Mercer County has purchased a 6-acre parcel on Valley Road in Hopewell Township to expand Howell Living History Farm
The acquisition was announced by County Executive Dan Benson who said that the farm is one of Mercer County’s most active historic and educational parks.
Howell Farm is a free, working living history farm where visitors experience rural life as it was at the turn of the 20th century.
The newly acquired property includes a house and historic sheep barn built before the Revolutionary War by local farmer John Smith, whose family settled north of Trenton in the late 1600s. The original tract also included a sawmill that once supplied lumber and fencing materials to the surrounding valley.
County officials said the preservation of this land protects a key portion of the region’s historic and natural landscape and enhances the educational experience at Howell Farm.
Future plans call for extending interactive programming to the new site, including the establishment of a historical sawmill that would serve both as a public educational resource and as a source of sustainably harvested wood for use across the county’s park system.
“Growing tourism opportunities is a top priority for Mercer County, and is a big reason why we launched Mercer County’s first ever office of tourism,” Benson said.
“For over 40 years, Howell Living Farm has provided an incredible education and recreation opportunity for guests from all over the state. Expanding Howell Farm’s footprint will only enhance this experience,” he said.
Owned by the County of Mercer and operated by the Mercer County Park Commission with support from the nonprofit Friends of Howell Farm, the site reenacts agricultural life around 1890–1910 through seasonal programming, hands-on activities and demonstrations.
According to the Friends of the Howell Living History Farm, each year, more than 10,000 schoolchildren and roughly 55,000 other visitors participate in demonstrations such as horse-powered plowing, maple sugaring, cider pressing, wheat threshing, corn harvesting and other traditional farm tasks tied to the cycle of the agricultural year.
the farm opened to the public on June 9, 1984, after nearly a decade of preparation by the Mercer County Park Commission and volunteers. Buildings were stabilized, historic equipment was collected, and agricultural practices from the late 19th and early 20th centuries were restored so visitors could see real farming operations up close.
The farm sits within the Pleasant Valley National Rural Historic District, a historic landscape listed on both the New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places.
The district encompasses more than 1,500 acres of farmland, farmhouses, outbuildings and structures that reflect agricultural life in central New Jersey through the 18th and 19th centuries.
Howell Farm’s programming is tied closely to the rhythms of a working farm, with interpreters demonstrating historic tillage, planting, harvesting, animal care and food preparation as weather, soil and seasonal conditions allow. Special events include traditional barn dances, plowing matches, wheat threshing and holiday-themed activities that draw families and history enthusiasts alike.
Admission to the farm is free, and visitors are encouraged to engage directly with farm animals — such as horses, sheep, pigs and chickens — and participate in age-appropriate activities that bring agricultural history to life.
Residents can learn more and view a full schedule of activities by visiting howellfarm.org.
Howell Living History Farm in Hopewell involves visitors of all ages in aspects of traditional farm work. (Friends of Howell Living History Farm photo.),
