The Bucks County borough of Bristol has a fascinating history as one of the oldest towns in Pennsylvania, and the county, writes Kalena Thomhave for The Keystone. 

Bristol, settled by Quakers in 1681, took the namesake of a town in England. It originally served as a port town where people could travel, via steamboat, to New Jersey. Eventually, multiple stops cropped up along the Delaware River, including South Philly.  

What is now the bustling riverside community was once home to the first African-American church, public school, post office, courthouse, and mill in Bucks County, according to Tour Bristol Borough.  

However, Quakers were not the first people to step foot on the land. The indigenous Lenni Lenape tribe were the original inhabitants for generations before European settlers arrived in the mainland United States.  

The Lenape people formed a community along the riverside banks due to the abundance of wildlife it provided.  

Bristol also served as an urban center for farming communities and evolved into a vacation town for the upper echelons of Philadelphia society during the 18^th century.  

Read more about the history of the oldest Pennsylvania towns in The Keystone.  

Bristol Borough, PA Family Day Trip | Bucks County