Hopwood renaissance under way on the pike
The wagon train will be coming down the mountain on May 18 en route to a parade through Hopwood during the annual National Pike Festival.
The village at the foot of Summit Mountain is to undergo a historic transformation in time for next year's pike festival, thanks to years of hard work on the part of a community group, and the recent infusion of $100, 000 from PennDOT.
The grassroots effort, known as the Hopwood Village Project, is scheduled in October to start the first phase of its "streetscape" along a 2.5-mile section of Route 40, which bisects the village. The project will include the installation of 35 old-fashioned light poles, trees with gates, and flower boxes fashioned by students from Fayette County Area Vocational Technical School.
The flower boxes will have stone work and wood that will blend in with the village's 200-year-old stone walls, according to Chad Stafford of McMillen Engineers, the consultant on the project. As the trees grow on either side of the highway, they will form a canopy through the village.
As additional money becomes available, the group plans to add sidewalks and more elaborate landscaping. Restoration projects are also planned for Hopwood's historic buildings.
Al Botti, chairman of the Hopwood Village Project, said the ultimate goal is "a picturesque 19th-century village," with sidewalks filled with strolling residents and visitors.
Founded by Virginian John Hopwood in 1791, the village was an important stop on the National Road (later Route 40), and its rich history is evident today with more surviving stone buildings than any other community along the road. The late local historian Jack Bell coined the term "Pearl of the Pike" to describe the village.
"We have a lot to work with," Botti said, but he added, "we have to do some cleaning up."
The Hopwood Village Project, a coalition of residents, local historians, preservationists, and officials from North Union and South Union townships, took on that task several years ago.
Botti said progress was slow at first. The group applied for funding, but only got "little grants here and there." He noted, however, that this created "a little more unity to work together."
The group installed two "gateway" signs along Route 40 at either end of the village. The wood signs with stone bases were designed and built by the Fayette Vo-Tech students. The period light poles were also offered in an "adopt-a-light" program, with memorial plaques, and the group was able to raise money to purchase 20 of the 35 through these private donations. (Two of the poles have been installed, with one at each of the gateway signs.) "We are going to light up the whole community," Botti said.
Hopwood is unique in that the unincorporated village is divided between South Union and North Union townships, with Route 40 the borderline.
Botti said there was a rivalry between the two halves of Hopwood when he moved to the community in 1960 and became principal of the former Hopwood South Union Grade School, across the pike from the former North Union Grade School. "Cross the road and it almost seemed like you were going into enemy territory," he joked.
The retired educator pointed out that the community rivalry faded away when the Laurel Highlands School District came into being in 1965 and the two Hopwood schools were consolidated. (Botti was the first principal of the new Hutchinson Elementary School). Hopwood has been united for generations with churches, cemeteries and other institutions on either side of Route 40. Both sides of the village are also protected by the Hopwood Volunteer Fire Department. Botti said "there's a loving and caring relationship" among Hopwood residents.
The unity has been further enhanced by the Hopwood Village Project, according to Botti. The group has a number of active committees, he said, citing Jeanne Rizzo, who heads up the North Union Township committee, John Petro, her South Union Township counterpart, and Harry McElroy, the head of the activities committee. "I am so happy at the way things are going, developing a lot of enthusiasm," Botti said. "Ideas are coming forth for development."
Tammy Shell, the director of the Fayette County Planning and Zoning Commission, is also the planning director for the Hopwood group.
She said the $100,000 grant awarded by PennDOT was to develop a scenic corridor, and that it was part of federal highway enhancement funding. Other groups, including the Eberly Foundation, have also provided money for the effort. Shell said its nice to see that "all the hard work is finally paying off."
In addition to preserving the historic importance of the village, the restoration also has an economic component. Much of the Route 40 traffic was diverted around Hopwood with the opening of the Uniontown bypass. But Botti said, since the Hopwood Village Project got under way, the group has noticed an increase in vehicle traffic and economic activity.
Hopwood is an important stop on the pike festival's weekend circuit. Activities kick off in the village with a western swing dance May 16. The renaissance under way in Hopwood also fits the theme of this year's festival: "Traveling through our past, moving toward our future."
This gateway sign to Hopwood was designed and built by students at Fayette Vocational Technical School.
