Northampton Township
Historical Commission
55 Township Road
Richboro, PA 18954

Township Links

History of Northampton Township

Taverns

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      "On a petition in 1800, the Leedom's Tavern was first mentioned as "The Sign of the Bare." It later became known as "The Black Bear." W. W. Davis, in his History of Bucks County, related how fun-loving crowds loved the Black Bear, and that it was a popular spot to stop after sleighing. The tavern changed hands frequently until Jack Frey purchased it in 1926, and it ceased being an inn. Mrs. Frey said for years traveling salesmen would walk into their home, expecting dinner, and were quite surprised to find it a private home. The old inn was razed in 1952 and a new home built on the site by the Freys. Today, the ground is owned by Davis Pontiac.

      The only other early inn or tavern known to have been in Northampton Township is also located in Richboro, at the intersection of Second Street Pike, and Almshouse Road. It was called the White Bear Tavern for many years, then Addisville Inn, McCool's Tavern and finally (today) the Spread Eagle Inn."

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     "....in 1830 the town acquired the name of Richboro. Richard Leedom, Richard Thomas, the first postmaster, and Dr. James Rich, the local physician, are all given credit for giving Richboro its name."

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     "The White Bear had a terrible fire on February 24, 1912: luckily, the hotel was well insured. It was advertised in the Newtown Enterprise that the owner, Hiram McCool, was fully paid within a week of the fire by the insurance company."

From the Bucks County Intelligencer of March 3, 1912:
"The White Bear Hotel at Richboro, of which Hiram McCool is landlord was gutted by fire on Saturday afternoon and is estimated that about $2000 worth of damage was done...It is believed the fire was caused by a defective flue, for flames were first seen back of the range in the kitchen. Some workmen first discovered the blaze and notified Landlord McCool, but by the time he reached the scene, flames and smoke were coming up from the cellar. Buckets of water were first used, but this was ineffective, and the Southampton and Hatboro fire companies were sent for and arrived in a short time. The firemen work desperately for about two hours but in spite of their efforts, owing to the long start the flames had, the first and second floors were ruined and the floor of the fhird was badly burned. With the aid of a number of persons ...McCool succeeded in getting nearly all of the furniture from the building."

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For more information on this section you can purchase
"A History of Northampton Township"

at the Northampton Township Building
55 Township Road
Richboro, PA 18954

or for more information call: (215) 357-6800

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