Hopewell Township passed a resolution to support the Hopewell Valley Historical Society's application for a grant to restore the Harts Corner one-room schoolhouse.
HOPEWELL TOWNSHIP -- The township committee has pledged financial support for the Hopewell Valley Historical Society's efforts to restore the Harts Corner Schoolhouse.
The one-room schoolhouse dates to 1906.
The Hopewell Valley Historical Society (HVHS) is seeking a matching grant from the 1772 Foundation - a Rhode Island-based preservation group - for up to $15,000.
The Hopewell Township council agreed at a December meeting to support the grant application for restoring the schoolhouse. The township agreed to put out $10,000 if the HVHS came up with $5,000.
The 1772 Foundation will then match that amount and give a grant of $15,000 toward the renovation of the currently vacant schoolhouse, which is owned by the township.
HVHS Vice President Tom Ogren said when he heard about the grant opportunity, he thought it would be the perfect time for the society to apply since Hopewell Township is currently replacing the roof on the schoolhouse.
"It's the first time we collaborated with the township on a project like this," Ogren said. "We feel this would be a great project."
He said the HVHS received a $5,000 donation a few years ago that would go toward their share of the offer.
Ogren declined to talk in detail about what the society wants to do with the schoolhouse since it is an indefinite plan except to say it would be used for a "historical purpose."
The Hopewell Historic Preservation Commission says the schoolhouse was built in 1906 at the corner of Scotch and Washington Crossing-Pennington roads.
The doors were eventually shuttered to students and then it reopened in 1928 for town meetings and municipal court operations until the current town hall opened in 1963.
The schoolhouse sits in front of the current town hall property and is vacant. Ogren said he does not believe it has been continuously used for anything since 1963.
"It's just an exciting project," Ogren said. "We hope we are successful."
Lindsay Rittenhouse may be reached at lrittenhouse@njadvancemedia.com. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
