History

Place Names in Buckingham Township

Buckingham seems to have changed names more often than any other town I found while researching this, so I’ll start with Buckingham.

First known name: Bogarts Tavern, (now the General Greene Inn) , first owned by Samuel Jamison, who obtained a tavern license from the county in 1752. After his death, his widow Mary, remarried John Bogart, who also operated the tavern and the village became known as Bogart’s Tavern. The Bucks County Committee of Safety held its first meeting there on July 9 1772. Does anybody know what this committee did exactly?

“General Nathanial Greene, who commanded the left wing of General Washington’s army at the Battle of Trenton, made Bogarts Tavern his headquarters for some time in the winter of 1776, and General Washington was in occasional consultation with him there. It was from this tavern that General Greene on December 10, 1776 wrote the order to General Ewing at Shearers Ferry (in Tinicum Township) to send ‘sixteen Durham boats and flats down to McConkeys Ferry.’" Washington used these boats in the famous crossing of the Delaware to attack the Hessians on December 26, 1776, a battle that completely routed the Hessians (nearly 900 surrendered) and began to turn the tide toward the Revolutionary cause. Where would the United States be today without the General Greene Inn? Think of that the next time you drive by that beautiful old building! Buckingham resident Henry Paxson suggested the inn be renamed the General Greene Inn. (If you are interested in learning more about the Durham Boats and the Battle of Trenton, go to http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/, type in The Boat Ride That Changed America in the search box at the bottom of the page, then click on the first line on the next page to read about it from start to end.)

In the early part of the 19th Century, Buckingham was known as Vorhees Tavern until the tavern changed hands once again, this time by “ its most noted and poplar host, Colonel Elisha Wilkinson”, when it became known as Wilkinsons Tavern. One resident of Buckingham about this time remembers the village being called ‘Snap town’ because one of its characters was a surly and snappish character! Once Colonel Wilkinson ceased being the Tavern landlord, people began calling Buckingham Centreville, a name it kept until May12, 1872 when the first post office was established there although the Holicong post office ( in that beautiful stone building at the NE corner of 202 and Holicong) was known as the Buckingham post office. This post office served a large part of Buckingham and Solebury Townships which were one large township until divided in 1709 into their present boundaries.

How did people ever keep straight what place they were talking about? Isn’t it amazing that names changed so easily based on who owns the tavern?

Do you have any memories of Buckingham - village or Township that you would like to share? Write back and share your memories with us and perhaps you’ll see them here on the history page.

All quotes were taken from Place Names In Bucks County by George MacReynolds

Stay tuned and see what or who is next!

Susan Pierson