New Hope, PA
New Hope is so impossibly quaint, it pulls off being somewhat of a tourist trap. Despite crowding, parking problems, and overpriced antique shops, it still manages to charm. It’s a walkable town, with art galleries, craft breweries, and canalside restaurants. Full of interesting architecture, it is the type of town where you can see the past, and almost feel like you were there.
Originally part of a King’s Grant given to William Penn, the area was first settled by non-natives around 1700. Given its prime location on the west bank of the Delaware River, 35 miles north of Philadelphia, it was soon home to several mills. In 1722, Old York Road was constructed through the town, connecting New York with Philadelphia, with ferry service offered to traverse the river. As road traffic increased, ferry operator John Wells constructed the town’s first tavern and inn, now known as The Logan, to host weary travelers. In the early years, the town was renamed after each successive ferry owner, highlighting the importance of the service to the community.
In 1776, the river played a pivotal role in the Revolutionary War, when American troops were forced to retreat to Pennsylvania across the Delaware from New Jersey; arriving first, they moved all the ferry boats to the western bank, preventing the British from following. Just a few miles south of New Hope, Washington later made his famous frosty Christmas Day crossing. Throughout the war, the ferry played an integral role, moving men and supplies across the river, including in 1778, when Washington used it to moved 10,000 troops from Valley Forge to the Battle of Monmouth.
In 1781, businessman Benjamin Parry moved to town, and built mills on both sides of the river. In 1790, after one of the largest was destroyed by fire, he quickly rebuilt it, calling it New Hope Mills. The growing town assumed the name, and Parry continued to improve the community, first with the construction of a bridge over the Delaware in 1812, then bringing the Delaware Canal to New Hope in 1832. Both created economic booms for the town, with the construction of more mills, boatyards, banks, hotels, and shops. Parry’s 1784 eleven room Georgian stone mansion still stands on Main Street, now owned by the Historical Society, which offers tours of the property. For fans of colonial architecture, the town has an excellent collection of extant stone houses, the oldest dating to 1743, some of which you can rent.
The area thrived through the Civil War, with over 3000 boats a year traversing the canal. Then, with the rise of the railroad, canals were rendered obsolete. Although rail service arrived in New Hope in 1893, it was a minor line of the North-East Pennsylvania Railroad, with limited service; in 1952, passenger service was terminated. Today it operates as a scenic railroad, out of the original Victorian Witches Hat Train Station.
Around the turn of the century, artists began to move to the area, making studios out of former mills along the river. In 1939, the old Parry gristmill was transformed into the Bucks County Playhouse. Functioning as a summer stock theater, and a testing ground for Broadway production, it became a popular tourist destination. Soon, the town was filled with galleries, studios, and antique stores, making it a popular tourist destination.
Today, New Hope is a patchwork of the last three centuries, with amazing examples of architecture and engineering. It gets very congested in the summer, so spring might be a better option to miss the crowds. Make sure to stay in town, so you can ditch your car and explore on foot. There are several historic inns, fabulous restaurants housed in historic buildings, and easily a whole weekend’s worth of things to do.
