Doreen Stratton
There are times in life when we are given a tidbit of knowledge about our hometown, but we put it away until it pops up in our memory banks at an unexpected moment. In my case, 11 years passed before that happened.
A historical marker was installed at the intersection of State and Main Streets in Doylestown Borough on Saturday, April 6, 2013. The marker designates the intersection as the route along which the Lenni Lenape people traveled from the east and then from the south to their destination on the Delaware River.
The Doylestown Historical Society, with the help of Melissa Cornick, a journalist and strategic communications specialist (professional activity), coordinated the day’s events, which included a talk by Professor Evan Pritchard, who is of Mi’kmaq (part of the Algonquin) descent.
That same day, Algonquin historian Pritchard was speaking to a packed audience at the Doylestown Presbyterian Church. I was impressed by Pritchard’s descriptions of the Lenape’s historic trading routes, their stops on State and Main Streets, their ancient land uses, and the trails along what became Routes 202 and 611.
Following the monument unveiling, a lively afternoon meeting was held at Doylestown Historical Society Park.
During his visit, Pritchard was able to tour some of the remaining tunnels beneath the town’s streets. Thousands of years ago, these “tunnels” were caves where nomadic Native American Lenape people traveled from the New Jersey coast to rest.
Eleven years after the dedication of the Lenape Monument, the Bucks County Herald reported on its front page on April 4, 2024:
“The Bucks County Historical Society’s Doylestown Township property is being eyed as an upscale residential area.”
Where is this land?
Driving south on Main Street in Doylestown Borough, across from the new Wawa, you come across 24 wooded acres that fan out from Main Street and border the bypass before hitting a large development of single-family homes.
The land is in Doylestown Township, and several years ago, when the land was forest or farmland, the acreage was more than three or four times that figure.
The woods were once home to a popular venue called the Hustle Inn, where young people would gather and dance to live bands.
In the early 1940s, Ellis and Anita Smith purchased a farmhouse and barn built in 1848, renovated the second floor of the barn and opened The Hustle Inn, which operated from 1946 to 1966.
I had emigrated to California for a decade, so I missed the drama of 1964 when outsiders invaded town and escalated into a brawl involving 300 people.
The Smith family sold the property in 1967. The property was eventually purchased by the Matthews School in Fort Washington, and the barn was renovated as a dormitory for boys.
In January 1970, The Morning Call reported the end of an era when a fire destroyed what was once the Hustle Inn. No one was inside the building at the time, but a cultural piece of Doylestown history was reduced to ashes. It’s still treasured today on a private Facebook page.
Then, beginning in 1991, the land was cleared for 99 single-family homes. I often wonder if the Lenape people rested, ate, and drank here. The area was full of springs, but many were lost due to extensive land loss. And right where the Lenape Crossing sign stands is a natural spring where these Native Americans drew water, hence the name “Fountain House.”
On April 18, the Herald published an opinion piece by Doylestown resident Mary Hughes (“Historical Society’s proposed land sale is at odds with its mission”) expressing concerns about the proposed development. Hughes cited the “…extensive number of historical items and fixtures that many outside the organization may not know about.”
In May, I took the access road and walked into the forest. I am not ashamed to admit that I am a lover of trees. Standing on the access road, looking up at the canopy of green, I was speechless.
We are losing valuable land, and I urge the town and historical society to consider an archaeological survey and environmental impact study before bulldozing the trees.
Doreen Stratton is a third-generation Doylestown resident, living in the house her grandparents built. This article first appeared on her blog, thebucksundergroundrailroad.com.
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