Gone for good: Bucks County demolishes old tannery at Route 413 and Bridgetown Pike

JD Mullane, Bucks County Courier Times
·2 min read
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An 18th century Bucks County tannery with an intriguing connection to local men with randy wives is no more.

The stone building at Route 413 and Bridgetown Pike, the last structure in a vanished Bucks County crossroads village called Cuckold-Town, was razed this week. The site, on the edge of Core Creek Park, also had a tavern dating to 1761, known as "Cuckold-Town Tavern."

"It floods, the thing's in a flood zone. Last time, the water was basically up to the ceiling, and it had 7-foot ceilings," said Bob Lilick, of BRB Contractors of Pottstown, who razed the building.

Bob Lilick, of BRB Contractors, Pottstown, directs a dump truck placing topsoil at the site of razed "Cuckold Tavern," at Route 413 and Bridgetown Pike in Middletown on Thursday Aug. 24, 2023. The building dated to the 18th century, was owned by Bucks County, but could not be preserved due to flooding on the property.
Bob Lilick, of BRB Contractors, Pottstown, directs a dump truck placing topsoil at the site of razed "Cuckold Tavern," at Route 413 and Bridgetown Pike in Middletown on Thursday Aug. 24, 2023. The building dated to the 18th century, was owned by Bucks County, but could not be preserved due to flooding on the property.

The history of the place was chronicled in a 2017 feature column by retired Courier Times editor Carl LaVO, who teamed with local historian Clarence King to unearth the history behind the name "Cuckold-Town." LaVO and King's sleuthing showed that the village located on the site of the razed building, and its centerpiece was the wood-framed Cuckold-Town Tavern.

Back in the day, the word was used to describe a husband who had been cheated on by his wife, a scandal of epic proportion at the time.

History of Cuckold-Town LaVO: The quest for Cuckold Town leads to the crossroads of Bridgetown Pike and Route 413 in Middletown

The last building of the lost crossroads village of Cuckold-Town in Middletown, is no more.
The last building of the lost crossroads village of Cuckold-Town in Middletown, is no more.

King found a public sale notice in the Pennsylvania Gazette Aug. 24, 1789 — “Cuckold-Town Tavern, formerly the Sign of the Black Horse, situated in Middletown Township...." Later, a deed search proved the location of the place at the southeast corner of 413 and Bridgetown, among the busiest intersections in the township.

The Cuckold-Town Tavern, which county records list as a "house of public entertainment," was a nuisance bar, with locals griping about boozing and gambling doing "great damage to our youth and some others," according to LaVO's piece.

The tavern closed in 1775, and was converted into the home of William Richardson, who built the two-stone stone building for the sale of leather goods. The tavern, alas, was torn down. But the stone tannery remained, eventually being acquired by Bucks County.

Scrap cleared from the "Cuckold Tavern" site at Route 413 and Bridgetown Pike in Middletown on Thursday Aug. 24, 2023.
Scrap cleared from the "Cuckold Tavern" site at Route 413 and Bridgetown Pike in Middletown on Thursday Aug. 24, 2023.

But why the name Cuckold-Town? The village and the origins of its name are lost to history, though LaVO offered this speculation: "Is that where the area’s cuckolds hung out, drowning their sorrows in the taproom? Or did the wives of cuckolds convene in the tavern’s parlor, looking for opportunity in a party atmosphere? Or maybe the tavern was named for the cuckold living in a manor house on the hill?"

JD Mullane can be reached at 215-949-5745 or at jmullane@couriertimes.com.

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Bucks County demolishes old stone building at Route 413 corner