Bucks Lehigh Valley Historic Tavern Trail

By popular demand, we'll continue our America250 celebration at the Piper Tavern in Pipersville (Bedminster Township). The tavern, and the town, take their name from Col. George Piper, a Continental Army officer and local militia leader, who was proprietor of the tavern from 1778 to 1823. Joseph Bladen opened the tavern in 1759 to serve stagecoaches and other travelers at the busy intersection of the Philadelphia-Easton Post Road and the Durham Road. The current Victorian building dates to an 1884 renovation.

George Washington never stayed here, but plenty of other dignitaries, American and foreign, did, including Benjamin Franklin, Robert Morris, General Anthony Wayne, Joseph Bonaparte (Napoleon's brother and former king of Spain), and French-American banker Stephen Girard.

Marquis de Lafayette stayed here en route to his recuperation in Bethlehem after being wounded at the Battle of Brandywine in 1777. Philadelphia mayor Robert Wharton and his family rode out the yellow fever epidemic of 1798 at the Piper Tavern. More recently, author Dorothy Parker conducted her "round table" events here for local writers and artists while summering just up Dark Hollow Road from the tavern.

The infamous Doan Gang and their associates operated in this area but were not welcome here. We'll learn about how Eva Piper, the Colonel's wife, drove them out of her tavern with the help of a clothes iron and her husband's sword. We'll learn about Colonel George Piper's contribution to the Revolutionary War and we'll learn more about some of the famous historical figures who stayed here and the role the Piper Tavern played in 18th and 19th century Bucks County life.

Because of restaurant policies, 15 is the maximum we can have for this event. Because I don't want the usual late cancellations and no-shows, there will be a $5 sign-up fee for this event. Also, they won't do separate checks for this large a party so please bring cash to settle a group tab. Sorry for the inconvenience.
See you there!

I've mentioned Moland House at several of our America250 meetups this year, so we're going to actually visit the historic central Bucks County site at this meetup. A farmhouse dating to the 1750s, Moland House was the site of the Continental Army's Neshaminy Encampment in August of 1777. Washington and his troops spent 13 days here, from Aug. 10-23, training and mustering in the lead up to the Battle of Brandywine.

The Neshaminy Encampment was famously where the Marquis de Lafayette was commissioned an officer in the Continental Army. Lafayette was then wounded at Brandywine and recuperated in Bethlehem. Polish officer Count Casimir Pulaski also met Washington here in August 1777.

We'll have a guided tour of Moland House and see the restored Washington's headquarters. The tour costs $7 per person. There will also be demonstrations of open hearth cooking and wood shops. The Moland House is only open on the second and fourth Sundays of the month, so yes, we are meeting on a Sunday.

Following the tour, we'll head down the road to Mike's York Road Tavern, which has been serving weary travelers since 1730. Join us for either or both parts of the day. If you just want to go to the restaurant, we'll be there at 3:30 for late lunch or early dinner.

See you there!