Call Number:

01

Repository:

Doylestown Historical Society

Extent:

48.0 linear feet

Language:

English

Date:

circa 1955-2013

Creator:

Doylestown Historical Society (Doylestown, Pa.)

Abstract:

The area now known as Doylestown (Bucks County, Pennsylvania) was given to Edward Doyle as a land grant from William Penn in 1692. Doylestown became the county seat of Bucks County in 1812, and the area flourished when a railroad line was completed between Doylestown and Philadelphia in 1856. Doylestown's historic downtown began to deteriorate in the early 1960s, but the town was revitalized in part due to an architectural preservation movement. The Doylestown Historical Society local real estate collection, circa 1955-2013, contains mostly secondary-source materials--such as real estate listings, narrative house histories, photocopies of original documents with some original photographs--organized alphabetically by street address.

Doylestown is the county seat of Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Founded in the mid 18th century, it became the county seat in 1813 and was formally incorporated as a borough in 1838.

"Doylestown is named after the Doyle family. The Doyle family originally came from France (the name was D'Ouilli), but moved to Ireland during the Inquisition. Circa 1600 the name was changed to D'Oyley and later was changed again to Doyle. Edward Doyle sailed to America in 1640 and lived for a time in Rhode Island until he moved to Bucks County upon receiving a land grant from William Penn in 1692. He died in 1703. Edward Doyle's children remained in Bucks County and settled in the area of Doylestown. In 1730, Edward Doyle Jr. (born 1690) bought 150 acres of land in what is now Doylestown, and further purchases were made by the Doyle family in 1737. The Doyles built an inn in 1745 and the town was known early on as "William Doyl's Tavern" and "Doyle's Town." In 1752, a second tavern was built, which still stands today (though now much modified). In 1776, the inn was sold by William Doyle (born in 1712, son of Edward Doyle, Jr.), who moved to Plumstead, Bucks County, where he died in 1780. After the sale of the tavern, the town became known by its present name. In 1778, George Washington and his Continental Army camped near Doylestown, on their way from Valley Forge to fight the British in New Jersey. In 1812, Doylestown became the County Seat of Bucks County.

"In 1856, a railroad line was completed between Doylestown and Philadelphia. The present train station dates from 1876. A trolley line was installed that ran to Trenton and Easton. The older part of town is listed on the National Register of Historic Places."

Bibliography:

Quoted text from: Ludwig, Ed. "Brief History of Doylestown." Accessed July 22, 2013. http://www.doylestownhistorical.org/0HistoryDoylestown.htm.

This collection of information about Doylestown properties is organized alphabetically by street address. It contains mostly secondary-source materials, principally: real estate ads, computer print-outs of real estate listings, real estate appraisal cards (Bucks County Speedway Appraisal Service), and information cards with photographs from a local real estate office (circa 1955); narrative house histories, research notes, and newspaper clippings; and photocopies of original documents, including blueprints and technical drawings, and sketches/drawings. There are also some original photographs and computer print-outs of photographs.

There was a historic plaque program in Doylestown circa 1980. The files for properties included in that program have correspondence about the plaque and photocopies of corroborating primary-source documents such as deeds.