01 Finding aid prepared by Celia Caust-Ellenbogen and Faith Charlton through the Historical Society of Pennsylvania's Hidden Collections Initiative for Pennsylvania Small Archival Repositories. Last updated on April 05, 2013. Historic Langhorne Association
Table of Contents Summary Information...3 Biography/History...4 Scope and Contents... 4 Administrative Information... 6 Controlled Access Headings...7 - Page 2 -
Summary Information Repository Historic Langhorne Association Creator Historic Langhorne Association Title Historic Langhorne Association house histories Call number 01 Date circa 1975-2012 Extent 3.5 linear feet Language English Abstract Settled by Quakers beginning in 1680, the small town of Langhorne in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, grew as an important transportation center between Trenton and Philadelphia due to its location at the intersection of major roads connecting the two cities. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the town, which served as a stop along the rail line, became a popular summer vacation destination for wealthy Philadelphians. The Historic Langhorne Association house histories, circa 1975-2012, consist of binders and file folders with information, including chronologies and photographs, on all of the homes in the Borough of Langhorne. Additional information is available for older, historic properties. - Page 3 -
Biography/History Located in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, the borough of Langhorne is a small town whose name is used broadly to describe the majority of surrounding Middletown Township. The center of town is located at the intersection of two prominent roads, Maple and Bellevue Avenues. Once Lenni-Lenape paths, these roads run between Bristol and Durham, Pennsylvania, and between Philadelphia and Trenton, New Jersey. Settled by Quakers beginning in 1680, the area grew as an important transportation center between Trenton and Philadelphia, becoming the stagecoach transportation hub of Bucks County. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the town, which served as a stop along the rail line, became a popular summer vacation destination for wealthy Philadelphians who constructed large homes and businesses. Langhorne was known as Attleborough until 1876, when it was incorporated and named for Jeremiah Langhorne, an early resident of the area and former Chief Justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Scope and Contents This collection consists of binders and file folders with information on all of the homes in the Borough of Langhorne, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The binders were created by the Historic Langhorne Association in the late 1970s and early 1980s, when association members executed deed searches in Doylestown. There is a fact sheet with a chronology and often a photograph for each house (taken circa 1975-1985). The Association has added to these binders over time, including for-sale advertisements. The binders are arranged by street. Each page has been scanned and is text-searchable on a computer available on-site. The file folders include more information gathered on some of these homes, especially the older properties that received historic building plaques from the Historic Langhorne Association. File folders include photocopies of newspaper articles, narrative histories, and some photographs (including negative strips). The following is a list of the houses with additional information, and the date the house was built: 402 N. Bellevue Avenue - 1771 245 W. Maple Avenue - 1779 119 W. Maple Avenue - 1788 240 N. Green Street - 1788 - Page 4 -
212 Bridgetown Pike (Edgemont) - 1820 134 N. Bellevue Avenue - 1829 1743 Janey Terrace - 1837 221 N. Bellevue Avenue - 1840 217 W. Maple Avenue - 1852 320 W. Richardson Avenue - 1852 127 N. Bellevue Avenue -1856(R) 200 S. Bellevue Avenue -1871 148 W. Marshall Avenue -1881 1033 S. Bellevue Avenue - 1883 115 Hill Avenue - 1885 122 E. Marshall Avenue -1887 126 E. Marshall Avenue -1889 149 W. Richardson Avenue -1889 311 N. Bellevue Avenue -1889 161 W. Maple Avenue -1890 131 N. Pine Street -1891 378 S. Bellevue Avenue -1892 130 W. Richardson Avenue -1895 118 National Avenue -1896 124 W. Maple Avenue -1900 146 W. Richardson Avenue -1903 135 Summit Avenue -1909 325 Hulmeville Avenue - 1921 416 N. Bellevue Avenue -1924 1005 S. Bellevue Avenue -1924 1017 S. Bellevue Avenue -1924 325 Station Avenue -1954 425 W. Richardson Avenue -1972 Historic Langhorne Association house histories - Page 5 -
403 Station Avenue -1925 137 Winchester Avenue -1921 E. Maple Avenue -The Sealey-Colby House Beechwood -E. Maple Avenue Bracegirdle House -N. Pine St. (Moved Sept. 23, 1997) 1242 Brownsville Road Cipp Brown House -243 Flowers Avenue The Early History of 215 E. Maple Avenue Gilbert Hicks House Jenks Hall -Middletown Township Langhorne Hotel Langhorne Manor -Langhorne Gardens Nursing Home Langhorne-Yardley Road at Bridgetown Pike Middletown Friends Meeting 947 Old Lincoln Highway 2147-2149 Old Lincoln Highway Orthodox Meeting House (Post Property) 209 N. Bellevue Avenue Joseph Richardson House Richardson House photos Jonathan K. Stackhouse- 139 W. Maple Avenue Walker House- 109 W. Maple Avenue A Reading: "Old Houses" -by J. Leon Wells Administrative Information Historic Langhorne Association Finding aid prepared by Celia Caust-Ellenbogen and Faith Charlton through the Historical Society of Pennsylvania's Hidden Collections Initiative for Pennsylvania Small Archival Repositories. - Page 6 -
Sponsor Historic Langhorne Association house histories This preliminary finding aid was created as part of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania's Hidden Collections Initiative for Pennsylvania Small Archival Repositories. The HCI-PSAR project was made possible by a grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Access Restrictions Contact Historic Langhorne Association for information about accessing this collection. Immediate Source of Acquisition Note Materials collected by the Historic Langhorne Association over time. Processing Information Note Summary descriptive information on this collection was compiled in 2012-2014 as part of a project conducted by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania to make better known and more accessible the largely hidden collections of small, primarily volunteer run repositories in the Philadelphia area. The Hidden Collections Initiative for Pennsylvania Small Archival Repositories (HCI-PSAR) was funded by a grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. This is a preliminary finding aid. No physical processing, rehousing, reorganizing, or folder listing was accomplished during the HCI-PSAR project. In some cases, more detailed inventories or finding aids may be available on-site at the repository where this collection is held; please contact Historic Langhorne Association directly for more information. Controlled Access Headings Geographic Name(s) Bucks County (Pa.) Langhorne (Pa.) Middletown (Bucks County, Pa. : Township) Subject(s) Historic buildings - Page 7 -
Real property Historic Langhorne Association house histories - Page 8 -