Newtown Historic District (Newtown, Pennsylvania) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Newtown Historic District
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White Hall, Newtown Historic District, October 2012
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 Location in Pennsylvania
Location in the United States
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| Location | PA 413 and PA 332, Parts of Congress, Chancellor and Liberty Sts. N of Washington Ave. and Chancellor St. S of Penn St. to S. State St., Newtown, Pennsylvania |
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| Area | 172.3 acres (69.7 ha) |
| Architect | Phillip Bros.; Firman, Joseph |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival, Late Victorian, Federal, Queen Anne, Gothic Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 79002174, 86000315, 86002867 |
| Added to NRHP | December 17, 1979, February 25, 1986, October 28, 1986 |
The Newtown Historic District is a special area in Newtown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. It's like a living museum! This district is recognized as a national historic place. It helps protect many old and important buildings. These buildings show us what life was like long ago.
The district includes 293 buildings that tell a story. They were built from the late 1600s to the early 1900s. You can see many cool styles of architecture here. These include Greek Revival, Late Victorian, Federal, Queen Anne, and Gothic Revival.
Some famous buildings in the district are the Chapman Buckman House and mill, Hart House, and the Newtown Hardware House. Other notable places include the White Hall Hotel and the Brick Hotel. The Half-Moon Inn and Friends Meeting House are also part of this historic area. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. More areas were added in 1986.
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Cool Places in the District
Newtown Hardware House
The Newtown Hardware House is a local hardware store. You can find it at 106 S. State Street. This building was part of the original historic district listing in 1979. It's a very important part of Newtown's history.
Its History
The Newtown Hardware House was built in 1869. Cyrus Hillborn and Harrison C. Worstall built it. It started as two separate stores at 106-108 South State Street. One side was a hardware store, and the other was a dry goods store.
Over the years, different owners took over the business. In 1927, H.C. Worstall owned both sides of the store. Later, John J. Burns bought it. Robert M. Davis then owned it until 1985. C. David Callahan took over next. In 2012, William Newell bought the business.
The Big Fire
On March 1, 1899, a big fire destroyed the Newtown Hardware House. Another store also burned down. The damage was about $80,000, which was a huge amount back then. This fire was one of the worst in Newtown's history. People thought burglars might have started it.
But the community quickly rebuilt the store. It was rebuilt exactly like the original building. The store reopened by Christmas of the same year! It is still open and serving the community today. If you look closely at the back wall, you can still see some bricks from before the fire.
Newtown's Oldest Business
The Newtown Hardware House has been open for over 151 years. This makes it the longest-running business in Newtown! In 2012, the store was having trouble. The owner, Dave Callahan, thought about closing it.
When people in Newtown heard this, they wanted to help. They organized a "Cash mob". This is when many people go to a business at once to buy things. They wanted to help the store make more sales. Because of this support, Bill and Peggy Newell bought the store. They kept this important piece of Newtown history alive.
Gallery
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Newtown Library Company.
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The Lower House.
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The Margaret Thornton House.
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The Godwin Building.
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Court St.
