What
do dinosaur bones, underground tunnels, and skeletal remains have
in common? All were found bobbing around in a stew of surprises that
surfaced while I researched the history of Bucks County’s inns &
taverns.
Finding colorful characters and stop-you-in-your tracks stories would
be a delight for any researcher with a sociological bent. But
villainous outlaws gunned down in shoot-outs, well-patronized brothels,
and illegal moonshine were decidedly not subjects I expected to find
while exploring Bucks County’s past. Such is the stuff of film
and fantasy, not a region that had been agricultural for most of its
existence.
The early days, dotted with the progressive developments of pioneering,
canal building and stage travel gave rise to public houses, taverns,
and stagecoach stops. Virtually interchangeable, these
establishments provided shelter, sustenance and surroundings full of
news and camaraderie for those who ventured by choice or trade into the
wilderness.
These brave souls encountered the likes of proprietor Madge “Big Mac”
Featherstone, a three-hundred pound brawler, who reportedly whipped her
patrons into good behavior, and Samuel Runk, an irascible tenant
tavern-keeper who retaliated against his cheapskate landlord by
creating a mocking tavern name which he streaked in pitch tar onto a
dilapidated shutter and suspended as his outdoor advertising sign.
We’ll never know how many canal boatmen took their respite at New
Hope’s legendary “Bucket of Blood” (now Tuscany) which was conveniently
located next to a brothel. Nor will we ever know the patrons who
assisted escaping northbound slaves hidden in hollows at the Bucket or
at Yardley’s Continental Tavern,
but snatches of lore remain for us to
ponder.
During the Revolution, numerous Bucks County establishments saw action
of one form or another. Prisoner soldiers were held overnight at
the Bucksville House, for example,
and General Washington reportedly
dined at Taylorsville’s Old Ferry Inn before his successful Battle of
Trenton. His men, on the other hand, surely in rule-breaking
mode, are said to have taken libations at the Red Lion Inn in
Bensalem.
Following the war, officers found easy tavern license approval and
subsequently were among our earliest community leaders. Their
establishments had transitioned through years of multi-purposing,
having provided shelter and food for the traveler, in addition to
serving as gathering spots for community and municipal purposes.
While traveling songsters, musicians and other erstwhile entertainers
made good use of the early tavern, tax collection, elections, and even
dog licensing would come to take place there.
Do you appreciate the taste of a good birch beer? McCoole’s in
Quakertown, one of five early hostelries established between
Philadelphia and Bethlehem on “the Pike,” reportedly served a famous
“secret formula” drink in colonial times believed to be the forerunner.
Think violent criminals are an element of modern times? Tell that
to the 18th century victim of murder whose remains were found a century
later bricked up inside a hidden chimney flue of a former Springtown
Tavern. Know
what happened to the massive vertebrae fossil
embedded in a wall near Wrightstown’s now gone Anchor Inn in the early
1700s? Tell me, please.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Settled first, some of the oldest establishments can be found in Lower
Bucks. Langhorne Hotel and Bristol’s King George II Inn, for
example,
have served the public and presided over traveler’s comings and goings
for at least three hundred years. Others in the county, such as the Hulmeville Inn, the Finland Inn, and the ever
popular Pineville Tavern,
continue to serve locals in the old tradition. Whether hosting
community sports teams, keeping the glow of neon beer signs, or serving
home-made favorites, such old-style establishments continue to attract
those who find comfort in the familiar.
Destination places, such as Kintnersville’s
Cascade Lodge, established
as a resort in 1939, and the Spinnerstown Hotel, near the
Quakertown
turnpike exit, today attract patrons seeking something special. The
Cascade, for example, provides fine fireside dining,
picturesque
country views, and table-side preparation of fresh rainbow trout
scooped up from their underground springs. Spinnerstown Hotel
and Restaurant, meanwhile, offers Meet the Brewer events, 13 beers
on tap,
and a full menu that ranges from unique appetizers to home-made deserts.
Fortunately preservationists and history lovers abound across Bucks
County, helping to maintain the sense of place modern day travelers
seek. In addition to the taverns and restaurants mentioned, the
county
has many charming Bed and Breakfasts. Bensalem’sSalem CreeksideInn and the Bucksville House in Upper
Bucks
are two original colonial inns
that have been reborn to provide guests a comfortable get-away in
distinctive surroundings.
Nostalgia lovers may understandably wish places like Pt. Pleasant’s
Gobbler’s or Penndel’s Flannery’s were still around, but we can thank
the enterprising souls in our midst that other notable Bucks County’s
establishments will rise again and enhance Bucks County’s reputation as
a special place to live and visit. Odette’s in New Hope, the
historic Black Bass Inn in Lumberville,
and the Elephant Hotel in Bedminster
all plan to reopen their doors following significant renovation or
restoration.
Not surprisingly, the historic county of Bucks may have one of the
largest concentrations of old inns and taverns in the country.
While
many have become private homes or enterprises, a large number have
stayed true to their roots, remaining community gathering places and
fulfillment stops for those with a hunger to fix or a thirst to
quench.
|
|
