Northampton Township municipal offices are located at 55 Township Road, Richboro PA 18954.
Phone: 215‑357‑6800.
Northampton [1] is a second-class township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, located approximately 12 miles northeast of Philadelphia. The Township is geographically defined to the northwest by the Little Neshaminy Creek and to the north and east by the Neshaminy Creek. It is bordered by Wrightstown, Newtown, Middletown, Warwick, Warminster, Upper Southampton, and Lower Southampton Townships, as well as Ivyland and Langhorne Boroughs.
Neighborhoods
Township Historic Resources [2]
Given Northampton Township’s history as a farming and milling community, the majority of its historical assets once served as Mills or Farm Houses. In either instance, modern day development pressures have led to the area immediately surrounding these assets to be supplanted by single-detached housing, thus eroding the historic nature of these areas.
In addition to Historic Mills and Farmhouses, the Township has three Villages that have served as centers of commerce and community throughout its history. The Village of Churchville is the lead example of this, straddling the boundary between Northampton and Upper Southampton townships, Churchville has been able to retain its historic charm by preserving a large portion of its historic buildings. These buildings include the Churchville Train Station, North and Southampton Reformed Dutch Church, and the Churchville Telephone exchange.
The Villages of Holland and Richboro have been significantly impacted by modern development patterns and have lost a large portion of their village character. Still, historic assets do exist, most notably the Richboro School House, and Spread Eagle Inn in Richboro, and the Mill Race Inn in Holland. The 2014 Holland Village Master Plan and 2018 Richboro Village Master Plan present strategies to invigorate these communities and reclaim some of their lost historic charm. A key in both of these plans is an improved streetscape that will serve walkers and bicycle riders to better integrate them with their surrounding communities.
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The first settlers of the Township were English, followed by the Dutch and the French Huguenots. Although the origin of the name of the Township has never been officially verified, it is believed to have stemmed from the County of Northampton in the English midlands. Northampton was officially organized in 1722 when a petition was filed with the court to form a township from the land left over after the formation of Hilltown, New Britain, Plumstead, and Warrington townships. One of the most notable citizens was Henry Wynkoop, born in 1737, a descendant of early Dutch settlers. Wynkoop, a friend of George Washington, was active during the Revolutionary War and later became the first judge of the Court of Bucks County. He is buried in Addisville Cemetery in Richboro.
The Township's economy thrived because of its excellent farmland and livestock industry. Second Street Pike was originally an extension of Second Street in Philadelphia, and stagecoaches traversed this route to New Hope, where travelers could take a ferry across the Delaware River. By the middle of the 19th century, the Township had five small villages: Jacksonville, Richboro, Addisville, Churchville, and Rocksville. Today, Jacksonville is considered Ivyland, Addisville is Richboro, and Rocksville is Holland (a reflection of the Dutch influence). Each village has changed and expanded to accommodate modern day uses and structures, but many historic features still remain today. The Township has thirteen structures listed on registers of historic places. Four are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and others are eligible for national listing.
As of 1784 Northampton's population was 813 (722 white and 91 black) and there were 108 houses and 106 other buildings. The Township continued to grow by about 100 people per decade until it reached more than 2,000 people in 1860. By 1900 however, the population declined to 1,500.
Nearby Towns: Bensalem Twp • Bryn Athyn Boro • Hulmeville Boro • Ivyland Boro • Langhorne Boro • Langhorne Manor Boro • Lower Moreland Twp • Lower Southampton Twp • Newtown Boro • Newtown Twp • Penndel Boro • Upper Makefield Twp • Upper Southampton Twp • Warminster Twp • Warrington Twp • Warwick Twp • Wrightstown Twp •