The Hopewell Museum Acquisition Policy

as approved October 2017

The Hopewell Museum will consider donations/retention of objects and archival materials relating to the Hopewell area, as categorized below. The “Hopewell area” is defined as the geographic vicinity that includes Hopewell Borough, Hopewell Township, and Pennington Borough, in Mercer County, N.J., and localities in Mercer, Hunterdon and Somerset counties, N.J., and Bucks Co., Pa., within a 10-mile distance from the boundaries of present-day Hopewell Township. (For the colonial period, this includes localities in old Burlington, Hunterdon, Middlesex, and Somerset counties, N.J.)

Exceptions to this policy may be made by the Collections Committee only with the consent of the Board of Trustees.

A.    Local Historical, Cultural, Genealogical, and Archaeological Resources. Objects and archival materials relating to the Hopewell area as follows:

•    Books, papers, writings, manuscripts, photographs, maps, and published materials as relate to residents, families, businesses, and religious and civic organizations associated with the Hopewell area;
•    Household and business/institutional/organizational items, tools, clothing, textiles that demonstrably were used in the Hopewell area;
•    Artwork, art objects, paintings, etc., that demonstrably were created in or depict the Hopewell area;
•    Furniture, products, tools, or devices that demonstrably were manufactured or used in the Hopewell area;
•    Artifacts and archaeological findings that demonstrably were discovered in and relate to the Hopewell area;
•    Promotional literature, signage, advertisements, etc., documenting business and social activities in the Hopewell area.

B.    Regional Historical, Cultural, Genealogical, and Archaeological Resources. Materials of all of the types bulleted above from the broader geographic area of central New Jersey (including the present-day counties of Mercer, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Somerset, Burlington, and Monmouth) and Bucks Co., Pa., only if it can be demonstrated that the material directly relates to the lives, missions and purposes of, or is representative of the activities of, Hopewell-area residents, families, businesses, and/or religious and civic organizations.

C.    Statewide and Mid-Atlantic Historical, Cultural, Genealogical, and Archaeological Resources. The following types of materials of a statewide nature, relating to New Jersey or the adjacent states/colonies of New York, Pennsylvania, and Delaware, or relating to the Mid-Atlantic states/colonies only if it can be demonstrated that the material directly and substantially relates to the lives, missions and purposes of, or is representative of the activities of, Hopewell-area residents, families, businesses, and religious and civic organizations:

•    Books, papers, writings, manuscripts, photographs, maps, and published materials; and
•    Promotional literature, signage, advertisements, etc.

D.    National and International Historical, Cultural, Genealogical, and Archaeological Resources. Published materials (including historical and genealogical works, guides, maps, and atlases) relating to larger geographic areas of the United States and the world only if it can be demonstrated that the material directly and substantially relates to the lives, missions and purposes of, or is representative of the activities of, Hopewell-area residents, families, businesses, and religious and civic organizations.