Call Number:

03

Repository:

Craven Hall Historical Society

Extent:

3.0 linear feet

Language:

English

Date:

1774-1973 (inclusive)

Creator:

Craven Hall Historical Society

Abstract:

Warminster Township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania was established 1711. It was home to religious leader William Tennent, steamboat inventor John Fitch, and the world's largest human centrifuge. The Craven Hall Historical Society local history collection, 1774-1973, contains ciphering books, account books, photographs, tax ledgers, deeds, scrapbooks, and other documents from local people, families, and organizations.

Warminster Township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania was established 1711. Fifteen years later William Tennent moved to the area and opened a religious school, "The Log College," that educated many preachers of the revivalist First Great Awakening and is considered the antecedent to Princeton University. Later in the century, John Fitch began working on prototypes for what would become the first steamboat to operate commercially in 1790. Warminster again made history in the mid-20th century when the Johnsville Naval Air Development Center was constructed. The Center was home to what was then the world's largest human centrifuge, which was used to train astronauts for the U.S. space program from the late 1950s until 2004.

This collection contains various materials relating to the history of Warminster Township (Bucks County, Pennsylvania) and surrounding areas. It includes ciphering books, account books, photographs, tax ledgers, deeds, and other documents from local people, families, and organizations.

The family and personal papers in this collection principally consist of: Thomas McDowel ciphering books, 1774-1775; an unidentified daybook, 1850-1854; Mary Opdyke school book, circa 1870; an unidentified account book, circa 1880; the marriage certificate of Isaac Bennett and Annie Walker, 1882; an unidentified, undated account book (late 19th century); and an unidentified photograph album, circa 1900-1925, including several World War I photographs.

Materials from local government entities principally consist of: Postmasters' Account and Record Book, 1904-1906; Warminster Township real estate tax ledger (listing property owners' names, addresses, assessments, occupations, and borough, road, and school taxes), 1934-1938; road tax books, 1934-1936; and research from Warminster Zoning Board, 1941-1947. There is a Register of Voters in Warminster Township, 1872-1880, as well as a Poll Book, Primary Republican Enrollment, 1928.

There are a number of local deeds from Warminster, Ivyland, and Southampton, organized by location, circa 1920-1960, as well as several local maps. There is one framed deed from 1847.

The collection features a sizeable portion of records from the Suburban Bucks Jaycees of Warminster, a local branch of the service group Junior Chamber International. The records consist principally of scrapbooks on community development, which include clippings, organizational records, and photographs, 1967-1973.

A small amount of Philadelphia-specific material is present in the collection, including maps and drawings for Belmont Mansion, circa 1850s, and a scrapbook of invoices from Philadelphia businesses, 1932-1936.