Historic
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Bristol Borough Owes a Boatload to a WWI-Era Shipping Magnate/Railroader
Railroad heir W. Averell Harriman was responsible for developing a whole new township in Bristol Borough in the run-up to World War I and as the global conflict unfolded. Carl LaVO tracked the details for the Bucks County Courier Times. Harriman — whose father amassed wealth by controlling several railroads, a steamship line, and Wells…
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Langhorne Citizen Joyously Turns 100, But Continues to Sift Long-Ago Military Memories
The Ukraine situation has seeped its way into the consciousness of Langhorne’s George Krikorian. On the cusp of his 100th birthday, he’s all smiles about his milestone. But a deeper melancholy, brought on by world news, also makes itself known, as reported in the Bucks County Courier Times. The centenarian was born in the Bronx,…
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Tinicum Townships Exist in Bucks County (and Delco) from One Mispronounced Word
In one place, you can take off in a glider. In the other, a Boeing 737. Two different scenes. Same township name, writes Carl LaVO for the Bucks County Courier Times, as reposted in Yahoo!. The glider comes from Van Sant Airport in Tinicum Township, Bucks County. The Boeing 737 lifts off from Philadelphia International…
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Native American Festival Educated Junior ‘Hunters’ on Felling Hula Hoops with Corncobs
The First People’s Festival in Doylestown got off to a solemn start. But it didn’t take long for the fun to take over. Jeff Werner drummed up the details in the Doylestown Patch. The festival’s organizer was Arrows 4 Native Americans, a Yardley outreach that committed to protects, preserves, promotes, and provides for indigenous peoples.…
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‘Buried at a Critical Time in Our Country’s History,’ Four Revolutionary War-Era Cannons Unearthed in Chester Co.
Four massive Revolutionary War-era cannons that were cast at historic Warwick Furnace have been unearthed by the French & Pickering Creeks Conservation Trust from the Thomas P. Bentley Nature Preserve. This Chester County find was reported in the Daily Local News. “During the 1777 British advance on Philadelphia, cannons cast at Warwick were buried in…
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This Juneteenth, Delve into Local Civil War History, Preserved at a Doylestown Museum
U.S. citizens well know Bucks County’s role in the fight for independence, thanks to the lore of General Washington’s crossing of the Delaware River. Lesser known — but altogether worth exploring with the approach of Juneteenth 2022 — is the county’s Civil War significance. The Bucks County Civil War Museum, a Central Bucks Chamber of…
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Delaware Canal State Park Towpath Named Pa.’s 2022 Trail of the Year
Pa.’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DNPR) has named Delaware Canal State Park Towpath its 2022 Trail of the Year. The distinction recognizes its multigenerational appeal — past, present, and future — for outdoor recreation. Cindy Adams Dunn, Secretary of the PA DCNR, called the trail “a gem.” She expressed her hope that the…
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Newtown Homeowner Wishes His Dwelling a Happy 200th Birthday, Throws the Structure a Party
In the climax to the Dec.’s perennial film It’s a Wonderful Life, character George Bailey runs down the street of his hometown and bids his business — a building and loan — a Merry Christmas. Tony Petsis of Newtown has done something similar, as reported by Jeff Warner in the Advance of Bucks County. Instead…
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19th Century Mansion on the Delaware — Just Downriver from Bensalem — Is Deliciously Appealing
Between busy Northeast Philadelphia and Bensalem sits a former 1850s home. The peaceful oasis — Glen Foerd — now attracts visitors with eclectic interests, reports Kevin Riordan in The Philadelphia Inquirer. It was constructed by a Phila. philanthropist, Charles Macalester on a Delaware River bluff across from Delanco N.J. It was one of several tony…
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Husband-and-Wife Online Retailers Market Morrisville Merch
When it comes to destination swag, it’s locally common to spot apparel branded for a Jersey Shore town. Or a Disney park. Or a metropolitan standout like New York or even London. And then there’s the branded merch offered by Made in Morrisville. Celebrating a tiny Bucks County spot on the west side of the…
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Historical Site in Chadds Ford Offers Glimpse into Popular School Design in 1800s
Archie’s Corner in Chadds Ford is a hidden wonder that offers a glimpse into the past and provides a connection to Andrew Wyeth, one of America’s greatest artists of the 20th century, according to an Atlas Obscura story. The ruins at the site were originally Bullock Octagonal School, constructed in 1838. The eight-sided design was…
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U.S.S. Dolphin, Built in Chester, Played Role in Ending Russo-Japanese War
The U.S.S. Dolphin, a ship built in Chester, played a role in negotiations that ended the Russo-Japanese war, which started in February 1904. Aurore Eaton floated this story for the New Hampshire Union Leader. The U.S.S. Dolphin was a dispatch ship. It was commissioned in Chester in 1885, built by the Delaware River Iron Ship…
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Bucks County Community College Recalls Its Students’ 1968 Historic Support of Gay Rights
Bucks County Community College recently held a forum to discuss its historic support for gay rights —now more broadly defined as LGBTQ+ rights. On May 9, 1968, Bucks students walked out of class over a canceled speaker set to advocate for fair treatment of homosexuals by law enforcement officers and the justice system. The action…
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Lansdale Health System Honors First African American to Start a Hospital, Ambulance Corps
Dr. Frank Boston, a Lincoln University graduate and founder of Jefferson Lansdale Hospital, has recently been honored for his little-known war hero and first responder legacy, according to a staff report from KYW Newsradio. The hospital celebrated Boston and his many contributions at the unveiling of a portrait commissioned in his honor. The portrait was…
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Ridley Creek’s Colonial Plantation: Ewes’ll Love This
Ridley Creek State Park is known for its hiking trails and picnic areas, but it’s also host to a lesser-known historical treasure, the Colonial Pennsylvania Plantation, reports the 6abc digital staff and Dan Sheridan. The living history location in Newtown Square shows visitors what life was like on a 1700s farm. “We’re a historic site…
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Upper Dublin Writer and His Grandson Explore a Family Tree Splintered by the Holocaust
Upper Dublin author Richard Bank and his grandson, Hayden, have been working on a project together to tell their family history, writes Tamala Edwards for 6abc. Bank, who once practiced law, has been writing since he was 15. His true passion turned into an Auschwitz-related trilogy. Feig, I Am Terezin, and The Tree of Sorrow,…
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Vintage Ferris Wheel, Forged in Phoenixville, Returns as Statuary after Long-Term Boardwalk Service
Phoenixville Borough Council has formally reserved a location where an Asbury Park, N.J. Ferris wheel — a boardwalk mainstay for more than a century that was built with Phoenixville steel — will return in revised form to its birthplace. It is envisioned as a “74-foot statue of Americana,” writes Jerry Carino for The Asbury Park…
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‘Decades-Long Dream One Step Closer to Reality’: Effort to Resurrect Century-Old Oxford Theater Receives $2 Million
A decades-long dream to bring a performing arts space to downtown Oxford (Chester County) is one step closer to reality with renewed hope for the Oxford Theater. The nonprofit Oxford Mainstreet, Inc. has received $2 million in state funding for the reconstruction of the historic Oxford Theater on Third Street in the heart of the…
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