Bucks County PA History
Bucks County, named after Buckinghamshire, England, the birthplace of William Penn, founder of Pennsylvania (The Keystone State), is about 50 miles long by 25 miles wide and is located along the scenic Delaware River.
Because of its proximity to Philadelphia, New Jersey and New York, it’s considered a very desirable area with much to offer whether you live here or are just visiting. In my opinion it’s a wonderful place to live and raise a family.
Here you will find modern communities that coexist with historical buildings and landmarks and an area in which many residents want to preserve the natural beauty of the County.
Want the feel of yesteryear be sure to slow down and enjoy the rich history and beauty of a Bucks County Covered Bridge. For more information visit: http://scenicbuckscounty.com/CoveredBridges/CoveredBridges.html
There is an enormous variety of real estate available throughout Bucks County with prices ranges from 80,000 condominiums into the millions.
The local economy remains strong with several large corporations choosing to move into this area as well as the surrounding areas of New Jersey and Philadelphia. You can also choose to have a day of shopping at many of our local malls or visit the towns of Newtown, Yardley, New Hope, Doylestown and Lahaska for specialty and outlet shops or visit our famous Rice’s Flea Market with deals galore!
For the sports fans, we have the Eagles, Phillies, Philadelphia 76ers and the Flyers. If you’re interested in supporting a AA team, visit the Trenton Thunder, only 20 minutes away from Yardley and a great place to take the entire family and every seat is a great seat. If Golf is your game, we have a new 18 hole golf course in Lower Makefield.
For the college minded we have Bucks County Community College, Delaware Valley College in Doylestown, LaSalle University satellite campus, Princeton University, Rider University, Thomas Edison State College, Penn State Abington, Beaver College, and the College Of New Jersey.
Here are some areas that I thought I would highlight for you whether moving to or visiting Bucks County, PA:
Yardley
Once a station on the Underground Railroad, Yardley is a small community located along the Delaware River in Bucks County. Charming and quaint and one of the most historic cities in the nation, near the site where General George Washington embarked on their historic crossing, Yardley boasts real estate options that include Victorian homes, historic farmsteads, new colonials and townhome communities along with top notch schools. Be careful driving through Main Street – this quaint area requires you go 25 miles per hour and it’s worth it so you don’t miss seeing anything. During the summer you will see everyone hanging out at the local ice cream/frozen ice shop or grabbing a delicious pastry at our famous Cramer’s Bakery and in the winter you will find kids (and adults) enjoying skating on Lake Afton (manmade) pond. There’s also a canal path that is ideal for walking and jogging that will take you from Yardley up to Washington Crossing.
Because of its great location, just off of Interstate 95 approximately 45 miles northeast of Philadelphia, it gives its residents easy access to Princeton University and New York City. You will find that many people have chosen to live in Yardley because it provides for any easy commute to Princeton and New York City.
Newtown
Newton is in the lower Bucks County, Pennsylvania, about 21 miles north of Philadelphia. Trenton, New Jersey, is about 10 miles east across the Delaware River, and Princeton is about 10 miles east of Trenton. Newtown's original 5,000 acres were part of the immense land parcel purchased by William Penn from the Lenni Lenape Indians in 1682. Penn named the region his "New Township", which became "Newtown" in time.
While it started as a small farming village, it has experienced much building up while still maintaining its farms and rural feel. It continues to maintain its Historic District and its land conservation commitment.
During the Revolutionary War, George Washington established his headquarters in Newtown after his famous crossing of the Delaware River. His two famous letters to congress, in which he describes his victory at Trenton, were written in Newtown.
Newtown is a wonderful town full of exciting shops and restaurants and a great town for walking. Newtown and its surrounding area are serviced by the Council Rock school district. Council Rock is also one of the most sought after districts in the state. From spring to fall, they host First Friday Newtown in which local shops have special giveaways and there’s local artists and entertainment and they also host First Night Newtown every New Year’s Eve which is a wonderful celebration with so much to do for kids and adults.
If hiking, fishing and horseback riding are your interests you will have to visit Tyler State Park.
The Council Rock School District encompasses Newtown's 3 elementary, 1 middle, and 2 high schools, and there are several (mostly religious) private schools in the town.
The Bucks County Community College in Newtown offers continuing education, arts and culture degrees and courses, and business and industry training and certification.
New Hope
In Bucks County, Pennsylvania, pretty New Hope is right on the Delaware River. On the other side of its banks, almost directly opposite, sits Lambertville, New Jersey. Trenton, New Jersey is about 18 miles southeast and Philadelphia is about 30 miles southwest. Princeton is about 10 miles east of Trenton.
The New Hope area was originally home to the peaceable Lenni Lenape Indians, who granted the area to settler William Penn. In 1700, William Penn granted 1000 acres to Robert Heath, with the requirement that Heath build a water corn mill for settling farmers to use. Heath did so, on Ingham Creek, about a mile inland from the Delaware River. Fed by a spring, the creek proved ideal for milling, and more millers set up shop; in time this became the settlement of New Hope.
From 1722 to 1747, the settlement was called "Well's Ferry", after the operator of the ferry across the Delaware. By the time Washington arrived during the Revolutionary War, it was known as "Corvell's Ferry", likewise after the current operator of the ferry. Washington staged his troops here for his famous crossing of the Delaware five miles south of New Hope on December 25, 1776 and his victory over the Hessians at Trenton.
In 1790 the gristmill burned down, putting most of the town residents out of work. New Jersey gristmill owner Benjamin Parry rebuilt it, titling it the "New Hope Mill"-the name stuck and began to appear on maps. The Parry gristmill ran until 1938 when it was closed and converted into the Bucks County Playhouse. I highly recommend visiting this area and making plans to see a play there. Their website to view some of their upcoming shows is: http://buckscountyplayhouse.com/bucks-playhouse/index.php
New Hope is an artistic town, with its own arts center and the superb Bucks County Playhouse, New Hope has a lively local arts scene that enriches the lives of all its residents.
As a popular spot with vacationers, New Hope has several excellent inns and popular restaurants, and charming stores selling local crafts and produce. The New Hope Ivyland Railroad takes passengers by steam train through the pretty rolling hills around New Hope.
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Upper Makefield
Here Homesteads served as officers’ headquarters during the American Revolutionary War and are at the site where General George Washington made his famous Christmas Eve trip across the Delaware. Each year hundreds of locals as well as tourists embark to Upper Makefield’s Washington Crossing State Park to witness a re-enactment of the crossing of the Delaware.
The township's well-preserved sense of history and 'place' contribute to its popularity. Its historic significance is represented in vestiges of 3 historic villages (Jericho, Taylorsville, and Woodhill) plus 3 National Register Historic Districts, Brownsburg, Buckmanville, and Dolington.
In Upper Makefield you will find luxury homes as well as contemporary, traditional, ranch style and homes on large parcels of land, both new and old, throughout the area, as well as townhome communities, including elegant 55+ communities.
Doylestown
Just 45 miles north of Philadelphia’s city center you will find a town rich in history. Dating back to 1745 this town is the home to many museums such as the Bucks County Civil War Museum, the 1916 Mercer Museum, and the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works, a working history museum that still produces handmade tiles.
Doylestown is named after the Doyle family. The Doyle family originally came from France (their name was D'ouilli at that time), but moved to Ireland during the Inquisition. Around 1600 their name was changed to D'oyley and later it was changed again to Doyle. Edward Doyle sailed to America in 1640 and lived in Rhode Island for a time until he then moved to Bucks County after receiving a land grant from William Penn in 1692. He died in 1703.
Edward Doyle's children remained in Bucks County and settled in the area of Doylestown. In 1730 Edward Doyle Junior (born 1690) bought 150 acres of land in what is now Doylestown. Further land purchases were made in the area by the Doyle family in 1737. The Doyles built an inn in 1745 and the town was known early on as "William Doyle’s Tavern" and "Doyle's Town." In 1752 a second tavern was built, which still stands today (although modified from its original state). In 1776 the inn was sold by William Doyle (born in 1712, son of Edward Doyle Junior), who moved to Plumstead, Bucks County, where he died in 1780. After the sale of the tavern the town became known by its present name
Notable within the township is "Fordhook Farm," established at the turn of the 20th century as a seed and plant test farm for the W. Atlee Burpee Company; it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
"The first experimental piece of improved road building in Bucks County was laid down in Doylestown Township in the year 1900 between Vauxtown and the Doylestown Boro line. The construction was the type known as Telford (for Thomas Telford, Scottish engineer, 1757-1834), the work being done under the superintendence of Edmund G. Harrison of the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture.
The Borough is home to 2 world famous museums; the Mercer Museum and the James A. Michener Art Museum. In the early 20th century, Doylestown became best known to the outside world through the "Tools of the Nation-Maker" museum. Henry Chapman Mercer constructed the reinforced poured concrete building in 1916 to house his collection of mechanical tools and utensils. Upon his death in 1930, Mercer also left his similarly constructed home Fonthill and adjacent "Moravian Pottery and Tile Works", to be operated as a museum. The home was left on the condition that his housekeeper be allowed to live there for the rest of her life. She lived there and gave tours until the mid nineteen-seventies.
Buckingham
Physically, Buckingham is the biggest township in the county, covering 33 square miles. Its geography is dominated by Buckingham Mountain which rises to a height of 520 feet, but its landscape is characterized by gently rolling countryside. Blessed by many streams and rich soil, it has yielded bountiful harvests for 300 years. Agriculture has been Buckingham's principal industry since its founding, and the Township still retains a strong farm community.
The wonderful old stone houses and barns so typical of Bucks County reflect both English and German architectural traditions.
There are Buckingham families who have lived in the Township for generations, but most of us are more recent arrivals. Nonetheless, old and new residents have been united in their desire to preserve the scenic and historic character of the Township. One of my interests is in preserving the historical integrity and pastoral vistas in central Bucks County. I currently hold a seat on the Buckingham Township’s Historical Architecture Review Board because of my strong desire to preserve the rich agricultural legacy of Buckingham.
Buckingham seems to have changed names more often than any other town. First known name: Bogarts Tavern, (now the General Greene Inn), first owned by Samuel Jamison, who obtained a tavern license from the county in 1752. After his death, his widow Mary, remarried John Bogart, who also operated the tavern and the village became known as Bogart’s Tavern. The Bucks County Committee of Safety held its first meeting there on July 9 1772. Other names for this tavern include: "Vanhorns Tavern" and "Wilkinsons Tavern". The village was also once known as "Centreville" because of its central location in Buckingham Township. Although the town had been referred to by the name "Buckingham" as early as 1769, that name finally stuck permanently in 1872, when a post office was established there.
With living places for virtually every style and need, Buckingham is a delightful mix of contemporary neighborhoods punctuated by numerous historic villages including 5 districts that are on the National Register of Historic Places. These dozen historic resources are Bridge Valley, Buckingham, Buckingham Valley, Glendale, Forest Grove, Furlong, Highlon, Holicong, Lahaska, Mechanicsville, Mozart, and Wycombe.
Please visit this video to see some of the great images mentioned above and see for yourself why you should live or at least visit Bucks County, PA. http://www.realestateshows.com/261233