EVENTS

 Tohickon Watershed Association

Members of the newly formed Tohickon Watershed  Association will share their mission to engage the community in  stewardship  by educating, advocating, and taking action to protect and  restore the watershed for future generations.  

In  the summer of 2025, engaged residents came together with a vision of a   resilient Tohickon Watershed that nurtures both community and ecology,   supporting sustainable economic and recreational uses while connecting   people to the natural environment. 

 This  new community organization pursued designation as a 501 (c) 3   non-profit, planning, organizing, and working towards developing a   community. 

   The 1735 Land Lottery

In 1735 Penn’s Proprietorship developed the idea of a lottery to sell the vacant land of Pennsylvania. William Penn’s Proprietorship sold over 15,000 acres of land in Haycock Township under the lottery system. David Bretz, licensed Surveyor and Civil Engineer, will present “A Scheme of a Lottery”, taking an in depth look at this land lottery and answer some long-held questions. Original land grant documents, maps and the lottery terms will be discussed. The location of the ‘lottery lands’ will be presented as an overlay, revealing their locations on aerial imagery. See if you might live in the “Lottery Lands” and join us for this presentation. David Bretz was recently featured in the Bucks County Herald as a historian.

Decorated Barns of Pennsylvania 

Presentation by Patrick Donmoyer. 

stay tuned for details

Thomas Moll will present on his new book Mills on the Tohickon.  A history of the establishment, rise, and  demise of 41 mill sites along the idyllic Tohickon watershed in Bucks  County, Pennsylvania. Early settlers in the area constructed grist,  fulling, and saw mills in the mid-1700s, and to these were added oil,  powder, and clover mills during the next hundred years. Some of the  mills were operating into the twentieth century, and many were later  turned into recreation sites. This is the first work to cover all the  mills on the Tohickon, and is a companion to Mills on the Unami. 

    How to maintain old buildings

This presentation will look at common maintenance issues for historic homes and outbuildings and explore appropriate solutions. We will look at examples involving historic masonry, windows, insulation, wood, and moisture management. 

Michael Cuba is a board member of the Haycock Historical Society and also a regular instructor on the subject of historic preservation with 30 years of experience working in the historic trades.

 The Perkasie Train Tunnel. 

Presentation by Scott Bomboy. The train tunnel was built in the 1850s. It is 2,150 feet long and took about two and a half years to excavate by means of black powder and hand tools through the Landis Ridge. There were fatalities during the construction and during an expansion to add a second track to the tunnel in the 1800s. The tunnel connects Perkasie and East Rockhill Township. 

Barbara McLaughlin will do a presentation on old items from our past whose purposes have become obscure. 

Oscar Hammerstein, The Journey of Highland Farm

Take a journey through Oscar Hammerstein II’s life, family, musical

works, life-long positivity, and humanitarianism. Learn how this lyricist and librettist changed musical theatre in both his writing and his

mentorship to young Stephen Sondheim. Hear the story of Highland Farm, an almost two-hundred-year-old farm where Oscar lived with his wife Dorothy from 1940 to 1960 in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. It was at this beautiful farm that he wrote the majority of his most famous works. We will also share the latest updates on the exciting

transformation of Highland Farm into a museum and theater education center, a fitting tribute to the life and legacy of the man who wrote the beloved musicals that changed the landscape of musical theater forever.

Lenape: 

Carla Messinger, Director of Native American Cultural Heratage Programs will be our speaker.

Carla is a PA Humanities Speaker with over 35 years' experience providing high-impact presentations and an expert on Lenape history and traditions.  She is also an award-winning children's book author of "When the Shadbush Blooms", a book on the "cycle of the seasons," with parent and teacher pages, geared for learning, with Lenape words, meanings and pronunciations. She will offer her books for sale at the presentation.  

Old House Detective

Speaker: Jeffrey Marshall

The illustrated presentation will discuss how to look at an old house to unravel its mysteries. It will include observations about the Stokes House.

Mapping the One-Room Schoolhouses of Bucks County Presentation by Chase Palmer, local historian and researcher.

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* Friday Mornings Coffee at Stokes *

resumes each Friday 

starting April, 7th 2023  10:00 A.M. - Noon

Come out for a visit, chat, learn, research, enjoy nature!

The Importance of Hedgerows in Rural & Suburban Landscapes Presentation by David Hughes, landscaper and owner of Weatherwood Design in Doylestown, PA.

In this program, David Hughes will present observations on how hedgerows were created, what native species they  attract and what invasive species threaten them.

Haycock One-Room School Reunion

To our HHS members who attended Haycock one-room schools: The reunion, sponsored by the Haycock One-Room School group, will be Saturday, August 26 at St. Paul's in Applebachsville, meeting at 1:00. It will be a covered dish affair. Drinks and paper products will be provided.