Call Number:

11

Repository:

Historic Langhorne Association

Extent:

3.0 linear feet

Language:

English

Date:

circa 1921-1951

Creator:

Bucks County (Pa.). Recorder of Deeds

Abstract:

Middletown Township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania was formally established in 1692. Most of Middletown remained a farming community until the latter part of the 1800s, when a rail line increased the accessibility of the area and it became more attractive to Philadelphians. An explosion of housing in the township came in the late 1950s when William Levitt built Levittown. The Middletown Township real estate tax assessments, circa 1921-1951, cover a 30-year period that ends shortly before the creation of Levittown. The bulk of the collection consists of tax assessments on note cards; also included are blue prints, lists of taxable inhabitants, and assessment notebooks.

Middletown Township was formally established in 1692 when Bucks County, Pennsylvania was divided into five townships: Falls, Salem (now Bensalem), Makefield (now Upper and Lower Makefield), Buckingham (now Bristol Borough and Bristol Township), and Middletown. Middletown was so called because it was in the middle of the five townships.

The development of Middletown, primarily a farming community until the end of the 19th century, was strongly influenced by transportation routes. The largest urban center in the Township during the 18th century was Attleboro (later renamed Langhorne) because of its convenient location along the road between Trenton and Philadelphia. Langhorne Terrace and Parkland, because of their proximity to Neshaminy Creek, were popular vacation destinations and the site of large communities of summer homes. With the introduction of a train line through the area in the late 19th century, residential development quickly accelerated. The introduction of automobiles in the 20th century made Middletown still more accessible, and an explosion in housing occured in the late 1950s when William Levitt built Levittown.

Approximately 120 historically significant sites are located in Middletown Township, including Beechwood Manor (on the Woods Schools property), the Wistar House (on New Falls Road), and the Wildman House (on Langhorne-Yardley Road). Wildman House was a safe-haven along the Underground Railroad for enslaved persons escaping North to freedom in pre-Civil War times.

Bibliography:

Middletown Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. "History and Significant Facts." Accessed December 14, 2012. http://www.middletowntwpbucks.org/information/history.aspx

This collection consists of various materials relating to the assessment of real estate taxes in Middletown Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. It includes: note cards, organized alphabetically by name of tax assessment; blue prints of surveys by Edward Pickering, 1920-1925; a written list of taxable inhabitants, 1931; certificates of assessment, 1945 and 1951; a Boeckh's appraisal manual inscribed by Walter S. Miller, 1936; and assessment notebooks, circa 1951.