of Jim & Nancy Gypton
As a young boy growing up I remember fondly many a summer day spent in this beautiful spot along with my mother and neighborhood friends. As a teen we would flock there on hot summer days with our girlfriends to enjoy a cheap afternoon, daring each other to dive off the highest of the high boards that jutted out into the water. (Oddly the boards didn’t seem so high on the day of this visit.) When I looked for just the right place to take my kids on those hot summer days in the late 1980’s, the Quarry still seemed like the best place to go.
I was delighted to meet and speak with the Gyptons and to see that the tradition remains. The tall trees still shade the water. The natural setting remains just that and the quiet tranquil swimming hole remains today just as it has for four generations of my family. Some things do remain the same here in Hopewell Valley.
If any of our readers have memories of their own about the Quarry, please feel free to write them down and send them in. jlkoeppel@comcast.net or HVHS, PO Box 371, Pennington, NJ 08534
Jack Koeppel
Summer 2007
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Dezzie Casey, shown here with his paddle board, promoted the Red
Cross water safety program at the Quarry Swim Club.
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The following story appeared in our Summer 2007 newsletter
Victorian Summer Fun
What did people do for fun during the hottest days of summer in the 1880's and 1890's? A review of the July and August issues of the Hopewell Herald during those years provides some insight into the typical summer celebrations, recreational events, and travels of that era.
As they do today, Fourth of July celebrations featured fireworks and music, and a generally patriotic atmosphere. In 1893, we find reports of the festivities from several communities. The correspondent from Mount Rose reported that "the evening of the 4th was celebrated in good old fashion style by the rising generation. There were no lack of explosives, music and drumming. One boy gave vent to his enthusiasm by touching off a big brush heap which he had accumulated for the 4th, the display of which was sufficient to arouse the jealousy of all the other boys for miles around". Titusville's news item indicates that "some people observed the 4th by putting their flags out, and others by getting their kites out". Hopewell evidently had an off year, reporting "Fourth of July passed off very quietly in this place. Many of our citizens attended celebrations in other towns."
Independence Day Parade
Pennington, N.J. ca.1900
George H. Frisbie Collection
Hopewell Valley Historical Society
That year, Pennington had a large celebration on the Fourth. The town's correspondent reported on a picnic put on by "American Mechanics" and held in Philip Sked's orchard. "Winkler's band" of Trenton provided afternoon and evening entertainment. Speeches were given, and there was the ceremonial presentation of a flag to the Federal City school. Among the "many attractions" was a contest to guess the number of beans and corn kernels in a jar. First prize was a "handsome lamp ", and second prize was a five day ticket to the "World's Fair" (the Columbian Exposition in Chicago).
Harvest Home celebrations were picnics that were generally held in August after the farmers completed the hard work of harvesting the hay, oats, and wheat. These events were fund raisers, and were often held by churches but picnics were also held by other community organizations such as fire companies, and "Odd Fellows" lodges. Popular refreshments were lemonade, cake, and ice cream. Entertainment included speeches by local politicians and music performed by local bands. Sometimes dancing was also offered.
The most popular summer sporting event was the baseball game. By 1882, the second year for which the Hopewell Herald is available, we learn that "Pennington either boasts of, or is ashamed of, five base ball clubs". Hopewell, in 1883, boasts that its "Influence Baseball club" beat the team from Plainville (Belle Mead). In later issues, especially in the 1890’s, many games are reported in detail, including box scores. Cycling was also popular, as shown by sporadic reports of individuals and teams passing through town. Also reported in the Herald are horse races at Glen Moore and the meeting of a tennis club in Hopewell.
The Gentlemen ca.1900 George H. Frisbie Collection / Hopewell Valley Historical Society
Summer was referred to as "The Outing Season". A tame outing might be a day boating or fishing with friends on Stony Brook or even the Delaware River, or a trip to pick berries in a local field. More adventurous souls went camping and fishing in remote areas, such as the Delaware Water Gap and the Poconos, perhaps returning with tales of large fish they had caught - and eaten. The local advent of the railroad in the 1870's had made a new type of outing possible - the railroad excursion.
Railroad excursions were day trips that provided group rates. During the 1880's and 1890's, the Hopewell Presbyterian Sunday School sponsored an annual excursion to "Neshaminy Falls Park", an amusement park in Bucks County. The park, which owed its existence to the railroad, had opened in 1876, and boasted swings, boats for hire, balloon ascensions, and an affordable family dinner, among many other attractions. In 1881, the "Odd Fellows" lodge sponsored an outing to Coney Island, which undoubtedly had attractions too numerous to mention here. And in 1883 the Hopewell Presbyterians offered an outing to Fairmount Park in Philadelphia.
Down the Shore ca.1900 George H. Collection / Hopewell Valley Historical Society
The railroad made the Jersey Shore available for day trips from this area. In 1882, Trinity Methodist Church of Trenton advertised its sixth annual "Grand Excursion" to the seashore, inviting Hopewell and Pennington residents to participate. Two train cars would be left overnight in Pennington and Hopewell for loading. Trenton residents would embark at 7:00 a.m, and their train would link up with the cars from Pennington and Hopewell, taking the "Bound Brook" route to the shore line. At the end of the day, the train would depart from Ocean Beach (Belmar) at 6:00 p.m., Ocean Grove at 6:10 p.m, and Long Branch at 6:20 p.m. Bathing suit rentals were available! At the end of a long day of sun and fun, many of the passengers undoubtedly enjoyed a nap on their homeward railway journey.
Jack Davis
Summer 2007
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The following story appeared in our Summer 2007 newsletter
Knee High by the Fourth of July
The American farmers of the 1700’s and 1800’s needed many different crops to earn an income, as well as feed their families, their cattle, and their horses. From the beginning farmers were therefore diversified. Wheat was the main cash crop, sometimes replaced by rye, which tolerated worse growing conditions. Corn was a staple for feeding cattle and hogs, and humans and horses when necessary. Still, horses needed good hay and oats to provide the strength to pull plows and later all the labor-saving planting, cultivating, harvesting and threshing machines that came after 1850. Buckwheat was grown for the family. Potatoes were worked as a field crop for the family, and the housewife kept an extensive vegetable garden, chickens and geese.
We don’t always realize that the family farm was simultaneously a place of business and the source of most foodstuffs and many other products which sustained the family. While most of the wheat was sold for profit, a portion was retained, and the barn thrashing floor was where it was processed year round as needed. Hector St. John de Crevecouer, writing from his farm in New York in the 1790’s, made the point that it was the hard work of the spring and summer that carried the family through the winter, and the two modes of living were different. The first period was all work and preparation, of equal importance in the field and the garden, and the second was a time of survival and dependency - on the success of the previous efforts. Ensuring that the corn was planted early enough to be “knee high” on schedule, and that the maximum hay was made while the sun shone, were necessary for a successful winter.
Hay Wagon, Hopewell Township ca.1900 from the collection of Bob & Carol Meszaros
Oliver Titus
The months of June, July, and August - Summertime in Hopewell Valley - were particularly busy. Oliver Titus of Hopewell Township was an unmarried man just 22, as he maintained his diary in 1875, yet he was already working as an independent farmer, probably on rented land. As the month of June opened, his oats, corn and potatoes had been planted, and he was hoeing and cultivating around his corn to keep the weeds from overwhelming the plants. This work continued for the entire month. Throughout the month he took time to whitewash inside his buildings – probably in the cow barn – a good rainy day job.
June wasn't without relief, however. On the 10th he went to the Strawberry Festival at the Methodist Church in Pennington, and on June 17th and 1st of July, he attended the same events in Titusville and Hopewell. There was also a modicum of visiting, typical throughout the year. On Saturday night, Oliver usually set out for the homes of relatives near Hopewell, Titusville, or Harbourton. He would stay overnight and attend the local church in the morning. This no doubt provided maximum exposure to young ladies. He writes:
“went away in afternoon to uncle A. H. Drake. Took Mary Hill (a cousin) with me to stay all night. Also Geo. Woolsey and Etta Hunt.” (Saturday, June 7, 1875)
“went to Titusville Church. At uncle A. H. Drake in the afternoon. Took Mollie home in Evening. (Sunday, June 8, 1875)
George Woolsey and Oliver Titus, c1875
These two close friends married sisters who lived near
Harbourton. Titus rented a farm near Harbourton
after the marriage and his name appears in the
Harbourton Store account books, as well as that of
his father in law, Alpheus Phillips.
From the collection of David Blackwell
In early July Oliver finished cultivating his corn, cut his rye and wheat, and made a cutting of hay. Each of these tasks required dry weather long enough to get them into stacks in the field. He finished stacking his wheat on July 17. On Sunday the 18th, he went to Hopewell to visit his uncle Joseph Phillips then went on to Blawenburg Church in the afternoon. On Monday he drew all his stacked wheat into the barn, brought in 10 loads of hay, and sewed a small quantity of buckwheat. On Tuesday he began the oat harvest, which lasted over a week, to the end of the month.
He began August by working in his garden for a few days, but the rains caused his oat stacks to get to wet. He spread them out to dry on the 5th, and restacked them on the 6th and 9th. On the 12th he went to the Harvest Home in Pennington in the “public school house”. While there was plenty of work on the farm for the coming months, the harvest, meaning the cutting and stacking of all the grains – wheat, rye and oats, and the winter’s hay – was complete.
In the weeks following he dug his potatoes and stored them in the cellar. He picked some peaches and sold them in Pennington. On the 19th he went to the Harvest Home in Titusville. Sunday the 22nd was a mini vacation, and illustrates how far a man and horse could get in a day. Oliver writes:
“at Farley Holcombe (Mount Airy). Went to Lambertville and up to Stockton with …… Dandy ride.…. Back to Mr. Holcombe at noon. Went over to Deer Fork (?) in afternoon and Back. Went to Ringoes and came home in Evening.” (Sunday, August 22, 1875).
Following this excursion Oliver began plowing for wheat, thus starting the grain cycle again.
David Blackwell
Summer 2007
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