Take the “Stroll Through Hopewell” — a house tour featuring homes and historic buildings of Hopewell on April 17 from 1-5 p.m.
The self-guided tour will start at the railroad station in Hopewell Borough and will feature eight houses and historic buildings of varied styles, including Arts and Crafts, Victorian and Post-Victorian houses, a converted church and the Old School Baptist Meetinghouse.
Light refreshments will be served at the railroad station throughout the afternoon.
Tickets cost $25 each and can be purchased at www.friendsofthehopewelllibrary.com or at the Hopewell Public Library, 13 E. Broad St.
For more information, call 466-1625. All proceeds benefit the Friends of the Hopewell Public Library.
Two of the residences on the tour are:
— 11 Mountain Church Road — The home of Cynthia Dunham. Built in 1844 as Hopewell Mountain Christian Church, the original structure consisted of the sanctuary, a kitchen and a dining room. Outhouses were used in the absence of indoor plumbing. When the church closed in the mid-1980s, congregants and residents held community dinners twice a year to pay the annual taxes on the property.
After purchasing the property in 1995, Randy Payne converted the church into a home. Renovations were designed to incorporate the building’s history, particularly in the great room where the original wainscoting and pine floors are intact, and the original church bell can still be rung. A stained glass window from the church — dating from 1941 — hangs in one of the lower-level rooms. Mr. Payne’s other renovations include an upstairs master bedroom and bath, a walk-out balcony and loft, as well as a wood-burning stove which now heats the entire house. He also replaced the windows that overlook the woods surrounding the property.
Current owner Cynthia Dunham purchased the home in 2000, and has done all the finishing work, including a new kitchen area where the church altar once was located, as well as the landscaping and gardens surrounding the home.
— 31 E. Broad St. — The home of Joyce Milinowicz. This warm and inviting Arts and Crafts style home belongs to Joyce Milinowicz, who purchased it in 1997 from the McLaughlin family, who had owned the house since the 1960s. Though the exact build date is unknown, the house is clearly visible in a 1930 postcard displayed at the Hopewell Museum.
A kitchen renovation pays homage to the 1920s-1930s, and the design includes use of the original cabinetry and 1930s-era gas stove. The home’s original woodwork and hardwood floors remain intact throughout the house, and all but four of the windows are original ribbon windows. Banisters were refurbished, and the original river rock fireplace still stands in the living room. New designs, such as the remodeled bathroom, have incorporated elements to pick up on original features of the home.
The exterior of the home features a new deck and attractive gardens that boast hydrangeas, roses, lilacs, and ferns. Future renovation plans include the addition of a downstairs bathroom, a kitchen expansion, and a second story addition to accommodate a master bath and additional bedroom.

