The first 100 years

     Samuel Clift Founded Bristol. He did so after arriving in Burlington, N.N., from England. The date was March 4, 1681 (Old Style), or March 14, 1681 (New Style). He received a grant from Gov. Andros of New York. The grant was to become effective with William Penn's Charter from King Charles II of England. And so, our town, our country, and our state share the same birthday. Our town was first called Buckingham. And following English tradition, our county was named for its principal town: "Buckinghamshire". Shire, for county, was abbreviated, and the result was "BUCKS".

     Clift was required to start a "ferry against Burlington" and to maintain a public house in order to receive the grant of 262 acres which is included in today's Bristol. He started the ferry, which was probably discontinuous only in the early years and which lasted until the construction of the Bristol-Burlington Bridge (sic).The inn he was required to start was the Ferry House in early years and is believed to be the oldest inn in continuous service in the United States. It has subsequently been known as the King George II, the King George III, the Fountain House, The Delaware House, and again the King George II. George Washington is reputed to have slept there, although not as President, but as a young man enroute to Connecticut to seek a commission. Clift died in 1684 and today is memorialized in the street that bears his name at the Mill Street Wharf.
From 1695 to 1697 a series of real estate transactions occurred, resulting in the "staking-out" of the town plot. This formed the basis for the streets and plots to the present day. Town fathers Anthony Burton, Thomas Brock and Peter White were the early entrepreneurs. The original draft of the town plot has been lost. In 1911, John Cutlers copy from the year 1715, was found, but now is also lost. The original town was twelve blocks, including the streets Water, Radcliffe, Cedar, Wood, Pond, Mill, Market, Mulberry and Walnut.

      Samuel Carpenter was the wealthiest man in Pennsylvania in 1701. A philanthropic Quaker born in Surry, England, he came to this country by way of the Barbados to become a shipping merchant in Philadelphia. He built the Bristol Mills, later known as Carpenter's Mills, Rogers' Brothers, J&A Dorrance, and more recently as Plavin's. A strange stroke of good fortune seems to go with the building, as all who have labored there have prospered. Carpenter lost heavily in the French and Indian War of 1703; however, he still built a mansion on Burlington Island and made significant gifts to the Bristol Society of Friends. He contributed the ground for the Meetinghouse, Cemetery, and pasture. Bristolian and Civil War hero Charles Ellet was his descendant.

     In 1705 the first Court House in Bucks County was built on Cedar Street, behind the Presbyterian Church. Justice had been dispensed from taverns and private homes. A gallows and whipping post adorned the two-story brick structure. The building was later used as a voting place, a tax office, a jail, a school, and reportedly as the first home of the Bristol Masons.

     According to the report of Alexander Graydon in 1811, a Quaker Meetinghouse, a small Episcopal church with a lonely graveyard and an old brick jail constituted the only public buildings in Bristol in 1760.

     Bristol Friends Meetinghouse was started in 1711 and was completed in 1713 with brick brought from England. St. James Episcopal Church was started and completed in 1712. Rev. John Talbot of St. Mary's Burlington was the first rector of this parish, founded largely through the efforts of John Rowland and Anthony Burton. St. James fell into a state of neglect and disrepair during the Revolution because of its association with the Church of England. It was used as a stable by American troops. Buried in the churchyard are such notable personas as Dr. James DeNormandie, first resident physician in Bucks county; Capt. John Green, first American to carry the flag around the world; Thomas Cooper, Shakespearean actor; and Col. Joseph Clunn, Revolutionary War hero and first postmaster in Bucks County. The church resumed worship after the Revolution and outgrew the old wooden structure. It was replaced by the present Byzantine edifice of Trenton Brownstone in 1857.

     Buckingham had become known as New Bristol and by 1720 became incorporated as Bristol, the third oldest town in Pennsylvania. Philadelphia (settled after Bristol) and Upland (now Chester) preceded Bristol in order of incorporation dates. Town Council consisted of a council of six, a constable, two burgesses, two assessors and a pound keeper. There was a fine for elected officials who did not serve. Town meetings usually consisted of the council only.

     A period in the mid 1700's was known as "The Golden Age" due to the prosperity and tranquility that possessed this town. The soil was fertile, the crops prospered and industry gained a foothold. There were still few luxuries, but that which was produced locally was abundant.

    A House of Correction was built in 1722 at Beaver and Garden Streets. Bristol was a Market Town, one of only three in Pennsylvania. The Fairs were also held in Bristol, having been authorized by Provincial Council. They were held in Market Street for two days in May and three days in October. The people of the county came to buy and sell and celebrate, which they did to excess. In 1773 Council decreed that the fairs were useless on account of "debauchery, idleness and drunkenness consequent on the meeting of the lowest class of people together.

     Bristol Methodism got its start about the y ear 1771 when Capt. Webb, a licensed preacher in the English army, addressed a crowd of Bristolians under a chestnut tree on Wood Street. A fearsome sight, he preached in full military u uniform with his sword across opened scriptures and a dark patch across one eye. the second of two Methodist churches still stands on that site, now called Bristol Millwork.

     As Bristol approached the Revolution, it mirrored in many ways the political balance of the colonies. Its citizens lived in a Quaker town, county and state. Some were Tories. Some were neutral. Some espoused the cause of liberty. The war ebbed and flowed. It washed over Bristol time and time again, slowly unifying. There were no battles fought here except for an isolated American ensign wounded during a British occupation.Washington headquartered the southern third of his army here under Co. Cadwalader (he became a general the following April) during the Delaware Crossing campaign.

     With Cadwalader comfortably quartered at the King George Inn the remainder of his troops were spread as far as Dunce's Ferry. Some were quartered in the stone houses diagonally opposite the Meetinghouse, then used as a hospital. Famous portrait artist Charles Willson Peale was here, as well as the entire U.S. Marines. Bristol was the first base camp for the Marines in the U.S., who previously seen action only in the Bahamas. The order was given to cross the Delaware on Christmas Day eve, 1776. Whereas Washington's principal force succeeded in crossing, the wider river and heavier ice floes prevented Cadwalader and his men, although they persisted until 4 a.m. slightly upriver from Bristol on Dec. 27 to participate in the victory at Princeton.

    In 1776, the Marquis de Lafayette was brought to Bristol en route to Bethlehem to recover from wounds received in the Battle of Brandywine.

    In 1780, Bristol Lodge No. 25 Ancient York Masons, was granted a warrant. The first Master of the Lodge was John Clark, a British officer, sympathetic to the revolutionary cause.

    In 1780 Bristol had a population of less than 300 housed in about 50 dwellings. The burgesses were Phineas Buckley and John Bessonett, having been elected in 1774. The Federal authority was the Continental Congress, and the Articles of Confederation would be signed the next year.