The Hooper-Bowers House

The Hooper-Bowers house, Aug. 2021.

Historical Overview

Standing at 418 Village Road East, near the heart of the historic community of Dutch Neck, is a 2-story, 3-bay Victorian house with a wrap-around porch. At the rear is an old vertical plank barn (age unknown) with metal roof, now used as a garage and workshop. Like many of its neighbors, this tract - the Hooper-Bowers property - is a contributing structure to the Dutch Neck community and a member of West Windsor's "100 Club." 

Township tax records claim the house was constructed in 1870,[1] but a building shows up in this location on a map from 1860.[2] At the time, this was part of a tract owned by Enoch Forman that also included the adjacent Dutch Neck general store/post office at 420 Village Road East.[3] For a history of the joint tract prior to 1854, read the history of the general store by clicking here.

In 1861, Enoch split the joint tract in two and sold 418 Village Road East to Jonathan Hooper.[4] Hooper presumably lived in this house until 1871, when it was sold to Levi Updike[5] - once also an owner of the nearby historic Slayback homestead at 542 Village Road West.[6]

The Hooper-Bowers house, 1916. From Lewis C. Bowers III.

Levi owned the Hooper-Bowers house until 1890, whereupon the property passed to Eli and Emma Rogers.[7] Sixteen years later, Eli sold the property to Lewis C. Bowers and his wife, Ada Denison.[8] The couple collectively owned the house for the next 40 years. The 1910 census shows three of their children: George, Raymond, and Anna.[9] Between 1916 and 1925, the family raised the roof and rotated it 90 degrees, and enlarged the front porch to wrap around the east side of the house.[10],[11] Doubtless, this was aided by Lewis' experience as the founder of Lewis C. Bowers and Sons Inc., a building firm that constructed many Princeton-area structures.[12],[13] After his death, his sons continued the business for many years.[14]

After them came several more owners:

• Robert and Elizabeth Dixon (1946-48)[15]
•  Glenna V. Wilcox (1948-65)[16],[17]
• Bernard French III and M. Arden French (1965-67)[18],[19]
• Jamie and Loretta Cone (1967-69)[20],[21]

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Richard and Joan Malacrea were deeded the property in 1969[22] and they, too, owned the property for the next 40 years.[23] After them have been new owners, each of whom has maintained the house and barn as contributing and familiar sites in the historic community of Dutch Neck.

Ada Denison Bowers, ca. 1890. From Lewis C. Bowers III.

Go to Dutch Neck

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Bibliography

1. “West Windsor Tax Assessor Address List, 2019.” West Windsor, 2019. List of all residences in West Windsor with dates of construction, according to tax assessor. Sent to the Historical Society by Lorraine Jones and Dawn Moretti.
2.  Lake, D J, and S N Beers. Map of the Vicinity of Philadelphia and Trenton from Actual Surveys By D.J. Lake and S. N. Beers. Assisted by F. Beers, L. B. Lake and D. G. Beers. Philadelphia, PA: C.K. Stone and A. Pomeroy, 1860. https://dspace.njstatelib.org/xmlui/handle/10929/34112?show=full.
3. Forman, Enoch, Robbins, Angeline, Robbins, Jonathan D. “Indenture.” West Windsor, 1854. Located in the Mercer County Clerk's Office, Mercer County Deed Book 39 Page 585.
4. Forman, Enoch, Hooper, Jonathan. “Indenture.” West Windsor, 1861. Located in the Mercer County Clerk's Office, Mercer County Deed Book 49 Page 75.
5. Hooper, Jonathan, Updike, Levi. “Indenture.” West Windsor, 1871. Located in the Mercer County Clerk's Office, Mercer County Deed Book 81 Page 562.
6. Hill, Joseph, Updike, William. Ms. Deed. New Jersey State Archives, 1939. Found in the Mercer County Clerk's Office - Mercer County Deeds - Mercer County Deed Book 784 Page 180.
7. Rogers, Eli, Rogers, Emma, Updike, Levi. “Indenture.” West Windsor, 1890. Located in the Mercer County Clerk's Office, Mercer County Deed Book 173 Page 551.
8. Bowers, Lewis C., Rogers, Eli, Rogers, Emma. “Indenture.” West Windsor, 1906. Located in the Mercer County Clerk's Office, Mercer County Deed Book 285 Page 359.​​
9. “United States Census, 1910 - West Windsor Township.” West Windsor Township, 1910.
10. Bowers House at 416 Village Road West. 1916. Photograph. Located in the digital archives of the Historical Society of West Windsor. Digital copy of the original photograph donated to the Historical Society of West Windsor by Lewis C. Bowers III on September 16, 2024.
11. Bowers House at 416 Village Road West. 1925. Photograph. Located in the digital archives of the Historical Society of West Windsor. Digital copy of the original photograph donated to the Historical Society of West Windsor by Lewis C. Bowers III on September 16, 2024.
12. "Obituary - Lewis C. Bowers." Princeton Herald. October 3, 1941.
13. "Obituary - Lewis C. Bowers Dies in 65th Year." Trenton Evening Times. October 1, 1941.
14. "Princeton Man to Receive Penn State's Highest Honor." Trenton Times. March 16, 1993.
15. French, Bernard S. II, French, M. Arden, Wilcox, Glenna. “Indenture.” West Windsor, 1965. Located in the Mercer County Clerk's Office, Mercer County Deed Book 1736 Page 736.
16. Ibid.
17. Ibid.
18. Ibid.
19. Cone, Jamie C., Cone, Loretta L., Malacrea, Joan M., Malacrea, Richard. “Indenture.” West Windsor, 1969. Located in the Mercer County Clerk's Office, Mercer County Deed Book 1736 Page 736.
20. Ibid.
21. Ibid.
22. Ibid.
23. Malacrea, Joan M., Malacrea, Richard, Wendorf, James H., Wendorf, Jessie Lacy. “Indenture.” West Windsor, 1999. Located in the Mercer County Clerk's Office, Mercer County Deed Book 3617 Page 225.