Honey Hollow: Myth and Substance
Hopewell Township, Mercer County, New Jersey
In 2016-18 Hunter Research, working for the Mercer County Planning Department and Parks Commission, carried out in-depth historical research and field analysis to pinpoint the location of “Honey Hollow,” a landscape feature on Baldpate Mountain where a concentration of African-American settlement was reputed to have existed. Through exhaustive analysis of deeds, census records, maps and other archival sources, this study showed the hollow to be a mountain-top depression that emerged in the early 19th century as a minor focus of settlement around a road intersection. A few African-American families lived in the vicinity but their numbers were small and their homes were widely dispersed. This study was conducted in support of the County’s efforts at preserving, interpreting and developing trails on a much-prized expanse of public land for the benefit of the local community.
The report can be downloaded via this link.
