Fallsington, Pennsylvania
Encyclopedia
Fallsington is an unincorporated community
in Falls Township
, Bucks County
, Pennsylvania
, United States
.
It is in the Eastern Standard time zone. Elevation is 82 feet (25 m).
. The Bucks County Courthouse, established in 1663, is said to have been located in Fallsington until it was moved to Bristol
in 1705. The first meetings of the Religious Society of Friends
were held in the home of William Biles
on Biles Island
. Falls Monthly Meeting found a site for the first brick meeting house built in Fallsington, about 1690, on 6 acres (0.024 km2) of land that had been donated by Samuel Burgess. Also in 1690, Thomas Janney donated 72 acres (0.29 km2) of land to be used as the Quaker burial grounds for Falls Monthly Meeting. William Penn donated a tract of 120 acres (0.49 km2), for a Falls commons.
Fallsington evolved through a succession of periods in American history and architecture. Significant homes in Fallsington range from the late 17th through the Victorian era of the mid-19th century. Fallsington was a center of commerce. In the 1860s a business directory listed blacksmiths, a butcher, carpenters, a carriage builder, a cooper, farmers, an insurance agent, machinists, physicians, a surveyor, and a wheelwright.
The growth of Fallsington continued, with the construction of homes, an inn, public buildings, stores, and small craftsmen's shops. Until the construction of Fairless Hills
and Levittown
, it was the largest settlement in the Township, and functioned for many years as a commercial center.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in Falls Township
Falls Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania
Falls Township is a township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 34,300 at the 2010 census. Portions of Fairless Hills and Levittown, Pennsylvania, are located in the township...
, Bucks County
Bucks County, Pennsylvania
- Industry and commerce :The boroughs of Bristol and Morrisville were prominent industrial centers along the Northeast Corridor during World War II. Suburban development accelerated in Lower Bucks in the 1950s with the opening of Levittown, Pennsylvania, the second such "Levittown" designed by...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Geography
The latitude of Fallsington is 40.187N. The longitude is -74.819W.It is in the Eastern Standard time zone. Elevation is 82 feet (25 m).
History
Fallsington is an example of a crossroads community typical of the 18th century, on the Kings Highway (now U.S. Route 13U.S. Route 13
U.S. Route 13 is a north–south U.S. highway established in 1926 that runs for from Interstate 95 just north of Fayetteville, North Carolina to the northeastern suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in Morrisville. In all, it traverses five states in the Atlantic coastal plain region,...
. The Bucks County Courthouse, established in 1663, is said to have been located in Fallsington until it was moved to Bristol
Bristol, Pennsylvania
Bristol is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, northeast of Philadelphia opposite Burlington, N.J. on the Delaware River. Bristol was first incorporated in 1720. Although its charter was revised in 1905, the original charter remains in effect, making Bristol one of the older boroughs in...
in 1705. The first meetings of the Religious Society of Friends
Religious Society of Friends
The Religious Society of Friends, or Friends Church, is a Christian movement which stresses the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Members are known as Friends, or popularly as Quakers. It is made of independent organisations, which have split from one another due to doctrinal differences...
were held in the home of William Biles
William Biles
William Biles was an American judge, attorney, legislator, sheriff, land speculator and merchant. Born in England and educated in law, Biles brought his family to America in 1679 and settled in what would become Falls Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania before the charter of William Penn...
on Biles Island
Biles Island
Biles Island is an island in the Delaware River in Falls Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.Now owned by USX, the 567-acre Biles Island sits in the Delaware River a half mile south of Trenton, New Jersey. Since at least 1968 it has been a dumping site for silt dredged from the river.The island...
. Falls Monthly Meeting found a site for the first brick meeting house built in Fallsington, about 1690, on 6 acres (0.024 km2) of land that had been donated by Samuel Burgess. Also in 1690, Thomas Janney donated 72 acres (0.29 km2) of land to be used as the Quaker burial grounds for Falls Monthly Meeting. William Penn donated a tract of 120 acres (0.49 km2), for a Falls commons.
Fallsington evolved through a succession of periods in American history and architecture. Significant homes in Fallsington range from the late 17th through the Victorian era of the mid-19th century. Fallsington was a center of commerce. In the 1860s a business directory listed blacksmiths, a butcher, carpenters, a carriage builder, a cooper, farmers, an insurance agent, machinists, physicians, a surveyor, and a wheelwright.
The growth of Fallsington continued, with the construction of homes, an inn, public buildings, stores, and small craftsmen's shops. Until the construction of Fairless Hills
Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania
Fairless Hills is a census-designated place in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 8,466 at the 2010 census.-History:...
and Levittown
Levittown, Pennsylvania
Levittown is a census-designated place and planned community in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States, within the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The population was 52,983 at the 2010 census. It is above sea level...
, it was the largest settlement in the Township, and functioned for many years as a commercial center.
Trivia
- The "falls" of the Delaware RiverDelaware RiverThe Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.A Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson in 1609 first mapped the river. The river was christened the South River in the New Netherland colony that followed, in contrast to the North River, as the Hudson River was then...
is not a dramatic waterfall but, rather, the rapids that mark the highest navigable point on the river. The names of Fallsington and Falls Township derive from it.