Bucks County was an original county in William Penn's newly formed Pennsylvania province and has carried the weight of history ever since. Join author Jennifer Rogers as she recounts the lesser-known history of Bucks County. Industrial power in the region expanded in the late 1700s as Irish laborers sacrificed life and limb to construct a section of the Pennsylvania Canal and the Durham Furnace. In 1921, a gruesome train wreck claimed the lives of twenty-seven people, forever leaving its tragic mark on the busy rail lines emerging from Philadelphia. Raised a Quaker in Doylestown, James A. Michener went from local English teacher to Pulitzer Prize-winning author, leaving his philanthropic mark at the art museum named for him.

Bucks County, Pennsylvania--the name conjures up images of colonial villages, pastoral vistas, and famous artists. Walking down the streets of Doylestown or New Hope in the 1930s or 40s, you might have glimpsed humorist Dorothy Parker at a lunch counter or satirist S. J. Perelman at the hardware store, not to mention Pulitzer-Prize-winning writers like Oscar Hammerstein, James A. Michener, George S. Kaufman, Moss Hart, or Pearl S. Buck. Thanks to cheap real estate, proximity to New York City, and the lure of country living, Bucks County became such a well-known haven for creativity that the New York media began to call it "the genius belt." This book tells the story of Bucks County's rich artistic tradition: from the nineteenth-century's best-known primitive painter, Edward Hicks, to the turn-of-the-century birth of a major art colony along the Delaware River, to the influx of literary and theatrical figures during the Depression. A colorful introduction by James Michener begins with the renowned author's boyhood in Doylestown and recalls his delightful memories of the county's "golden years."

Stone Houses is a unique presentation of a beloved building tradition in one of the most charming and historically significant regions in the nation.

Tinicum Township remained just beyond civilizationÂ's limits as Europeans settled on farmland in lower parts of Bucks County early in the 18th century. Inhabited by Native Americans, the land was not appealing to Europeans. Tinicum was slowly settled by the English, Scotch-Irish, and Germans until early in the 20th century, when Eastern Europeans arrived, followed by artists and writers seeking refuge from city life. The hilly, rocky, and sometimes swampy topography that discouraged early settlement has continued to limit development of the rural areas between the six villages and hamlets of the township, so that early folks returning today would recognize the landscape and many of the homesteads they established here. Through vintage photographs, Tinicum Township, Bucks County celebrates the areaÂ's rich history.

Early Friends Families of Upper Bucks is a collection of genealogical and historical information pertaining to the first settlers of the upper part of Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Separate chapters are assigned to each family, and approximately 12,000 persons are named and identified. The genealogies commence with the first of the Bucks County line (usually during the period of the eighteenth century, but also earlier) and proceed, on average, through about eight generations.

Newtown has a rich heritage that is abundant with historic charm. Its three-century-long growth is founded on deep agricultural roots with a notable role in American history. Once a busy commercial and cultural center, Newtown served as the county seat of Bucks County from 1726 to 1813. Within this community resounded the shots of British raiding parties. From this small town on Christmas morning in 1776, General George Washington marched from his headquarters to join the Battle of Trenton. Over the succeeding years, Newtown was quietly transformed back into the tranquil pastoral town it once was. Despite the many changes that are now evident, traces of this historic past remain today. From the archives of the Newtown Historic Association, Historic Newtown offers the reader a unique opportunity to see everyday life in this rural community as it was at the beginning of the twentieth century. Within these photographs are many rare and never-before-published glimpses into the past of one of the oldest and most historic towns in Pennsylvania. Highlighted is the historic district of Newtown, which is the largest district in Bucks County to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places. These photographs are a living testament to the many people, places, and events that have shaped the culture of this remarkable community.