Fruit was a major crop in Pleasant Valley during the 1890s. Peaches were especially favored and looked forward to but the farmers also grew apples and pears. Rachel Williamson lamented the passing of the peach season in 1892 when she wrote for the September 7 edition of the Hopewell Herald that, “the height of the peach crop for this season in this vicinity was here last week we are sorry to say.” Mrs. Williamson frequently lauded the quality of area fruit and certainly enjoyed it herself. In 1899 she noted in her column for September 6, “Our fruit basket has been bountifully supplied for the past two weeks with apples and peaches from neighbor Parkhill, also some Bartlett pears from Mrs. J. Thompson. Thanks.”

In addition to tomatoes and fruit, the corn crop was normally harvested in September. Every year the weather was a big concern to farmers regarding all their crops. September could be a time of storms that could damage crops, such as corn, ready for harvest. Rachel Williamson described a storm of September 13, 1903. She said, “It blew down nine apple trees on the [Gervas] Ely farm, where Zen. Cromwell lives; also lifted the poultry house and stood it on the roof in another place, and removed a number of slate from another building. It took Allie Phillip’s rye stack and scattered about half of it over the adjoining field on Samuel Hunt’s farm, and blew nearly all the fruit from the trees in general.” The Gervas Ely farm is today the Birum farm adjacent to Howell Farm where the Major Henry Phillips house is located and Zenophon Cromwell was the tenant living there. Around 1920 he bought today’s Howell Farm and established his well known dairy business.

We know that weeds had to be controlled in all crop fields, but a law passed in New Jersey in March 1900 required that all owners or occupants of land adjacent to any highway had to cut and remove all brush, briars and weeds during September each year. If this was not done the township committee was to arrange to have it done and the property owner would be charged for it. So, in addition to concern about tomato, fruit, and corn harvest, Pleasant Valley farmers also had to take care of the brush, briar, and weed “harvest” next to any roads. All of the roads at that time were unpaved, even the “highways.”

At the end of September was the annual Inter-State Fair held in Trenton. This large fair was called inter-state because it drew from Bucks County in addition to central New Jersey. Each year it was widely advertised and special trains brought people from areas such as Pleasant Valley (from Moore’s Station) and the schools would be closed one day so whole families could attend. A typical newspaper announcement is from 1895 and reads:

This is essentially the farmers’ year at the Great Inter-State Fair. The Eastern Farmers’ Carnival advertised by the association is no idle boast. In the cattle and horse shows, in the display of farm and orchard products, in the mammoth exhibition of agricultural and farming machinery and in the thousand and one things that go to make up a successfull country fair, the management have given special attention to the farmer. This is his fair. Ideas will be on tap at every turn. If he wants to keep up with the procession, he can’t afford to remain away this year. Remember, Trenton, September 30th to October 4th. (Hopewell Herald, September 17, 1895, page 1)

The announcement for 1902 shows that it was not just an agricultural fair, though, but it also contained entertainment for a wider audience.

There are 22 [horse] races scheduled in the speed department, and the entries made thus far insure the very best kind of racing each day of the fair.
Especial attention has been given this year to securing midway and vaudeville features, and the bookings made assure the best performances ever attempted by an outdoor amusement enterprise.
For a headliner, Diavolo, the sensation of the century, who loops the loop on a bicycle, will do his act every day of the fair.
Then Hutch, the human bursting bomb, who has himself discharged from a cannon into mid-air, has also been secured.
One of the newest acts to be put before the sensation-loving American public is that of the daring Danton, who enveloped in flames, dives from a great height into a pool of water.
Also there might be mentioned among the attractions Sapho, the ape aeronaut; the Wormwood’s wonderful trained dogs and monkeys, the Yoecays, from the Royal theatre, Berlin; Moser, Houten and Moser, from the Royal Hippodrome, London, and lots of others. (Hopewell Herald, September 10, 1902, page 3)

September, of course, was also the time when the new school year began. Between 1890 and 1894 the local people of Pleasant Valley ran their own school and not very much about it appeared in the paper. Their schoolhouse was brand new in 1890 and in 1894 they had to turn it over to Hopewell Township according to the new state law. Once the township was responsible for all the schools there were frequent articles telling what had been done during the summer to maintain, spruce up, change curriculum or teachers, etc. There was always a note of optimism for the success of the new year and admonitions to parents to ensure that their children not only enrolled in school but actually attended every day and got there on time. In fact, attendance and punctuality seem to have been the primary concerns in the period 1895-1910. Unfortunately, the Pleasant Valley School was noted for poor attendance until about 1910 as we will see in future stories.

September was the end of summer and the beginning of fall and people began to think about winter. Since homes were heated with coal and cooking was done on a coal fired stove this fuel was important. Announcements began to appear in the paper in September for meetings of the Pleasant Valley Farmers Alliance to plan for coal deliveries and they usually met at the Pleasant Valley schoolhouse, which was also heated by coal.

Normal life cycles continued in September in the Valley. For example, on September 13, 1898 Charles Miller who owned what is now Howell Farm died very suddenly at the age of 74. He got up as usual about 4:00am, “feeling as well as ever and just as he got down stairs he fell and expired in a few minutes.” (Hopewell Herald, September 14, 1898, page 4)