The Year - 1760
The Place - Newtown, Bucks County, British Colony
The Cause - A Library for a Free People
The oldest library in these United States was founded by the Hicks family on a small piece of land on the edge of colonial Newtown. It has moved several times through the years, and was even closed for a short time due to the "difficulties," otherwise known as the Revolutionary War.
Today, it is housed in a small brick building on Centre Street, a few blocks up from State Street and the center of commercial Newtown Borough. It is a nonprofit, membership organization ($20. per individual), servicing the needs of bibliophiles in the community. Some of the books in the collection are older than the library, as are the famous William Penn chairs.
It is another one of those well preserved and well intentioned institutions that help us understand the meaning of creating a new country and culture, and honoring that heritage daily.
It is a great place to visit, or peruse the stacks. The children's' section is warm and inviting. The volunteer staff, knowledgeable and welcoming.
Simply an amazing living history we can all feel, as we imagine how it was to live and learn in the eighteenth century in the formative years of our nation. read more