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Monday April 8, 2001
Bucks County Courier Times
NORTHAMPTON
'Citizen of the Month' Knows Her Town's History
Over the years, Betty
Luff has fought to preserve historic properties and brought some of
Northampton's storied people to life.
By James
E. Stanton
COURIER TIMES
jstanton@calkinsnewspapers.com
Who
could tell the story of Miss Sally better than Elizabeth C. "Betty"
Luff?
Miss Sally was Sara E. Twining, a school
teacher and - thanks to Luff's articles about her - one of Northampton's
most well known persons of the past.
Early last century, Miss Sally taught
Luff's father, John Cornell, in a one-room schoolhouse. He related many
stories about the teacher, who had as many as 40 kids, ages 6 to 16,
in her class.
"These were the years when a teacher
also had to act as a nurse when children were hurt on the playground
and had to keep the fire going in the winter, and even did a little
cleaning on the side,"n Luff wrote in an article about Northampton's
history.
Her stories about Twining and other township
residents have appeared in the Northampton Township Historical Commission's
newsletter.
Miss Sally made "threats to use the
redhot poker from the potbellied stove if they didn't behave. And just
imagine, knowing that you were going to have that same teacher, not
just for one year; but for eight consecutive years?" Luff wrote.
For her prowess with a pen as well as
her leadership in local preservation efforts, the Northampton supervisors
named the 70 something Luff March's Citizen of the Month.
The citation the Supervisors presented
said Luff is a "true native of Northampton Township, having been
born and raised in the Richboro area...[and having] served as an integral
member of the Northampton Historical Commission for over 29 years."
Luff's family tree is displayed in the
township library, the proclamation said, "exemplifying her great
interest in genealogy and her family's roots in Northampton Township."
In
recent years, Luff was a leader in the preservation of the old Richboro
School on Second Street Pike and the Spread Eagle Inn down the street.
Both were spared from the wrecking ball.
Why does Luff work so hard in enterprises
that are often fraught with frustration and disappointment?
"It's all just fun to me," the
Holland resident said. "I was born here, my roots are here - it's
done for the love of the township."
The first 10 years of her life were spent
on a 124-acre farm on the edge of Richboro.
"To think that, 70 years ago, this
house did not even include one bathroom," she said. "I remember
as a child taking a bath behind a cook stove in the corner of the kitchen.
One of my greatest fears was that there would be a knock on the kitchen
door when I was in the tub."
Today, the renovated home has a heated
pool with a Jacuzzi, a satellite dish and a home security system, she
said.
Click
any link below to read Historical
articles
from the Bucks County Courier Times
Group
wants to preserve
86-year-old school building
Wednesday, March 31, 1999
Home
Sweet Home
Sunday, April 18, 1999
The
Pleasant Plains Public School
Built
in 1871
People
Are Flocking to Northampton
Living with Past Choices
Monday,
May 24, 1999
Cornerstone
Reveals Old Memories
Friday,
July 23, 1999
History
Set In Stone
Sunday,
September 12, 1999
Landmark
Restaurant to Make a Move
Friday, August 10, 2001
A
Tale of Two Buildings
Monday, September 3, 2001
A
Lightning Move for the Spread Eagle
Thursday, December 6, 2001
Spread
Eagle's Move Went Well
Wednesday, December 12, 2001
Supervisors Preserve Spread Eagle, School
Thursday, April 11, 2002
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