William Penn with license from the King of England purchased the land that became known as Bucks County and Newtown in 1682 from the indigenous Lenape people. A self styled urban planner for his day, Penn laid out his "New Town," around the primary water source that was ultimately named Newtown Creek.
His concept of a circular village surrounding the water, with every landholder possessing a piece of the creek bank, expanding from their to create pasture for farm animals and beyond that, room for the modest homes that Quakers demanded, was a good one, but failed to consider the coming industrialization of mills and small cottage industries that required unlimited energy to produce their wares. So, it became rational to sell off the water access along the creek to build the races and waterwheels that powered early manufacturing and milling.
By the end of the 18th Century, all but one parcel had been sold off and the grazing of sheep, horses and cattle moved farther afield. That remaining land was neglected until nearly the present day, and became a dumping ground for unwanted waste.
Concerned citizens finally organized a non-profit, the Newtown Creek Coalition, to try to save, maintain, enhance and preserve Billy Penn's dream. They succeeded in securing grants to fund reparations to the Newtown Creek banks, repair the granite marker installed in the 1930s, and sponsor seasonal creek cleanups under the sponsorship of local businesses who saw value in restoring community history, which was rich in American lore. (Yes. George Washington headquartered here after the first Battle of Trenton, but before the Battle of Princeton and the second Battle of Trenton.)
All that remains is .16 acre at the bottom of Greene Street at the creek. There is a stone marker embedded in the patch of grass on the small flat plain in the meandering Creek bed that separates Newtown Township from Borough. It is picturesque and deserving of your time on your walking tour of this near-ancient community.
William Penn may have misunderstood what the future held, but he sure selected a beautiful bucolic spot to be wrong. read more