Let me tell you the history of my home town of Doylestown, Pennsylvania and Bucks County! It’s truly a cultural and historical mecca! You won’t want to miss it! We’re located under an hour’s drive from Philadelphia, two hours from New York City and 1.5 hours from Princeton.
Quarter Finalist 2013 FTF Teen Travel Writing Scholarship
Doylestown’s history is the story of American ingenuity. My town has humble origins which trace the story of our great nation. Doylestown is built at the intersection of four roads. Two of these roads were crossed by the Lenape Tribe, dating from before 1000 AD. The roads connected Shackamaxon (Philadelphia) and Leehauwekink (Easton) as well as the Delaware and Schulykill Rivers. In 1745, William Doyle built a tavern at the dusty crossroads of US Routes 202 and 611. Doylestown today is a thriving and prosperous community that has endured generations.
Our story is intimately linked to that of our nation; from the boom of the tool making industry during the early Industrial Revolution, through the conflict that threatened to tear our country apart when Pennsylvania’s 104th Infantry Regiment marched from Doylestown to the Battle of Manassas, and into the 21st century, when our town hosted Pope John Paul II, as he visited the Shrine of Czestochowa to highlight the bond of friendship between his native Poland and the United States of America. This town has borne witness to history and is helping to forge the future.
A discussion of Doylestown’s architecture must include both Mercer mansions: Henry Mercer’s Fonthill, built in 1910, and William Mercer’s Aldie mansion, built in 1927. Fonthill is beautiful and interesting and is noted for its International style in design. Fonthill and the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works are now both museums and known as “The Mercer Mile.”
Aldie Mansion is home to the Heritage Conservancy, an organization dedicated to preservation of the environment.
Doylestown has a number of properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is an area where industry, classic architectural forms, history, recreation and a picturesque landscape all create a unique, American town. Every day residents and visitors alike enjoy our unique community.
President Ronald Reagan said of Doylestown “Not far from here, our Declaration of Independence was penned and our liberty proclaimed. Not far from here, General George Washington and his ragtag army, many of the soldiers without shoes, endured a winter of despair. And it was in that time of darkness for America when giants in the cause of human liberty stepped forward and helped turn the tide.”
Doylestown and Bucks County were home to notable cultural figures including James Michener, Pearl Buck, Margaret Mead, David Burpee, Oscar Hammerstein and Dr. Henry Mercer. We also claim more recent notable hometown personalities including musical group Circa Survive and entertainers Justin Guarini, Pink (Alecia Moore).
Over the last century Doylestown grew along with the rest of Bucks County. Our town is popular and prosperous and functions as the county seat. Doylestown became a professional town, with law and medicine among its top professions. Art, architecture, shopping, dining, boating, canoeing, tubing, antique bi-plane rides, hot air balloon or glider, wine-tasting, the Bucks County Playhouse, 6 state parks, 13 country parks, 11 covered bridges, fishing and boating on the 1,450 acre Lake Nockamixon are all nearby.
I’m certain, by now you are sure to want to pay a visit to this wonderful part of our country to learn about our history and visit this destination town! Experience the region where our nation was born in style. Visit Doylestown soon! I’ll see you here!
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