Hopelawn, New Jersey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Hopelawn, New Jersey
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 Hopelawn, New Jersey
Location in Middlesex County, New Jersey
Hopelawn, New Jersey
Location in New Jersey
Hopelawn, New Jersey
Location in the United States
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  New Jersey |
| County | Middlesex |
| Township | Woodbridge |
| Named for | Luther M. Hope |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.44 sq mi (1.13 km2) |
| • Land | 0.44 sq mi (1.13 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 98 ft (30 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 2,603 |
| • Density | 5,956.52/sq mi (2,300.11/km2) |
| ZIP Code |
08861
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| FIPS code | 34-33090 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0877243 |
Hopelawn is a small community in Woodbridge Township, located in Middlesex County, New Jersey. It is known as a census-designated place (CDP), which means it's a special area defined for collecting census data.
Contents
History of Hopelawn
Hopelawn began as the home and farm of Luther M. Hope in the 1800s. Many of its first streets were named after his children, like Juliette, Loretta, and Charles. The area was first called "Hope's Lawn" but was later shortened to Hopelawn.
Luther Martin Hope was born in Virginia in 1839. He moved to Brooklyn, New York, and then to Perth Amboy, New Jersey. He ran a business in Perth Amboy for many years. Later in his life, he retired and lived on a farm that became Hopelawn. He passed away there in 1907.
Hopelawn was once made up of two smaller communities: Ellendale Terrace and Hopelawn. Other sections included Washington Heights and Florida Grove.
This area was famous for its excellent clay. Companies like Such Clay Company and McHose Clay Company dug clay from a place called "The Clay Banks." This area also had swimming holes and fishing ponds. It was home to the town's only baseball field until a new one was built in the late 1940s.
Two sets of railroad tracks used to cross the Hopelawn Clay Banks. These tracks were part of the Lehigh Valley Railroad and are now part of the Middlesex Greenway, a path for walking and biking.
In the late 1930s and 1940s, Hopelawn had a semi-professional football team called the "Hopelawn Greyhounds." They played against other local teams, like the "Woodbridge Golden Bears." The team stopped playing during World War II. After the war, many "Greyhound" players joined the "Golden Bears."
Mary C. Fee was a beloved teacher and principal at Hopelawn's only school, Elementary School #10. She served the community from 1919 to 1969. After she retired, a street next to the school was named Mary C. Fee Lane in her honor. The school building is no longer used as a school and is now a church.
Even though Hopelawn is in Woodbridge Township, it shares the same ZIP Code, 08861, as the nearby city of Perth Amboy.
Population in Hopelawn
According to the 2020 United States census, Hopelawn had a population of 2,603 people.
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 2020 | 2,603 | — | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 2020 |
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Hopelawn Volunteer Engine Co. #1
The Hopelawn Engine Co. No. 1 is the local volunteer fire department. It was started on December 3, 1914.
Their first office was in Ed O'Brien's barber shop. Their firefighting equipment was just one dozen buckets! A few weeks after they started, they fought their first fire at Al Black's farm. All the members ran with their buckets to put out the hay barn fire. They used buckets until 1916, when they got a chemical wagon that had to be pulled by people.
Their next big fire was at the McHose building. The firefighters worked hard and saved the building. New equipment was bought and kept in Barrett's barn. An alarm system, made from a locomotive wheel and a hammer, was also set up there. In 1918, land was bought, and the fire station building was built in 1921. John Jancisko was Hopelawn's first fire chief.
The Hopelawn First Aid Squad was also started by the Hopelawn Engine Co. #1 in 1937.
Famous People from Hopelawn
- Lou Creekmur: He was a famous football player who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1996. Creekmur played for Woodbridge High School, the College of William and Mary, and for ten years as an offensive lineman for the Detroit Lions. He was chosen to play in eight Pro Bowl games. After his playing career, Creekmur also worked as a radio broadcaster for the Miami Dolphins.
