Bucks County PA Historic Towns and Boroughs

Bristol New Hope Doylestown Yardley Morrisville

Bucks County is one of the three original counties created by William Penn in 1682. Pennsbury Manor stands on the point of land formed by the Delaware River between Morrisville and Bristol. Painstaking research went into restoring the prim-fronted, three-storied, brick manor-house, rebuilt on the original foundations.

Bristol is the oldest town in Bucks County and the third oldest in Pennsylvania. It is the southern terminus of the D&L Trail characterized by coal yards, shipyards, warehouses and textile mills. Its Delaware Riverfront resembles a New England seaport. During World War II, the shipyards were converted for use in the manufacturing of aircraft. Today, Bristol hosts special events near the river and the 50-site Radcliffe Street Historic District. The Spurline Trail presents the town’s improved waterfront and the nearby 235 acre sanctuary Silver Lake Nature Center offers three miles of trails and habitats of more than 160 species of birds, raccoon, muskrats, opossum and deer.

New Hope started out as an industrial town and by the end of the 18^th century it had a variety of mills, ranging from grist and lumber to those that produced flour and processed flax. In the 1820s, cotton spinning and weaving joined the list of businesses on the banks of the Delaware. Veterans from both the American Revolution and War of 1812 called New Hope home, and the streets are lined with houses dating back to that era. Most of the oldest houses are on Ferry Street.

The Canal brought renewed economic activity to New Hope. During the late 1860s an estimated 100 canal boats a day passed through New Hope. During the 1920s and 30s, the village, nearby hamlets and farms became a flourishing art colony. By the mid-century, it became a stopping point for plays bound for Broadway, and home to New York and Philadelphia artists, musicians, writers and the New Hope School of Pennsylvania Impressionists.

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Doylestown is home to historic architecture, sidewalks lined with brick pavers and Victorian-style street lamps, the James A. Michener Art Museum, and the famous Mercer Mile comprising Fonthill Museum, Mercer Museum, and the Moravian Pottery & Tile Works.

The Heritage Conservancy is a community-based organization dedicated to preserving and protecting open spaces, natural resources and historic heritage as well as conservation best practices.

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Yardley dates back to 1682, when William Yardley paid William Penn 10 pounds for 500 acres of land. It wasn’t until 1807 that Yardley began to develop into a village, and by 1880 the population stood at 820 residents. Early industries included a spoke and handle factory, sawmill, plate and plaster mill, and two flour mills. During the Civil War, Yardley was a safe haven on the Underground Railroad. Hiding places included the Continental Tavern, warehouse bins along the Delaware Canal, and the town’s General Store. The Yardley Grist Mill has been a center of commerce since its inception in the late 1600s.

Historic Preservation much of Yardley has retained its historic integrity thanks to the creation of a well-maintained historic district. The majority of the buildings within the district are along South Main Street, with examples of Second Empire, Queen Anne, and Victorian Gothic architecture. Canal Street runs parallel to the Delaware Canal and is dotted with small, predominantly frame structures dating from 1840. Canal bridges and an aqueduct are within the district as well as rows of pre-canal stone homes.

The Town of Morrisville is located at the falls of the Delaware River across from Trenton and is the oldest town in Bucks County and third oldest in Pennsylvania. One-half mile from the falls of the Delaware River, nobleman Thomas Barclay’s 1765 Georgian mansion known as Summerseat once served as Washington’s headquarters. Declaration of Independence and Constitution signers Robert Morris, financier of the revolution and George Clymer were subsequent owners of this National Historic Site.

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The Wine Trails of Pennsylvania

A Moderate Climate and Rolling Terrains make for some of the best wine growing conditions in America. Pennsylvania produces over 1.6 million gallons of wine yearly; it is the country’s fifth largest grape producer, seventh in wine production as well as number of wineries.

The Susquehanna Heartland Wine Trail all the 16 participating wineries enjoy a favorable climate for growing native and hybrid grapes, as well as more delicate grape varieties. These wineries also produce delicious fruit wines, including offerings infused with apple, blackberry, blueberry, cherry, cantaloupe, elderberry, peach, and rhubarb. The trail stretches from just north of Harrisburg to State College.

Hershey Harrisburg Wine Country is comprised of fifteen family-owned, award-winning wineries that produce over 250 handcrafted selections of whites, reds, and blushes.

The Mason-Dixon Wine Trail boasts a mix of 17 established vineyards and emerging vintners. Many tasting rooms are housed in rustic and historical properties, spanning from York County, into Maryland. Wineries offer festivals, concerts and events throughout the year.

The Pocono Wine Trail is comprised of seven family-owned vineyards and wineries as well as hiking, skiing, and snowboarding, specialty shops and spas.

The Lehigh Valley Wine Trail and its eight wineries and wines made with Chambourcin, the Valley’s signature grape and the only grape grown by all member wineries. The red grape is so powerful in the Lehigh Valley that it covers a total of 40 acres and is crafted into approximately 150,000 bottles each year. Visit nearby Bethlehem for a stop in a rejuvenated city full of history, art, culture and the world’s oldest bookstore, Moravian Book Shop.

Eleven Wineries line the countryside landscape of greater Berks County. From sparkling and sweet dessert wines to dry table wines, the county’s fertile soil lends itself to a variety of styles.

The Brandywine Wine Trail in Chester County Includes Six Wineries Located Within a 50-mile Radius

Bucks County Wine Trail’s seven participating wineries are located just minutes apart in the Delaware Valley whereas the Montgomery County Wine Trail’s four wineries offer unique and satisfying experiences. In addition to traditional varieties, this trail offers wines you may never have tried before — like meads, ciders, and even veggie wines. You can also create your own custom wine. The trail also intersects with the Bucks County Wine Trail, so wine lovers can easily add seven additional stops to their journey.

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Historic Towns on the Maryland Eastern Shore

Saint Michaels Chestertown Cambridge Salisbury and Oxford

The Eastern Shore of Maryland is comprised of nine counties with a population of nearly 450 thousand. The term Eastern Shore distinguishes a territorial part of the State from the land west of Chesapeake Bay.

The Chesapeake and Delaware Canal was a shallow canal with locks after its construction in 1829; it was deepened in the early 20^th century to sea level. The north-south section of the Mason-Dixon Line forms the border between Maryland and Delaware. The border was originally marked every mile by a stone, and every five miles by a crownstone. It was surveyed as a compromise solution to a century-long wrangle between the Penn and Calvert families. Commercial east-west ties between Delaware and Maryland towns were culturally significant in Colonial and Early American periods despite the border line. Trade with Philadelphia was conducted by overland routes to Delaware towns like Smyrna and Odessa; these cultural connections continue to this day.

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Saint Michaels derives its name from the Episcopal Parish established in 1677 which attracted settlers that grew tobacco and engaged in shipbuilding. The town's tourist industry has roots in the 19^th century with steamboats from Baltimore and summer guest cottages opening for weeklong rentals. The opening of the maritime museum in 1965, waterfront activities and historic bay vessels added further impetus to travel and vacations to the town.

Chestertown was founded in 1706 and achieved prominence as one of six Royal Ports of Entry becoming Maryland’s second port after Annapolis and second to the State Capital in the number of 18^th century mansions owned by a flourishing merchant class along the Chester River waterfront. In May 1774, five months after the British closed the port of Boston after the Boston Tea Party, the citizens of Chestertown wrote a set of resolves that prohibited the buying, selling, or drinking of tea. Based on these resolves, a popular legend has it that the citizens held their own tea party on the Chester River, in an act of colonial defiance.

The Chestertown Tea Party Festival celebrates Chestertown's colonial heritage with a weekend of events with colonial music and dance, fife and drum performances, puppet shows, colonial crafts demonstrations and sales, military drills, and a walking tour of the historic district. In the afternoon, re-enactors board the schooner Sultana and tea is thrown into the Chester River.

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Cambridge was settled by English colonists in 1684 who developed farming on the Eastern Shore. The largest plantations were devoted first to tobacco, and then mixed farming. The town was a trading center and later a stop on the Underground Railroad, an extensive network of safe houses for slaves escaping to the north. Cambridge developed food processing industries in the late 19^th century, canning oysters, tomatoes and sweet potatoes.  Main Street is a comprehensive downtown revitalization process created by the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development with a focus on heritage tourism.

Salisbury is the largest town on the Eastern Shore and the commercial hub of the Delmarva Peninsula. The town’s oldest neighborhoods have Federal, Georgian, and Victorian architecture.

Oxford traces its start from 1666 when 30 acres were laid out as a town called Oxford by William Stephens, Jr. enjoying prominence as an international shipping center surrounded by wealthy tobacco plantations. Early inhabitants included Robert Morris, Sr., who greatly influenced the town's growth; his son, Robert Morris, Jr., known as the financier of the Revolution; Jeremiah Banning, sea captain, war hero, and statesman; The Reverend Thomas Bacon, Anglican clergyman who wrote the first compilation of the laws of Maryland. Oxford has the oldest privately operated ferry service still in continuous use in the United States originally established in 1683.

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