Richlandtown Borough

Richlandtown is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The population was 1,283 at the 2000 census.

School District: Quakertown Community

Home For Sale in Richlandtown

Neighborhoods in Richlandtown Borough

Location of Richland

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 0.2 square miles, all of it land.

Richlandtown is surrounded by Richland Township.

History

Richlandtown Borough was organized in 1890. The history of Richlandtown is documented best through documents that have been passed down though the last century. Some of these documents are included here for your enjoyment.

"When organized it contained 25 homes. The first home was built by Daniel Walp in 1904 on the lot where Raymond Hinkle's home now stands.

The town was then known as "Three Lanes End" and then in succession, Ducktown, Frogtown, Flatland, and the name it now bears. It is not known why it was named Richlandtown but it is believes to apply to the rich soil found here.

Since Richlandtown was swampy, roads were hard to build and it is said that the citizens of the town took stones from the neighboring fields, pounded them into the mud and then covered them with leather scraps from the Shoe Factory so that they could walk on them.

Among the early settlers were John Smith, a soldier of the Revolution, John Serger, Philip Gruver, and Daniel Walp.

The first post office at Richlandtown was established here in 1839 and the first Post Master was Christian A. Snyder. It is not known where the office was located.

Some of the oldest homes now standing, although not all in their original form are: Charles Neamand's Home built in 1868 by Charles Diehl, Shoe Factory Built in 1878 by Freed Brothers, Corson Schell's Home built by his father Allen Schell, Arthur Bader Home built by Zackariah Saylor and the Old Richlandtown School House.

One of the oldest businesses of the town is the Ice and Coal Business of John C. Hinkle. He first started the Ice Business in 1908 and as been in business for 38 years. He first got his ice in Coopersburg for one year and then secured California Ice Dam, where he built a storage building and stored his own ice. This has now been abandoned and he purchases his ice in Quakertown, PA. In 1930 he added Coal to his business and has conducted this with the ice business for the past 16 years.

The Richlandtown Fire company was organized in 1905, Incorporated in 1906 and was housed in the Fire House which was built in 1905. This Company has been one of Richlandtown's most active organizations and today is rated as one of the best volunteer companies in the county...

They bought their first motorized truck in 1921, and have since acquired additional ones, having two fully equipped trucks at this time. Just at the time the first truck was delivered, Richlandtown suffered its worst fire and unfortunately no one had been as yet instructed how to operate the new equipment. This building was the Wismer building. A three story Frame building which stood between the present Weller home and Hoffert home. It was totally destroyed.

The St. John's Reformed Church was organized in 1807 and the original church was completed in 1808. The present structure was built in 1859, remodeled in 1932 and 1937. The lot on which the church stands was a gift to the church from John Smith. The first pastor was Rev. Jacob Genn.

On or about 1896 the Quakertown Traction Company started to operate a trolley line to Richlandtown. At first the line came up only as far as the former Rail Road tracks below town and people boarded the car there; however shortly after that they entered town and operated through town to about the center where the Arthur Hager home now stands.

In 1901, the Quakertown Traction Company was sold to the Lehigh Valley Transit Company and they operated until June 1, 1929 when the system was abandoned because of decline in traffic. Following this abandonment the Levy Bus Service entered and has given the town transportation service to date.

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