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By Bob Waite
I vaguely remember Newtown during the 1950s when we would go as a family to visit my Aunt Madeline and Uncle Bill who were living in a colonial farmhouse in Penns Park. Leaving from Trenton with my mom, dad and brother, we would cross the Washington Crossing Bridge and take the country roads through Newtown to get to our destination. And to me, a young city boy, we were really in the country. We passed wooded areas and farms and then we were in Newtown. It stood out because it was a small town, clean and interesting. Sometimes we would stop for a minute to take photos and maybe grab some candy bars. I still remember Ned’s cigar shop, even though I was too young to use his products.
My uncle Bill would tell me tales about Newtown—historical details that I mostly don’t remember, except that it was there that George Washington’s headquarters were established after the Battle of Trenton. And I also remember him telling us about the infamous Doan gang that robbed the county treasury in Newtown and did other acts of banditry throughout the area, all for the King’s side in the American Revolution. Bad guys, I thought, those Doans.
Newtown was founded by the original Quaker settlers. William Penn’s ‘new town’ was to be an experiment, a planned community—a kind of 17th-century Levittown. The town would be built around a rectangular piece of land called the “town commons.” Now several centuries later, the town’s center has moved from the rectangular track of land along the creek to streets like State, Sycamore and Washington. Instead of a shared plot of common ground, now there are sidewalks, shops and restaurants amid picturesque homes and public buildings. But those changes took almost 340 years since its founding by William Penn in 1684.
Although Newtown did not become a borough until later, it was one of only three place names noted on Penn’s original seventeenth century maps of the county. And what we think of Newtown actually lies in two communities. Local historian Jeffrey Marshall in an article he wrote for this publication in 2013, said, “Newtown is the name of both a borough and township located in the central, southern portion of Bucks County. What is known as the “town of Newtown”, lies in both the borough and township and contains a rich mixture of Colonial and Victorian architecture.” The actual Borough of Newtown was not incorporated until 1838, 154 years after its it’s founding by William Penn.
In 1726 Newtown became the county seat and remained so for 86 years until 1813 when the seat moved to Doylestown. A courthouse was built on what is now the west side of Court Street and faced Centre Avenue. And besides having a court and jail, it housed the county treasury. It was this fact that led the Doan gang on October 22, 1781, to break into the county treasurer’s house and bring him to the county treasury and steal it all. Bad guys, for sure.
According to the Newtown Historic Association, “On Christmas morning 1776, Gen. George Washington marched from his headquarters to join the Battle of Trenton. Gen. Washington made his headquarters in Newtown after the Battle of Trenton and the famed crossing of the Delaware River and before the Battle of Princeton, where he penned his two famous letters to Congress describing his victory at Trenton.”
Walking through Newtown is like taking a tour through three centuries of architecture. Besides the Colonial and Federal style houses on Court Street, there are beautiful Victorian homes, reproduction colonials and contemporary homes that are so well blended that they seem to all be of the same character. For example, the Victorian homes are tasteful, simple by the standards of the period, and only mildly ornate—still reflecting some of the plain sensibilities of the Quaker town fathers. Colonial homes have been adapted to modern life and often have newer additions, sunrooms, while some of the newer homes are reproductions of older architectural styles.
The Newtown Historic Association’s Newtown Heritage walk is a way of seeing 35 historic sites and landmarks from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries by the use of numbered wayside markers and maps that direct the walker. Although you can start and stop at anyplace, the first marker is the Half Moon Inn on Court Street, which is now the headquarters of the association. For more information about this walk, visit www.newtownhistoric.org/visit/walking-tours/newtown-heritage-walk.
Modern Newtown still retains its historic character, but the Borough and the Township have become a destination for dining, shopping, and entertainment. It is also a desirable place to live. According to Niche, which grades communities based on their schools “…Newtown is in Bucks County and is one of the best places to live in Pennsylvania. Living in Newtown offers residents a sparse suburban feel and most residents own their homes. In Newtown there are a lot of restaurants and parks.” The Council Rock School District is known for its high standards and gets an ‘A’ rating from Niche.
For a small town, Newtown has the reputation and sheer number of eateries to make it a center for dining in Bucks County. From small cafes, smoothie shops and ice cream parlors to bakeries to some of the best dining in Bucks County. And not only are there old established restaurants, but it seems, almost overnight there is a whole new crop of restaurants offering foods from Traditional American, New American to Italian, Asian, Mediterranean, French, and Amish.
Newtown is also a destination for shoppers. The Village at Newtown is a large outdoor shopping mall with lots of restaurants and small eateries and many shops, boutiques and interesting stores. There you can buy books, sportswear, stop in a make your own pizza, shop or go to a fine dining restaurant. And you can eat at a brewery with a sports bar, buy books, clothing, jewelry, donuts, pet supplies, pet gifts, do banking, buy office supplies, and you can even do your grocery shopping. At the Newtown Farmers Market, you can get Amish food, buy baked goods, seafood and fruit and vegetables.
State Street, in the center of Newtown, has clothing boutiques, restaurants, a Starbucks, an old-fashioned hardware store, a record and bookstore, home décor stores and all on a street with an inviting small-town look. It is the perfect street to take a stroll and stop into Zebra-Striped Whale to get an ice cream cone and to sit on a bench in the shade while you eat it.
Entertainment in Newtown begins with The Newtown Theatre. Built in 1831 as a community gathering facility and non-sectarian church building, called Newtown hall, it began in the 1850s to hold performances that included concerts and plays. In 1883 the building was reconstructed and was designed for stage performances. In 1906 the first movie was shown and it became the oldest continually operating movie theatre in the USA. Now movies, plays, comedy and music can be seen and heard there. To find out more about this popular Newtown institution, visit www.thenewtowntheatre.com.
There are several restaurants and breweries nearby that have live music and piano bars. There are events that involve the whole town, such as Newtown Market Day, Holiday Tree Lighting and the Holiday Parade. This town that began as a planned Quaker community is now a vibrant hub for education, entertainment, dining, shopping and sightseeing. It has grown and is growing. It’s not the town we drove through during the 1950s when visiting my Aunt Madeline and Uncle Bill. And no more bad guys.
Bob Waite is the editor of Bucks County Magazine.