Hike #1155; Newtown Neshaminy Loop

Hike #1155; Newtown Neshaminy Loop

9/1/18 Newtown Neshaminy Loop with Tom Vorrius, Shane Blische, Jim “Uncle Soup” Campbell, Diane Reider, Robin Deitz, Jason Itell, Megan Itell, Martyn (Sy P. Deunom), Lyz Abeth, Ric Giantisco, Galya, and Joe ?.

This next hike would be a big loop, the next in the Neshaminy Creek series.
I’d really loved doing this series because I love rivers and their tributaries. Each has some amazing story to tell and was an integral part of each area.

Suburban Newtown trails

There’s so much to see on the Neshaminy in particular. The area was settled early and structures and roads date back to the days of William Penn.
I started the Neshaminy series last year to have something closer for my friends from Philly, and because I’d done some hiking in the past on it, knowing that one day I would do the creek as a series. I don’t really know what to number this one at this point because there was several all close together, just barely before and after I started the “series”.
I’d done stuff in the past south of Newtown, and I’d done a Tyler State Park loop in 2009. I revived the idea of doing it a while back on a Winter hiking looping in Newtown. I then reposed a similar hike out of Newtown before starting the series up.

From six lane width to one!

The first part was starting in Bristol, and then following the Delaware to the mouth of the Neshaminy, doing Neshaminy State Park, and then heading up the creek’s east side. Part 2 was nearly a repeat of part 1, only we followed the west side of the creek ending the same spot. Part 3 brought us from Hulmeville, and I ended at Woodside along a tributary. Part 4 took us from Core Creek area backtracking part of the other side of the Neshaminy, and up toward Newtown. So, I suppose this was Part 5. Like the first one, much of this was a partial repeat of the previous, only covering the opposite side of the creek, because it was worth it.
I chose the Village at Newtown South shopping center as the meeting point for the loop. I picked up Shane on the way in, and we had extra time, so I did a then and now of the Spring Garden Mill, which would be along the route of the hike anyway.

A mill in Newtown

It was nice to see so many show up for the hike. I had put together a really weird route I figured everyone might get a kick out of. It ended up being a bit different than I was expecting in terms of distance, and fortunately I had alternatives to cut it shorter when we needed to. My route was supposed to involve a lot more of Tyler State Park than it ended up being, but it was just too much extra distance. That’ll have to be next time.
We started walking from the parking lot to the south across Swamp Road. I think we cut right through the back of Newtown Bagel. Ric used to live in the area and was telling us about some places he used to go through when he was there. We ended up in another parking lot, and then crossed the Newtown-Richboro Road into a development.

Abandoned Newtown Branch

We kept to the right, and then turned right on a paved trail that went into the Newtown Place apartments.
The trail split once we were past the homes, and we turned to the left to head through a wide open grassy area in back of all the buildings.
I should have taken the fork to the right, because it goes around the buildings and would’ve eliminated the confusion I had ahead. The path turned to the left and then crossed over Cambridge Lane, and continued to the right. I brought everyone on the path which then headed west, when I should have been coming from that way.

Old Newtown Branch

We ended up walking it a bit and I had planned on maybe cutting through to the south through trees or something, but it wouldn’t work out. We backtracked and then headed out across Sycamore Street to Barclay Street. It’s a really odd road because it goes from being the equivilant of six lanes wide down to a single lane. I think about the Point Mountain bridge replacement near where I live, and how they will not acknowledge a bridge to be a traffic calming device, when obviously it is. It seems obvious it’s being used as such here.

Diesel powered passenger train heading south through Newtown in 1954. A. C. Zemke photo\

We passed an historic mill by the bridge over Newtown Creek, and then turned to the right on South Slate Street. We then crossed the abandoned Newtown Branch of the Reading Railroad, which was most recently run by SEPTA. They switched to all electric and so they let the Newtown line go despite replacement of most of the track.

1892 scene at George School

We paused for a few moments here while Shane gave us his historic dissertation:
The line began construction in 1873 and was soon leased by PRR to stymie construction of North Penn and Delaware & Bound Brook Railroads' National Railway project.

Historic George School image, 1930s.

PRR had the idea of linking the line with the Mercer & Somerset Railroad in New Jersey, but after the Great Frog War of 1876, the plan fell apart. The Newtown Branch opened in 1878, and by 1879, the line was under the ownership of the North Penn Railroad, which in turn was leased by the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad.

1946 image at George School

The Philadelphia Newtown & New York Railroad remained as a paper railroad until 1945 when its corporate entity was officially absorbed into Reading Company. By the 1970s, RDG was in financial difficulty and soon was sucked into Conrail. Freight on the Newtown Branch shriveled up during this time. Passenger service was firstly operated by Conrail, then relinquished to SEPTA which operated service to Newtown until January 1983. Nothing has crossed this bridge since.

Historic image at George School Station

The track from where we saw it continued down to the Neshaminy Creek through the George School property, which once had a railroad station.

We kept walking south on State Street, and reached the entrance to Fountain Farm Lane. There was a paved path parallel with the road we followed for a bit, then turned to the left into grass along the north side of the development behind homes.
We were just down below the yards, so no one bother us. As we walked, I noted that up on the hill to the left was a stately old home among the newer ones. This must have been another of those spots where an old farm was taken over by development, but the original farm house was left in place.

An old house surrounded by development

After we were beyond the looping road of Martin Court, we headed between the development roads back out to Fountain Farm Lane at the intersection with Summit Trace Road. This would take us across the Newtown Bypass highway. We headed across, then headed left parallel with Double Woods Road through the grass along a town house property. We continued to a right turn on Country Lane, followed that through a development, and then went left on Franklin Road. This led us out to Fulling Mill Road where we turned to the right.

Historic home

We passed an historic home on the left, which I think it said was built about 1852 on the date near the peak of the roof. We then continued down the narrow Fulling Mill Road, which would have I believe continued straight before the creation of Lake Luxembourg.

Core Creek Park

We reached Tollgate Road and turned to the right. This was the part of the hike that dragged the most because I’d already walked this before, and I it was just roads.
After crossing a small inlet, we cut to the left into Core Creek Park. We walked through a grove and then paused for a break at the restroom building. We had done this route the previous time also, but this time I planned to try to stay closer to the water’s edge than we did before.
While we waited in the restroom area, Martyn demonstrated some sort of arm slinky think I think he told me he got from Michelle Bradley.

Lake Luxembourg

The area of Core Creek has a rich history, like most of the area around surrounding Bucks County. Of course, it dates back to William Penn.
The first 1000 acres of property was purchased from Penn by Thomas Croasdale in 1682.
The property remained in the Croasdale family until Thomas Croasdale’s grandson fell upon financial problems and was forced to sell it in 1733 to John Watson.

Lake Luxembourg

Another portion of the land was purchased by Thomas Jenks in 1731. Jenks was a prominent figure in the Langhorne PA area, and was responsible for the construction of many area buildings.
One such prominent place was a fulling mill on what is now the east side of the park. Locals would bring their sheep’s wool to this mill to be processed. The road on the east side of the park still bears the name “Fulling Mill Road”. Even General George Washington ordered cloth here during the Revolution.

At Core Creek Park

The mill was raided by British soldiers who commandeered Washington’s ordered cloth.
This was not the end of significant history for the Core Creek properties. The fertile lands and wide flood plains caught the eye of royalty during the second World War.
Luxembourg was occupied by Nazi Germany in 1941, and so Charlotte and Felix Clervaux, the prior being the Grand Dutchess of Luxembourg, purchased 247 acres of former John Watson’s acquisition to be used as their private royal farm.

The group at Core Creek Park

They purchased fifty more acres in 1943.
The Dutchess lived on site and tried to preserve morale back home from safety afar.

Core Creek Park

She moved back home in 1945 after the Nazi occupation ended, and remained the Monarch until 1964. Prior to her death at age 89, she sold the Bucks County property which was then acquired by Bucks County government. The Core Creek was dammed in 1975 as part of an effort to curb flooding on the Neshaminy Creek down stream. It was named Lake Luxembourg in honor of the Dutchess. There are now trails all around the lake and picnic facilities. The trails are not well mapped, and so are kind of a secrete for out of towners.

Lake Luxembourg

We got down closer to the water, away from the paved path that remains more inland here. It was a little wet and mushy but not too bad. A lot of trees in the picnic groves were flagged for removal, I think Ash trees, same as where I work.
We continued around until returning to the paved path at a sort of wedding photography shelter thing. I decided to get our group shot at that point. We then continued along the shore on the path past the boat rental facility toward the main dam.

View from the main dam.

We left the paved path and headed up the main dam where we had a good view of the lake, then crossed over to the other side into the picnic groves. Once on the other side, we turned right and down through woods and then crossed Park Road. This put us on the trail closest to the south side of the park.

Abandoned

We kept to the the south side, heading east, then crossed a clearing where Park Road, now parallel, turned away to the north. We continued along the trail as it followed an old mill raceway along the Core Creek that served the mills in the Bridgetown area ahead.
This part was an overlap of stuff I’d done on a couple previous hikes. We followed the mill race path to where it came close to Bridgetown Pike, then cut out to the road. We went across and into some woods on the other side where there was a mowed path. We turned right on this, still parallel with Bridgetown Pike, and headed out to the intersection with Route 413.

Historic Bridgetown Mill

Some of the group ran into a yellow jacket’s nest on the way through and got all stung up. Tom I think got it worst because his hand swelled all up like it was a paw. I think a couple others got stung as well.
There is a very old stone house on the corner, directly across from the historic Bridgetown Mill and Mill House, which is now a restaurant and sort of bed and breakfast. The home must be really old, but I have not been able to find any information about it.
Bridgetown Mill was said to have been constructed in 1704.
The mill was built by Jonas Preston at the confluence of the Neshaminy Creek and Core Creek.

Old Bridgetown Bridge

In 1777 Joseph Jenks purchased The Bridgetown Mill. Joseph Jenks was a prominent family of Quakers in Bucks County. They traced their decent from Thomas Jenks (1699-1797).
Jenks was born in England and traveled with his parents to Pennsylvania in 1700. In 1731 he married and in 1734 established his 818-acre homestead in Middletown Township.
The senior Jenks was the same who established the fulling mill, only about a mile and a half up stream (now beneath Lake Luxembourg in Core Creek Park) from the Bridgetown (Preston) mill.

Old Bridgetown Bridge

Thomas Jenks became a political leader, and served on Colonial Assembly, Constitutional Convention, and the State Senate.

Trail along the Neshaminy

Joseph Jenks, his son, operated the Bridgetown Mill as well as his father’s fulling mill during the late 1700s and early 1800s. In turn, his son William Jenks took over the family business and also farmed the adjacent fifty one acres.
The beautiful miller’s house on the same property as the historic mill, which stands in ruins with no roof today, was built in 1791 by Joseph Jenks and presented to his son William and wife Mary. It was referred to as the Bridgetown Mill House.

Trail along the Neshaminy

Bridgetown Mill and house were bequeathed by William to his son, also named Joseph, who continued to operate and became quite wealthy as a merchant miller.

Trail along the Neshaminy

The mill remained in the Jenks family until 1847 when it was sold to Samual Comfort, who operated it.

Abandoned road

The mill and properties were sold yet again in 1876, this time to Benjamin Woodman.
The mill continued to operate until 1939.
The property and buildings remained in the Woodman family until 1953.
The old mill was used for storage and such, and still had a roof on it until at least the 1980s, but at some point was collapsed and/or removed. The property was again sold in 1995 with the mill and mill house, the last eight or so acres of the original 818 acre tract.

Abandoned road

The Bridgetown Mill House opened up as an Inn in 1998, and a full kitchen restaurant service opened making it a true inn in 2003.
We continued to walk from the mill ahead across the old Bridgetown Bridge. When they replaced the old bridge over the Neshaminy on Bridgetown Pike, they left the older double span Pony Truss bridge in place open only to pedestrians. Even though we were not going to continue in that direction, we walked across it and back so the group could see it.

Interesting graffiti

We headed back out to Rt 413 and headed north only a short bit. As soon as a clearing opened up on the left, a paved trail headed off parallel with the development there.
The paved trail continued all the way to the end of the development, and then headed into the woods to the left. While we walked, Martyn, who I got hooked on Dispatch music, was playing some of their tracks on his phone (I had tickets to see them with Jillane in Philly soon after this hike, and had just seen them in Asbury Park).

Neshaminy at the island

We accidentally made a left turn. This took us out along a tributary of sorts to the Neshaminy, and I was thinking it might have a bridge across it, but it didn’t. We had to backtrack and then get to where we could get across it. Once we were on the right track, the route was clear and very easy for a good while.
After a bit, an abandoned paved road came in from the right. Ahead seemed to be paved as well. We continued to a dead end for the trail, where there was some interesting hulk looking graffiti and the words “I liked this part”. It looked like it was a tributary we needed to cross that flowed in. I got in the flow of the water and looked for a place for us to cross, but found nothing good.

On the trail

After I finally got my phone out and checked the GPS, I realized this was not an inlet at all. This was the Neshaminy, and there was an island of large size in the middle. So it looked like a small stream. That changed everything. We had to turn back and take the next reasonable path to the east.
We headed back to where the abandoned paved road came into the trail along the river, and turned on that heading east. It went by a fenced area, and then between houses to come out at a cul de sac off of a road called Alberts Way.

Old house along the road

We followed Alberts Way to the north, turned left on Bernick Drive, right on Cambridge Drive, and let again on Alberts Way heading to the east. I think anyway. I’m pretty sure that’s the development roads we came out on. We followed them out to Rt 413 and turned left, heading north. This part sucked.
There was almost no shoulder on the road and I wished we could have avoided it by staying on the creek. I bet we could have it we’d tried harder. I must have gone through there the first time I did it with Wyatt Hassler.

Path in a development

We passed the intersection with Green Valley Road, and just past we went left off the road and onto a paved trail that paralleled that road and development heading to the west, back toward the Neshaminy.
It passed through wide open fields, which was kind of nice.
This was a really nice relaxing area, with side paths cutting off to the right. We kept to the ones to the left, went the wrong way one time and had to turn back, but pretty much just kept to the south side of this development.

Paved development path.

The paved path turned to the right, and we cut to the left on a grassy mowed path for a bit, then ascended to the edge of a road that encircles Pennswood Village, another development. We kept on the paved path as it closely paralleled the road to the west.
At one point, the trail went onto a wooden decking when it got to a steep area, and continued around to the west side of the development. We came to a point where there was a sign reading “Neshaminy Trails”, which was a relief when we saw it. “Official” trails would be easier.

"official" trails

We took a nice break at the entrance to the Neshaminy Trails. We didn’t know what we would be up against next.

Historic image of the Neshaminy trestle

When we were finally ready to go, we descended on the paths to the creek. Once we were along the side, we turned to the right heading up stream.

Shane's view from our previous hike before removal

It was a nice and easy walk, over a spillway, on mostly a wide trail. It even became mowed and grassy at one point.

Partly removed trestle

This soon turned to disappointment, especially for Shane and I, when we saw the Newtown Branch’s trestle over the Neshaminy Creek had had two of it’s spans removed and placed on the center spans. Some of the most outlandish fences I’ve ever seen blocked from climbing.

Hiking across in 2009

The line has been made into a trail to the south in Montgomery County, but Bucks voted against the trail. It’s a bad situation because this line should never have been abandoned, and the trail makes it harder to ever reactivate it. The removal of the spans makes it so neither a railroad or trail can come in and use it without a great deal of work.

Removed span

My plan was to go to the west side of the creek here, so the only choice was to wade the stream. Everyone handled that pretty well, and we took a nice long break. Shane and I were the only ones to really swim, and we took some some time to jump off the piers the way Wyatt showed me to do several years ago.

Neshaminy trestle

My plan had been to cut under the bridge and get into the Village Shires development, but I made a mistake and brought us out into the one to the south of the south. We had to follow some streets through there instead which took a bit more time.

Shane jumping off

We followed Stonyford Road when we got to it to the north across the old Newtown Branch, and then turned left into the Village Shires store fronts. There were a few food options, and some of us all went for different things. I had some pizza at Aldo’s in the plaza.
From this point, my plan had been to go north, but it wasn’t really a great route through the developments. I wasn’t feeling it, and I was getting the feeling that the group would appreciate something more back woods as well.

Bridge

I decided we would redo the section through the Heritage Conservancy Lands, and then head parallel with the developments directly along the Neshaminy heading north into Tyler State Park.
At this point, I had done that particular route three full times. I just figured I’d do it again since much of the group had never seen it, and it’s really a nice back woods section people don’t know about.

Neshaminy trestle

We had to walk back through the development again and get on Buck Road. That was the worst part of all of this because the road has no shoulder and is really dangerous. Fortunately the grassy edges of the developments made it a bit easier for most of the way to walk in.
Everyone got a bit ahead of me assuming where I might go, when I ran across the road and up a steep slope to get into the Heritage Conservancy Property.

Trestle

It’s really a great tract with great views of the Neshaminy and informal paths, and hardly anyone knows of it.
We moved along as I had done on all of the previous trips. The foot bridges that were not there the previous times were in place, which made it easier to navigate some sections. Some areas had rather recently flooded, so it was a bit of a mess. I think one place that had had a bridge was missing, and we found one randomly in the woods that had washed down a bit.

Fort

We passed the tree fort looking things along the way, and skirted the development on the grassy path along the edge for a bit. We passed the giant fallen Sycamore we used to have to use to get over one of the tributaries before the foot bridge, and continued along the shores, getting closer to houses as we reached the end of the more developed path. It was actually rougher than it’d ever been in the one section up there. Lots of Japanese Knotweed overtaking the edge and we didn’t really have a good path to walk on.

Fallen tree

When we got to where in the past I'd turned up hill and skirted a development road, and would then descend on the abandoned road to the Spring Garden Mill, this time I offered up the alternative I'd been wanting to try since my first time back there: follow along the creek despite the steep cliff. In fact, I'd just walk in the creek.

Neshaminy

No one went for this option save for our only newcomer, Bob, was the only one to go for the crazy route.

I started walking up the creek and it got a little deep here and there. Overall though, it was very pleasant. Someone was riding an ATV or something on the far shore, but I never saw them. We just kept walking and it seemed like very quickly we could see the road bridge for the highway ahead. The moving water calmed and got a bit deeper. It was very pleasant to walk in, as the floor of the stream became a bed of smaller rocks. I pointed out ahead the abutments and single pier for the former Spring Garden Mill Covered Bridge.

Walkin in the Neshaminy

We headed to the shore line, and I used some roots to pull myself up. We then headed over to the old mill, and then across the highway.
The bridge was built in 1815, and washed away with the Flood of 1955. It was by that time already closed to all but pedestrian use because the newer bridge had already been installed. Even that bridge has been replaced today, with a much more recent modern structure.
The abutments have a partial arch built into them which was used as a support for the Burr Arch Truss design. It carried the Newtown-Richboro Road’s original alignment.

Historic image of the bridge

The original road alignment went right in front of the Spring Garden Mill, now a theatre.

The bridge site today

The historic Spring Garden Mill, built in 1819, across the Neshaminy Creek from Newtown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

Flood of '55 at the bridge site

This historic mill on the Newtown-Richboro Road was built adjacent to "The Dripping Spring".

Historic Spring Garden Mill

In 1781, members of the Doan outlaw band are reputed to have hidden their horses in a dense thicket near Dripping Spring, just before they rode into Newtown and robbed the County treasury.

The mill as it appears today

Newtown at this time was the County seat. The mill passed through different owners before becoming part of Tyler State Park, and it was re-purposed as a theatre, the home of the Langhorne Players. The road used to pass right beside the mill and over a covered bridge.

Spring Garden Mill covered bridge

We actually got to the bridge far earlier than the rest of the group. We stood on the north side of the bridge at the walkway until they arrived.

Bridge site today

Then, we crossed, and descended to the edge of the creek on the east side. There were some interesting steps there, and even a guide rope to help down over the steep section.

Tyler State Park

There is some kind of frisbee golf course or something in that area, and a lot of work has gone into improving the trail on the east side that I'd not seen before. Bridges, switchbacks, steps, and such were in place as we continued along. Some of the group broke off to go for the most direct route back to the cars, but the rest of us descended on more rocks to head down to the interestingly arced dam in the creek.
We had to climb down some really interesting looking rocks, which I’d not done before.

Tyler SP

I walked all the way out onto the dam, which I’d also never done before. It looks as though it might be dangerous, but it was actually quite easy. It gave me a great perspective on the whole thing.
Once we left the dam, we continued up stream for a bit more on a small path, then got to one of the wider trails again. Ric chose the way back from there to head to where we were parked. There were multiple options on turns we could take.

The dam

We took to one that headed gradually up hill to the east, then cut to the left past a restroom. This led to the “lower plantation” parking lot and a straight trail that accesses the creek to the lot. The trail continues beyond the lot across Main Park Road.

The dam

The trail continued out to a road known as Green Lane and skirted it to the left to pass beneath the Newtown Bypass to the Council Rock North High School.
We headed straight across the lot, and then continued straight across their activity fields to the tree line that forms the border between the school property and the shopping center we parked in.
We got back to the lot and the other group that went back a little earlier was still there getting ready to head out, so I suppose we were moving rather quickly.

The field

I drove Shane back home, and stopped a couple places on the way to take historic photographs.
This ended up being a really great hike for me, but wasn’t exactly what I was expecting to do. The Neshaminy series has been full of little surprises that make me love it more each time. Much of what I had intended to be a part of this hike will be a part of the next one instead, and that one too promises to be great, I just have to figure out where it’ll fit in. Some of the upcoming ones will have to hold off for the following Summer, because I don’t want to miss out on awesome swimming opportunities. We’ll have to have other Philly vicinity stuff in the meantime.

HAM