This land used to be The St. Michael's Orphan Asylum and Industrial School.
Built in 1896, the original HOUSE expanded overtime to be a five story, 450 child capacity stone building. but its foundation is no longer standing and the orphanage was eventually deactivated in 1973. With time, this became an orphan land having parts to its property rented to various farmers since the orphanage's closing. Foster Parenting in a way.
In 2005, The Trenton Diocese, in NJ, approached D&R Greenway Land Trust proposing to preserve its acres of farmland and woods. It was a chance to prevent its 222 acres from being turned into a development. St. Michael's land could have easily hosted from 150 to about 1020 houses, which would have more than double the number of existing households in Hopewell Borough and potentially change the lifestyle of the residents of this historic village.
But that was avoided. Called St. Michael's Preserve, it is now one of the newest farmlands incorporated to D&R Greenway Land Trust. Its wooded areas area a nature conservation, and the open space portions of the property will be accessible to the community through its original farm roads, as well as, by a permanent trail - The Hopewell Valley Trail Run. This land is now a home.
To learn more about D&R Greenway and their environmental efforts visit www.drgreenway.org
