Doylestown (PA) (Images of America)

In 1682, William Penn offered the “Free Society of Traders” a nearly twenty-thousand-acre tract of land made up from the then communities of Warwick, New Britain, and Hilltown. The area grew slowly and, in 1745, William Doyle applied for permission to operate an inn at a well-traveled crossroads. With the permission granted, Doyle’s town was created. Spared destructive battles of the American Revolution, the town retained its rustic charm and appeal. By the beginning of the nineteenth century, Doylestown, as it had become known, had blossomed and was beginning to attract merchants and residents. It spent the next century somewhat in isolation until wealthy Philadelphians and New Yorkers “discovered” the borough in the 1930s, boasting of its abundant, beautiful, land and rich history. Doylestown is the first collection of images to document the history of the seat of Bucks County. The images contained in this collection were gathered primarily from local residents who, upon hearing of the pending publication, came forth with troves of photographs, stories, and memories of their hometown. Truly a community effort, Doylestown is a unique compilation of a storied past, a spirited present, and an exciting future.