Online Resources
for the AMERICAN REVOLUTION in BUCKS COUNTY, PA (& some next door)
General Resources
The war time itinerary of General Washington
http://gwpapers.virginia.edu/documents/revolution/itinerary/1777.html
John Clement Fitzpatrick (ed). The Writings of George Washington. Out-bound correspondence across his lifetime. Last two volumes are indices. August 1777 in volume 9.
John Clement Fitzpatrick (ed). The Writings of George Washington. Out-bound correspondence across his lifetime. Last two volumes are indices. August 1777 in volume 9.
Library of Congress Am Rev Era maps – You will probably need to use the zoom feature.
PA Historical & Museum Commission. Check their Trail of History and roadside markers.
www.explorepahistory.com/ contains “Stories of PA History” & some regional information including lesson plans. Their discussion on the Philadelphia Campaign starts the day after BucksCounty with the 24 Aug 1777 march through Philadelphia towards the Head of Elk, MD.
For coverage of SE PA, visit www.ushistory.org . You need to search to find the small historical sites. Heavily oriented towards Philadelphia.
General Revolutionary War information sources
Does not provide an address or any contact information, so you need to search further.
W.W.H. Davis' History of Bicks County, PA (1876 & 1905) Table of Contents. Online.
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~usgenweb/pa/bucksp/davistoc.htm
PA Society Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) registered Revolutionary Soldier grave sites by county. Link for BucksCounty - http://www.sar.org/passar/graves/WCindex.html
local archaeology projects
David Library of the Am. Rev. – www.DLAR.org Offers a Fall & Spring series of lectures (free) delving into interesting aspects of the war that are glossed over or omitted in history texts. Premier US research collection for Revolutionary Era. & it’s in our backyard! Very helpful staff.
The New Jersey Campaign
SummerseatMansion (Morrisville, PA) – No separate web site. Some info at www.delawareandlehigh.org/searchsite.asp?catid=5 (primarily Easton & points north & west). This mansion was General Washington’s initial headquarters after retreating across the Delaware River to the safety of PA. The house was used several times during the war. Two owners of this house signed the Declaration of Independence.
Washington Crossing Historic Park, PA – www.ushistory.org/washingtoncrossing/index.htm Northern portion of park has Thompson-Neely House which was used as a field hospital. Revolutionary soldier burying ground is nearby.
The PA militia attempted a crossing at Bristol (Dunk’s Ferry) (see Yorktown march sites) and a small Continental Army party made an unauthorized crossing at Coryell’s Ferry [New Hope] (see Parry Mansion www.newhopehistoricalsociety.org/ ).
Newtown Historic Association - www.newtownhistoric.org/
Newtown was the BucksCounty seat during the Revolution. Contains a web page with a historical walking tour. Staging area for Continental Army. An important market town.
The Philadelphia Campaign 1777-78
ENCAMPMENT AT THE NESHAMINY (Moland House & Hartsville in August 1777)
See volume 9 of Fitzpatrick’s (ed) The Writings of George Washington under general.
· for arrival, see CONGRESS Sunday Evening, 9 Oclock, Aug 9, 1777 [really 10 Aug].
· for departure, start with GENERAL ORDERS 21 August 1777.
Washington’s Headquarters at the Moland House (Hartsville) – www.moland.org/ The main menu has a selection ON THE RECORD which provides links to search online databases for
· PA roadside historical markers
· National Register of Historical Places by PA county & other criteria
· The Intelligencer newspaper for articles
Later in this campaign in MontgomeryCounty, the Peter Wentz Farmstead was another of General Washington’s headquarters. http://peterwentzfarmsteadsociety.org/history.html
LAND BLOCKADE OF PHILADELPHIA
Graeme Park (Horsham / Warrington) – www.ushistory.org/graeme/index.htm A PA militia gathering point used by 23 year-old General John Lacey of Buckingham Twp.
Online Institute for Advanced Loyalist Studies. http://www.royalprovincial.com/index.htm use History button on left-hand column menu, then Battles & Campaigns on next left-hand menu. Scroll to 1778 to find three brief accounts on the battle of Crooked Billet [Hatboro], PA (1 May 1778).
Craven Hall Historical Society (Warminster) – www.centennialsd.org/wth/sch/CravenHall/index.htm The battle of Crooked Billet (Hatboro) raged past the cabin with loft which was expanded into this Greek Revival Mansion at Street & Newtown Rds. A few first-hand anecdotes are in W.W.H. Davis’ History of Bucks.
Hope Lodge / Mather’s Mill (near Ambler) - www.ushistory.org/hope/index.html Winter 77-78
MARCH FROM VALLEY FORGE TO MONMOUTH COURTHOUSE, NJ
No sites readily found on this march topic.
The March to Yorktown
Washington Rochambeau Revolutionary Route (W3R) to Yorktown, VA –
Bristol Hist. & Cultural Foundation – www.bristolhistory.org New site, view Gazette. BHCF has a brochure for a walking tour of Bristol. Radcliffe St. was on the Kings Highway to NYC.
AVAILABLE COUNTYWEB SITES OUTSIDE THE REVOLUTIONARY ERA
Parry Mansion (New Hope Historical Society) - www.newhopehistoricalsociety.org/ Although built soon after the American Revolution, this house At Main & Ferry Sts. is quite near the Coryell’s Ferry crossing on the Delaware River.
Pennsbury Manor - www.pennsburymanor.org/
Heritage Conservancy (AldieMansion) – www.heritageconservancy.org See Historical Preservation (services & projects) & About Us / AldieMansion.
Mercer & Fonthill Museums (Doylestown) - http://www.mercermuseum.org/
Moravian Tile Works (Doylestown) - www.buckscounty.org/government/departments/Tileworks/index.aspx
Bucks County Civil War Library & Museum (Doylestown) - http://buckscivilwar.com/Library%20Museum.htm
Pearl S. Buck House – www.psbi.org/site/PageServer (see left-hand column)
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