Northampton Township
Historical Commission
55 Township Road
Richboro, PA 18954

Township Links

History of Northampton Township

Roads

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"Most of the major roads in Northampton remained unpaved until the late 1930's and 1940's. One resident watched the paving of Second St. Pike, north of Almshouse Road, from the window of the stone high school in Richboro. He believed it was done by the W.P.A. (Works Project Administration). W.P.A. undertook extensive improvement projects to provide work for the unemployed throughout President Roosevelt's "New Deal" during the recession of 1930-40. About the same time, Pennsylvania Governor Pinchot made one statement that hit home here - "Get the farmers out of the Mud". With the state's help , the northern section of Hatboro Road was paved. The only problem: the paving was just laid over the dirt road, and before long it was breaking up. For many years the road was called "Pinchot Road". In the late 1950's roads such as Temperance, Spencer, Old Jacksonville, Lower Holland and East Holland, to name a few, were still dirt roads. The last road believed to be paved was Tapeworm Raod, and the most people will ask; "Where is that?""

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