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by Diana Cercone
We all know Bucks County is rich in history, but few of us can say exactly why. Sure, we know Washington crossed the Delaware in 1776 on Christmas morning in a surprise attack on the Hessians headquartered in Trenton and who were fiercely fighting alongside the British against the Continental Army. Now no small feat, and, indeed, by that brilliant tactic, Washington was able to turn the war in America’s favor and give his troops hope of final victory.
But to delve deeper into our County’s—and country’s—history, we must turn to the historic houses that pepper our towns, villages and countryside. For it is within them that we learn firsthand of the lifestyle of those long ago times. And of the struggles, sacrifices and bravery of those before us who made it possible to live in the land of the free.
It was with this in mind that I visited the Moland House (its full title is Moland House Historic Park, but I’ll get to that later) located in Warwick Township on Old York Road. Greeting me at the front door were Dave and Jo-Ann Mullen. Dave is president of the Warwick Township Historical Society and Jo-Ann chairs the Moland House’s gift shop and its annual Revolutionary War Reenactment. It is also here that I learn that the Moland House is really a tale of two houses.
Let us start with the first. The house was built in 1750 by Englishman and lawyer John Moland, who later practiced in Philadelphia. Originally built as his summer retreat, the 300-acre farm later became his permanent residence until his death in 1762. Fast-forward to 1777. That August, Washington got word that the British fleet of 250 ships had pulled out of the New York harbor and headed for—not their homeland, certainly. But where? That was the big question. (Just to give an idea of how imposing the British fleet was, Dave says, the famous Spanish Armada had only 130 ships.)
At the time Washington was leaving the Lambertville and New Hope area (then known as Coryell’s Ferry) and felt strongly that the British fleet was headed for Philadelphia since that was the home of the Continental Congress. Made sense. With his Continental Army in tow—11,000 troops and about 4,500 camp followers—Washington marched along Old York Road looking for the ideal residence to set up headquarters. He chose the widow Catherine Moland’s stone house. According to records the Moland House was reported to be “the best furnished house in the neighborhood.” (It was also an area where many Scotch/Irish settlers had made their home, Dave says. So there was no love loss with the British, making the Moland House and the area a safe haven for Washington and his men to encamp.)
And that is where, arriving on August 10th, on a hot summer evening in that year Gen. George Washington, America’s founding father and first president, made his headquarters, staying until Saturday, August 23rd. It was the longest period of time he had stayed in one home since the war began. No other “Washington slept here” house could boast that. But that wasn’t the only historic significance attached to the Moland House. There were others even more significant.
For it was here, growing restless with the uncertainty of where the British fleet would assault next, Washington called for a Council of War to convene at his Moland House HQ. Arriving for duty were his aide de camp Alexander Hamilton, co-author of The Federalist Papers and first secretary of the U.S. Treasury; Captain Harry Lee, whose father and uncle both signed the Constitution, a future governor of Virginia and the father of Robert E. Lee; Captain Thomas Paine, author of Common Sense and The Rights of Man, who also penned the Revolutionary maxim “These are the times that try men’s souls;” Lt. John Marshall, the first chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court; Captain James Monroe, the 5th president of the United States; General Casamir Pulaski, a Polish nobleman, soldier and military commander; and the Marquis de Lafayette, a French nobleman and military officer.
That historic meeting was also the first time both Pulaski and Lafayette presented themselves to Washington. Pulaski entered the American fight on the advice of Ben Franklin. So great was his knowledge in military warfare and of invaluable help to the Continental Army, he is known today as “the father of the American calvary.” After meeting Washington that August, a month later at the Battle of Brandywine, he saved Washington’s life. Two years later, while leading a daring charge against the British at the Battle of Savannah, Pulaski was mortally wounded and died October, 1779.
For the 19-year-old Lafayette, the meeting with Washington was the beginning of a lifelong father/son relationship which he described as “The Great Conversation.” It was at the Moland House that Lafayette received his command. He rode alongside Washington over the next seven years, and, in that time, spent three million of his own money (roughly 72 million dollars today).
Word came that a few ships were sighted off the Chesapeake Bay. The British army did not attack Philadelphia as earlier believed, but sailed south to make their way up the Brandywine River. Washington and his men quickly pursued, marching down Old York Road through Philadelphia and camping along the Brandywine Creek. That September he and his troops suffered a major loss to the British, led by Sir William Howe. Not only there but also one month later in Germantown and, then, spending a brutally harsh winter at Valley Forge where hundreds of Continental Army troops died from disease. Instead of total defeat, Valley Forge became a turning point for Washington and his men. They had proved their mettle and commitment to winning their independence.
Though Washington’s historic 13-day stay and Council of War meeting were more than enough reasons for the Moland House to be registered as a historic landmark, there is another. On June 14 (which is why we celebrate Flag Day on that date) in 1777, the Continental Congress authorized a Philadelphia seamstress, Betsy Ross, to design the first American flag. Known as the Betsy Ross flag, it’s believed to have flown for the first time over the Moland House while Washington was headquartered there.
The second Moland House tale is no less important — nor less heroic. (Perhaps, even, more so.) The year now is 1994. By this time the Moland House has passed through 13 different families and had dwindled down to 12 acres. Finally, it was left abandoned and condemned, and ripe for vandalism. Rumors had a developer acquiring the property and bulldozing the historic house to make way for townhouses. There was also a lengthy court battle to determine the rightful owner. But in the end, because of a group of civic-minded neighbors who formed the Warwick Township Historical Society (WTHS), a non-profit, whose main goal was saving the Moland House, Warwick Township acquired ownership. The Society’s ceaseless efforts to hold fund-raisers and to write to their U.S., state and local representatives to save the Moland House had paid off.
However, the Township made it clear to the Warwick Township Historical Society that it was not in the restoration business, and that any restoration and running of the historic site was the Society’s responsibilities. It was a huge and expensive undertaking. One that would take nearly 10 years to fully complete. But like Washington and his men at Valley Forge, the 100-member-plus volunteers of the Warwick Township Historical Society proved more than their mettle and commitment to preserving an important part of our American history.
Even before restoration work could begin, major clean-up of both the house and the property was needed. The Society’s volunteer members went to work. More trash bags than you could count were filled. Trash items not bagged littered the property like fields of dead flowers. These as well as other debris such as broken window panes and dirty, decayed clothing filled two large dumpsters. In addition, plaster from the 1940s had to be painstakingly removed from the outside stone walls.
Major funding was also needed as seed money for the real restoration work. It came through the generous donations of residents Ken and Helen Gemmill who donated matching funds from grants offered by the Pennsylvania Historic and Museum Commission. With $200,000 in grant money, the WTHS was off to a good start. And they started off by hiring John Milner Architects, the nation’s most respected architectural firm in 18th century restoration. Mary DeNadai headed the team of architects. Like archeologists, she and her team were able to reconstruct what the original Moland House not only looked like in 1777, but, with the expert help from local artisans, such as Bill Merrick, master woodworker and expert in 18th century woodworking, and Steve Snyder, the area’s premier stonemason (and now award-winning sculptor) restored it to Washington’s time. Of Snyder, it has been said that “he can look at a stone that has been moved and by its cut and shape, tell its original location in a wall.”
Over the years more funding was needed. It came through from both grants and donations, especially through the generosity of the A. P. Kirby Foundation.
Unfortunately, none of the Moland’s family furniture or artifacts were found in the house. Fortunately, however, there was a list of Moland’s property and household items cited in an article entitled “The Thirteen Days of August” by Helen H. Gemmill. It is generally on display in the room designated as Moland’s office. The furniture and furnishings found in the house today are either authentic period pieces or expert reproductions. Many of them were on the original list, such as most of the items in the open hearth. Of particular interest in the kitchen area are the stone sink, beehive oven and wrought-iron trammel used to control temperature in the open-hearth fireplace. Oh, yes, and look for the rope beds upstairs. You might even be asked to give a turn or two on the rope’s crank when you tour.
Today, it’s hard to go through the Moland House without hearing the echoes of Washington, Lafayette, Hamilton and Pulaski at their Council of War. And if you ask any member of the Warwick Township Historical Society, they’ll tell you “It’s still the best furnished house in the neighborhood.”
The Moland House is located at 1741 Old York Road (Hartsville) in Warwick Township. Guided tours are offered from 1 - 4 p.m. on the second and fourth Sundays of the month, May- through October, and on the second Sunday of the month, Nov.-April. Open-hearth cooking demonstrations are held every second Sunday of the month. This year’s annual Revolutionary War Reenactment will be held Saturday, August 17, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. For more information, call 215-343-8485 or 215-918-1754; www.Moland.org.