Historical Society of Hilltown Township (Pa.)

The Historical Society of Hilltown Township (Bucks County, Pennsylvania) was established in 1975 to "promote interest in the historical heritage of the township. By preserving buildings, documents and artifacts, and encouraging research, it is hoped to bring the past into perspective."

The Society's main focus is the restoration of two historic sites: the Hartzel-Strassburger Homestead (1772), and the Thomas Logan Barn (Welsh) (1727). "The Society houses a working library with local historical resources. Monthly meetings are held and feature interesting and knowledgeable speakers. Recognizing that people are the township's most valuable resources, a program of recording older residents has been started."

Bibliography:

Quoted text from: "The Historical Society of Hilltown Township." Historical Society brochure.

From the guide to the Historical Society of Hilltown Township records, 1975-2012, (Historical Society of Hilltown Township)

"The first recorded history in Hilltown Township [Bucks County, Pennsylvania] was made in 1683, when William Penn met the Indian Chiefs of the Delaware Nation on the land where Hilltown Village now sits.

"In those days, it was known as the "Perkasie Indian Town." The settlers arrived in approximately 1700. The settlers were mostly Welsh Baptist, with a few Huguenots and English Quakers. They petitioned the King's Governor to establish a town in 1721.

"The old Bethlehem Road (the Minsi Indian trail), now called Hilltown Pike, was used from the year 1683 to travel from Philadelphia to the Durham iron mines.

"The Mennonites arrived in 1727, with the Germans coming shortly after. Hilltown Township remained a farming community up until the end of World War II, when new single homes were built here and there. Large developments started at the end of the 1970's."

Bibliography:

Quoted text from: Hilltown Township, Bucks County, PA. "History of Hilltown Township." Accessed March 14, 2013. http://www.hilltown.org/information/history.aspx

From the guide to the Historical Society of Hilltown Township local history collection, 1790-2012, (Historical Society of Hilltown Township)