Archaeologists have uncovered sections of the foundation of the original Bucks County Treasury, which was famously targeted in a robbery by the Doan Gang, writes Jeff Werner for the Patch.
The Doan Gang was a group of Loyalists in Bucks County aligned with Great Britain during the American Revolutionary War. They targeted individuals and businesses that supported the Revolutionary cause, including tax collectors and militia members.
On Oct. 22, 1781, the gang robbed the Treasury and stole 1,200 Spanish silver dollars, 400 French crowns and a substantial sum of cash that had been intended to support the Revolutionary cause.
In May, the site of the former Bucks County Treasury in Newtown underwent phase I archaeological testing as part of research for The Doan Gang: Outlaws of the Revolution, Mercer Museum’s major ongoing exhibition presented by the Bucks County Historical Society.
BCHS staff and members of the community worked with Matt Bielecki of Stony Hill Archaeological Research to excavate four test pits at the site of the former treasury from when Newtown was the county seat.
Members of the public got the opportunity to observe the excavations and learn about the archaeological methods employed.
Read more about the archeological find in Newtown and the Doan Gang’s daring heist in the Patch.
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