Historic Quakertown
by Jeffrey Marshall
Quakertown got its name from the Quaker meetinghouse that was built there in 1723. Quakers began coming to Richland Township in 1710, but beginning in 1730 Germans began moving into the Township and quickly outnumbered the English Quakers. Quakertown stayed small until the mid-nineteenth century and was just a collection of houses laid out along Main Street from the Friends Meetinghouse to what is today Broad Street.
When the North Penn Railroad was built in 1856 the surveyors refused to lay its track through the village, but drew the line a mile eastward. Then, inasmuch as the railroad refused to come to the town, the town had to go to the railroad. So a settlement grew up by the station. This accounts for the unusual linear shape of the borough. Gradually the old town and the new became connected with a continuous line of buildings along the land abutting Broad and Juniper streets. The town grew at both ends, but most rapidly near the railroad.
During the Colonial period it was natural for a tavern to be established at the junction of major roads leading from Philadelphia to Bethlehem and Allentown and the road to Newtown via Doylestown. It is known that Walter McCool had an inn somewhere in the vicinity in 1765. As was often the case, there was competition to obtain the coveted tavern license and owners of buildings at the same intersection vied for the license. Tavern license petitions indicate that the intersection of what is now Broad & Main Streets was the site of a tavern as early as 1773 when William Taylor received a license.. It appears that Enoch Roberts built the stone structure, which housed the Red Lion Hotel after 1798. In 1808 a petition was filed with the court stating that the tavern was a public nuisance and that it was so bad that the situation “frequently caused travelers to leave the house for fear of violence.” Roberts lost his tavern license and it had to be renewed by his tenant in later years. He owned the property until his death in 1853 at the age of 95.
The oldest documented stone house in town is Liberty Hall at 1237 West Broad Street, built in 1772. This Georgian style home features a gambrel roof, pent eaves, and a coursed stone facade with relieving arches over the first floor windows. What survives is only the parlor and parlor chamber. The other half of the house is said to have been built in 1742, but it was demolished in the late 1800s. The kitchen and other bedrooms were in the missing half. The building gets its name for the role it played as part of the secret removal of the Liberty Bell from Philadelphia during the Revolution. During the British occupation of the city in 1777, two hundred patriot soldiers, fearing the Liberty Bell (and other city bells) would be melted down for the crown’s ammunition, moved the bell in a caravan of 700 wagons out of the city, essentially up the Bethlehem Road, ultimately to be hidden under the floor of the Zion Reformed Church in Allentown. On September 23, 1777, the patriot’s wagon train stopped at the Red Lion overnight, hiding the bell across the street behind the small stone home of Abel Roberts, which is now known as Liberty Hall.
The last eighteenth century landmark has been gone from old Quakertown since it was razed in 1891. The Lancaster House was a clapboard covered log structure, which was built in 1742. It was in this home that the infamous Fries Rebellion was plotted. The rebellion was against the 1798 direct tax on windows levied by the Federal Government. After a lengthy trial, President Adams pardoned Fries and his accomplices.
The Burgess Foulke House which was moved from Trumbauersvllle Road to 26 N. Main Street in the borough in 1974 to save it from demolition. This 1812 stone farmhouse is an outstanding example of Federal style, rural architecture.
Quakertown played a key role in one of the mid-nineteenth century’s most contentious social issues, slavery. The town is located on one of the main routes used by escaped slaves to flee from the south, through Philadelphia, and on to Canada and freedom. A key “conductor” on this series of escape routes that became known as the Underground Railroad was Richard Moore.
Moore lived and operated a redware pottery at 401 South Main Street. He his credited with having moved over 600 slaves along in his pottery wagons and various other ways over the course of his career.
In trying to understand how historic towns have grown, we generally have look back through the lens of what we now see. It is rare to get a glimpse through the eyes of those who lived in the town over one hundred years ago. We are lucky to have an account of Quakertown published in July 16, 1888 edition of the Doylestown Intelligencer. The long forgotten author tells us that Quakertown “ ... derives its name from the fact that the earliest settlers were nearly all Friends. In looking over the town the name would seem inappropriate, as there are few Quaker families living there at the present time. Clearings were made and homes erected upon the hills surrounding the valley in which Quakertown is located long before the lowlands were invaded, which were swampy and considered to be unhealthy. The earliest account of the settlement was written by a German surgeon, who had been taken prisoner with some Hessian troops, and who made the journey from Philadelphia to Bethlehem in Revolutionary days.”
He wrote, “The original borough embraced the portion of the town lying on the west side of the railroad but some years ago the village known as Richland Centre was added to the old town site. Quakertown is situated on the North Penn Railroad, sixteen miles south of Bethlehem and forty miles north of Philadelphia. Her population numbers [in 1888] about 2000 people, and is growing. Last season several new houses were erected, most of them substantial structures, the builders meaning to occupy them. At present there are nearly twenty dwellings under way, about one-half of them being brick and will cost from $2000 to $3000.” In 1888, Quakertown had five stores of general merchandise. With two more dry goods stores at or near the station. There were three groceries, four drug stores and two hardware houses. The town also had four hotels.
The article boasted, “Quakertown has a number of fine churches. The German Reformed and Lutheran congregations worship in the same building and are the largest congregations in the place. The other churches are the Methodist, two German Methodists, Catholic and Friends’ Meeting House. The latter people worship in the old building at the end of Main Street and are few in number. An Episcopal Church is about to be erected on Broad Street. The article also told about one of the town’s main businesses. “The manufacturing of cigars has been in vogue in the town for many years. Henry Somers is one of the leading cigar makers of the place. He was formerly located at Milford Square and conducted the business [in] Philadelphia … He now employs about forty men, and manufactures various grades of cigars, but principally those of superior quality. He purchases tobacco from the producers and New York houses. He operates two large machines for wrapping cigars, which turn out about 6000 per day. The factory is a brick building, two stories high, and is operated and heated by steam.”
In 1888, Quakertown supported two planing mills. Thomas & Co. operated one and P. A. Stoneback was the proprietor of the other. They produced cigar and cheese boxes. The author notes, “One of the most interesting industries carried on in Quakertown is the manufacturing of organs. C. F. Durner controls the factory located there and has been in the business for about 30 years. Mr. Durner studied his business in Germany and France, and is a maker of church organs exclusively. He has a large three-story factory in which every part of the organs is made. After the various parts are constructed the instruments are erected in a room built for the purpose, where they are thoroughly tested by Mr. Durner before being sent away. Mr. Durner furnished the largest organ in Lancaster city. He also built two large organs for Philadelphia churches, and turns out from three to four annually at prices ranging from $3000 to $5000.”
The stove works were eventually demolished to make way for the central parking lot and Quaker Village Shopping Center in downtown Quakertown. “The largest building in Quakertown in 1888 was J. S. Harley’s Quakertown harness factory that was established in 1878. According to the newspaper, the factory was “one of the finest harness factories in the whole country. Mr. Harley’s goods are sold from Maine to California, and he ships to Bermuda and Canada.”
Quakertown, Bristol and Doylestown all vied for the county’s leading town in the 19th century. Like other towns, the growing population of Quakertown created needs for social organizations. In 1869 the Order of the Sons of Herman built a large structure on Broad Street to house their activities. The next year it was sold to become the headquarters of the Quakertown Savings Bank. Once the bank left, the building was bought to house the local newspaper and the structure became known as the Free Press Building. In 1877 a group of enterprising citizens formed the Germania Band. Today this group continues although the name was changed to the Quakertown Band. The Moose Hall on Broad Street is another example of a building built by a fraternal organization.
Befitting its importance in the development of Upper Bucks County, a large section of Quakertown Borough has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In addition, Liberty Hall at 1237 W. Broad Street, the Enoch Roberts House at 1226 W. Broad Street and the Quakertown Train Station on Front Street are individually listed on the register.
Quakertown demonstrates a variety of building types of quiet a variety of styles. These include among others Georgian, Federal, Gothic Revival, Queen Anne, Second Empire and Bungalow/ Craftsmen. It has a collection of well-designed and attractive church buildings such as the First Reformed Church, 415 W. Broad Street and St. John’s Lutheran Church at 1018 W. Broad Street.
One of the town’s signature buildings is Sine’s 5 & 10 at 240 W. Broad Street. Sine’s 5 and 10 began in 1912 and has occupied its Broad street location since 1926. The business began selling merchandise and treats such as roasted peanuts and candy. An eye-catching building is located at l222 W. Broad Street. This building demonstrates the exotic style of architecture popular at the time. In addition to its Federal elements, Moorish revival style can be observed with two-domed top protruding octagonal towers.
Perhaps the town’s collection of Queen Anne style houses, with their asymmetrical form, towers, turrets, fish scale shingles and ornate porches make it so attractive. While most of these houses were constructed of brick, the brown stone house at 1225 W. Broad Street is one of the town’s architectural delights. One of the most colorful examples of this style is located directly across from the Quakertown train station at 18 Front Street. The house at 401 E. Broad Street is an example of the Queen Anne style home made from brick. This house has a carriage house as well as a gazebo behind. The house shows the asymmetrical qualities of a Queen Anne. Sidewalls protrude to from several “Half-octagonal” towers and a rounded tower/turret is prominently above the house’s main entrance. The tower is surrounded by its own second floor porch with a balustrade. The design in one of the rounded sections of the turret features arches almost shaped like human figures.
Transportation played a key role in the development of the town. The Quakertown Train Station was one of the town’s most important properties. The original appearance of the Quakertown Train Station is documented by a description which appeared in the Quakertown Free Press Newspaper on November 14, 1902, three days after the Philadelphia and Reading Railway Company took possession of the newly completed building: “The new station house is 25 feet wide and 97 feet 6 inches long, not including the circular bay of about 5 feet at the north end, making the entire length 102 feet. Its style is that peculiar to passenger stations of nearly all the railroad companies in this section of the country. It is built of Rockhill granite with Indiana lime stone bases and sills. The roof is of slate and projects about eight feet over a concrete walk around the building. There are also extensions to the roof at each end for shelter and protection of passengers. All the walks around the building, including also the floor in the basement and a portion of the first floor, are made of concrete and cement of which probably 600 square yards were required. The entire length of the concrete walk along the tracks is 203 feet.”
Another transportation-related building in town is the former trolley barn and station at 108 E. Broad St. Built in 1897; it dominates the streetscape with its black ashlar stone façade and crenellated tower. The arrival of the trolley on June 11, 1898, to Quakertown brought renewed growth throughout the first several decades of the 20th century. By 1900 the population was 3,014, an increase of 1,200 in just twenty years. The trolley station was constructed near the railroad station, helping make Quakertown the transportation hub of Upper Bucks County.
The town’s growth resulting in the construction of not only large, ornate houses, factories and churches, but resulted in the construction of a number of substantial row house blocks and eventually the area’s first large housing subdivision, Tohickon Heights. Like many downtowns, the construction of improved highways, in this case, Route 309, outside of the town, drew businesses away from the historic village. Like many other older towns, Quakertown is capitalizing on its heritage to create a future that rivals its history.
Jeffrey L. Marshall is a Bucks County historian and the president of the Heritage Conservancy.