Buckingham, Bucks County, Pennsylvania

Buckingham is a village in Buckingham Township. Buckingham Township was once known as New Buckingham, since it was named after Buckingham village in England, and recently celebrated its 300th birthday.

In revolutionary war times Buckingham sat at the crossroads of three major colonial highways. At the time of the revolutionary war the village itself was referred to as "Bogarts Tavern" because of the tavern that was built there in 1752. During the winter of 1776 General Nathaniel Greene, commander of the left wing of General George Washington's army, used the tavern as his headquarters. The Inn is now referred to as "General Greene's Inn," although the historic signifcance of the structure can easily be overlooked due to the fact that it is rather rundown with detritus littering the surrounding grounds--it is now an antique shop.

The village of Buckingham has gone through previous name changes in the past as well, most often a direct result of the tavern owners at the time ("Vanhorns Tavern", "Wilkinsons Tavern"). The village was also once known as "Centreville" because of its central location in Buckingham Township. Although the town had been referred to by the name "Buckingham" as early as 1769, that name finally stuck permanently in 1872, when a post office was established there.

This is the Mount Gilead African Methodist Episcopal church, located near the top of Buckingham Mountain. It was originally built of logs in 1835 and was rebuilt from stone in 1852. The church was founded by runaway slaves, since Buckingham Mountain was considered to be a safe refuge along the Underground Railroad.

While many long-time residents of Bucks County often discuss the role the County played in helping runaway slaves during the time of the Underground Railroad, the County does not have a spotless record on the issue of slavery. Unfortunately, slaves didn't often have their histories recorded, so little is known about the people who were slaves in Bucks County. As stated in the book History of Bucks County, PA, "They were not an unimportant part of the population in their day and generation, but their lives have passed beyond the realms of history."

African, and even Native American, slaves were held by land owners in Bucks County as early as 1684. William Penn, founder of Pennsylvania and noted pacifist Quaker, apparently did not bestow his ideals of equality to all people, as he was himself a slave owner. While Penn did see to it that his slaves were freed and given land upon his death, it doesn't lessen the tragedy that people were held in bondage.

Through the efforts of other Quakers, known as "Friends", obtaining new slaves was eventually abolished in Pennsyvlania in 1780. At that time, all slaves had to be registered. The official records set the number of slaves in the county to be 520. Over time the number of slaves decreased, so that by 1790 the number dropped to 254. The last slave was freed around 1830.

Photo by Chuck Rudy

The inside of the church. This was a major location along the Underground Railroad and was the last stop before escaped slaves were ferried across the Delaware River. The slaves did not stay in the tiny church but rather hid in the numerous little caves along the side of Buckingham Mountain.

The church is adjacent to an old graveyard, "wherein sleep such noted characters as Governer Wells, Town Crier of Doylestown, and over which 'Big Ben,' the giant slave, exercised quasi-supervision before his tragic capture," according to the book Place Names in Bucks County.

Whether by time or by vandals, some of the headstones are no longer intact.

The church and graveyard are on Buckingham Mountain and overlook a wide vista below. While difficult to see in this photograph, Central Bucks East High School can be seen as a faint horizontal structure in the distance.

This is the Buckingham Valley train station, located a few miles from the center of Buckingham. Buckingham valley is technically a different village than Buckingham, but they are being grouped together in this online tour. According to the website Pennsylvania Railroad Stations Past & Present, the station was built around 1975 and was moved from the Valley Forge Scenic Railroad to the current location by the New Hope & Ivyland Railroad. The original station was torn down in 1953.

In the background is the Buckingham Lumber & Millwork Company. The pile of wood in the foreground is composed of railroad ties for the tracks that runs through the area.

A close-up view of the Buckingham Lumber & Millwork Company. The faint outline of the word "Grain" can be seen on the side of the building, a vestige from days long ago.

Old railroad cars sitting along the tracks by the Buckingham Valley station, possibly awaiting renovation.

Another view of the area by the Buckingham Valley station.

Photo by Richard Hanauer

This is the General Greene Inn, known at the time of the Revolutionary War as Bogart's Tavern. A historic marker in front of the historic structure states, "First licensed in 1763, it was headquarters of the Committee of Observation and Inspection, which organized the revolutionary movement in Bucks County in 1775 & 1776. It was also the site where the country's first military organizations of the Revolution mustered in 1775, & served as General Nathaniel Greene's Headquarters in 1776."

Photo by Richard Hanauer

This famous and historic structure is no longer an inn. It has been Edna's Antique shop for more than 7 decades.

Photo by Richard Hanauer

As the saying goes, "one man's trash is another man's treasure." The grounds of the famous inn are now home to hundreds of "antiques" for sale. While it is unclear whether the roof in the background is sagging from disrepair or was just meant to be that way, the inn and its surroundings certainly no longer appears to retain the historic character it once had.

Photo by Richard Hanauer

Another view of the the property surrounding General Greene's Inn. The famous artist Ranulph Bye (1916-2003) once called this place "an expanding antique junk yard."

A farm along Upper Mountain Road.

Horses grazing on a farm along Upper Mountain Road.

If you look in the right places you can see areas that are virtually unchanged from a century ago or more, a time when small farmhouse dotted the countryside, surrounded by trees and fields of green.

	Photo by Chuck Rudy
The inside of the church. This was a major location along the Underground Railroad and was the last stop before escaped slaves were ferried across the Delaware River. The slaves did not stay in the tiny church but rather hid in the numerous little caves along the side of Buckingham Mountain.

	Photo by Richard Hanauer
This is the General Greene Inn, known at the time of the Revolutionary War as Bogart's Tavern. A historic marker in front of the historic structure states, "First licensed in 1763, it was headquarters of the Committee of Observation and Inspection, which organized the revolutionary movement in Bucks County in 1775 & 1776. It was also the site where the country's first military organizations of the Revolution mustered in 1775, & served as General Nathaniel Greene's Headquarters in 1776."

	Photo by Richard Hanauer
This famous and historic structure is no longer an inn. It has been Edna's Antique shop for more than 7 decades.

	Photo by Richard Hanauer
As the saying goes, "one man's trash is another man's treasure." The grounds of the famous inn are now home to hundreds of "antiques" for sale. While it is unclear whether the roof in the background is sagging from disrepair or was just meant to be that way, the inn and its surroundings certainly no longer appears to retain the historic character it once had.

	Photo by Richard Hanauer
Another view of the the property surrounding General Greene's Inn. The famous artist Ranulph Bye (1916-2003) once called this place "an expanding antique junk yard."