by Patti Guthrie
Bucks has an incredibly rich history, the county is rife with historically significant buildings, many dating back to the 1700s. An outstanding example is The Bridgetown Mill House Inn on Langhorne-Newtown Road in Langhorne. Besides being itself a classic Bucks County fieldstone manor house, on the property there is the shell of an old stone mill. The earliest section of the dwelling was built in 1791 according to owner Kim DaCosta, while the mill actually dates all the way back to 1704. “Both buildings are mentioned by name in documents in the Mercer Museum’s Spruance Library and the DuPont Company Library in Delaware,” she said. “Bridgetown itself was given its name because you had to cross two bridges to get here.” She added, “I’m a stickler for historic facts.”
Although Langhorne-Newtown Road (Route 413) is a very busy road, behind the Mill House are eight beautiful acres of green gardens, the Neshaminy Creek, and some very large trees. The setting is peaceful and bucolic. Among the many large trees on the property, the three enormous Sycamores are particularly noteworthy, having been rated and studied by the County for their health and size. “Those trees are at least 280 years old, pushing 300,” said Kim. “I’ve been told they were planted by the Turtle Clan of the Neshaminy Indians who once lived in this area because the white bark of these trees could be seen from the creek.” She added, “When the electric company wanted to take down one of the trees so they could run their wires, I basically said, ‘Over my dead body!’” The wires are above the ground on each side of the Mill House but run underground across the front of this property.
The original or south side of the Mill House was doubled in size in 1861 when the northern half was built. She explained, “The masons did an outstanding job of blending the new stone construction with the original. It’s very difficult to see where the two join.”
When Kim bought the property in 1995, it had been a private residence. “We initially intended to open a restaurant. However, the zoning ordinances and other regulations we had to follow made it easier for us to have a bed and breakfast,” she said. As a result The Bridgetown Mill House Bed and Breakfast was opened in June of 1998 with three guest rooms. “Even though there are five bedrooms on the second floor, only three had baths,” she said. “I don’t like sharing a bathroom and so didn’t want my guests to have to share one.” In the ensuing years, bathrooms have been added to the other two rooms, bringing the number of guest rooms to five.
The present dining room was added in the early 1970s, using the outside wall as an interior one. “Everything here was made from recycled material. For example, the beams date from about 1820, the bricks are reused from Philadelphia streets. There’s a huge walk-in fireplace. Since we’ve had the property, we added a patio using recycled bricks from Philadelphia.”
In April of 2003 The Mill House opened its restaurant, making it a country inn. Russell Cummings is Kim’s partner and the main chef. He received his training at the Philadelphia Restaurant School. He’s been with the restaurant since the opening, first employed as a sous chef before taking the reins as the main chef a few years later. With a smile, he said, “Having an old house is a labor of love.” The restaurant is closed Sunday and Monday. However, the inn never closes.
To finish reading this article go to page 122 in the Summer 2012 of Bucks County Magazine.