Английская Википедия:Hopewell, Chester County, Pennsylvania

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Шаблон:Use mdy dates Шаблон:Infobox settlement 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

Файл:Breou's Farm Atlas East Nottingham Township.png
1883 Breou's Farm Map showing Hopewell Borough (top left)

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]

Файл:Hopewell House PA.jpg
A house in the Hopewell Historic District

Шаблон:US Census population

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

Шаблон:Reflist

Шаблон:Chester County, Pennsylvania Шаблон:Authority control

  1. 1,00 1,01 1,02 1,03 1,04 1,05 1,06 1,07 1,08 1,09 1,10 1,11 1,12 1,13 1,14 Шаблон:Cite web
  2. 2,0 2,1 Ошибка цитирования Неверный тег <ref>; для сносок gnis не указан текст
  3. 3,0 3,1 Шаблон:Cite web
  4. 4,0 4,1 4,2 4,3 4,4 4,5 Шаблон:Cite news
  5. 5,0 5,1 Шаблон:Cite web
  6. 6,0 6,1 Шаблон:Cite news