Longing to be on Fairhill in Upper Bucks County on a clear day a long time ago
I think of Fairhill in Upper Bucks County in the same way as my grandmother’s mountain. Ivy lived on an undeveloped foothill in Hayward, California. On family visits in my early childhood, I’d dress like a masked Lone Ranger and climb to the top for its incredible view of San Francisco Bay. From a granite boulder after summer-time fog lifted, I looked to the west in crystal clarity to planes landing at San Francisco airport, the distant skyline of the city, the Bay Bridge, Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, and Mount Tamalpais.
Here in Bucks a long time ago, residents of Fairhill cherished the view nature provided them. The Hilltown Township settlement sits on a 700-foot-high plateau about three miles southeast of Sellersville. Its first name was Snoveltown after German blacksmith Abraham Schnable who built a home and blacksmith shop to make and repair things made of iron. As more settlers arrived, they marveled at the view from the east end of the hill largely clearcut for farms. According to historian George MacReynolds, you could see parts of seven counties whenever the air was clear – Bucks, Montgomery, Chester, Philadelphia, Berks, Lehigh and Northampton. Seventy miles to the north, he added, “territory around Delaware Water Gap may be seen.” The view was so spellbinding residents called the area Fairhill.
In the late 1800s, a boot factory began operations as well as a cabinet and casket maker. The opening of a post office in 1890 in Schnable’s old home converted into a general store portended official recognition of Fairhill. But postal authorities said, “No can do. Philadelphia had a Fairhill address. Sorry, there’d be too much confusion.” The feds anted up a simple alternative: Garisville for Noah Garis, the new postmaster. Five years later the office closed. Town folk quickly ditched Garisville for Fairhill (though some preferred Snoveltown).
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Today, the village is clustered around Fairhill Road’s intersection with Keystone Drive. Nearby is Highview Road which in earlier days apparently led to the fabulous view. My daughter Genevieve and I recently drove out to see for ourselves. Alas, the view these days is of farmhouses, barns and large pastures bordered by dense forests that obscure the horizon. Still, the rural nature of Bucks County’s second largest township with villages like Fairhill is addictive. “There is no town center, just the remains of many of the small villages contained within its borders,” according to the History Society of Hilltown. “Some of you would recognize Line Lexington, Blooming Glen and Silverdale (although it is its own borough). Many of you would not recognize others. Fricks, Leidytown, Mt. Pleasant, Greer’s Corner, Reiff’s Corner, Pennville, Albright’s Corner, and Fairhill.”
Fairhill’s former general store/post office is a well-maintained, two-story apartment building. Alan Conrad who grew up in Chestnut Hill has lived there the past 11 years and enjoys the tranquility. “I don’t know where you can get the view you describe but they used to call this area ‘Skyline’,” he told us. Small farms and beautiful country manses with backyard swimming pools rule. Owners possibly have their own private “view” of what colonists once admired.
Not a word from George Washington
While exploring Hilltown, we came across this recipe passed down by George Washington courtesy of the historical society. It was the general’s favorite when he was in Bucks savoring victory over the British at Trenton at Christmas 1776. Later he joined the prestigious State of Schuylkill fishing club where he introduced the libation served to the present day in Bensalem. Good for holiday toasts -- if you dare:
1 pint brandy½ pint rye whiskey4 ounces sherry4 ounces rum12 eggs, separated.¾ cup sugar1 quart milk1 quart cream
Combine liquor. Beat egg yolks in a large bowl until thick, then beat in sugar. Gradually add sugar, then milk and cream while continuing to beat. Beat egg whites to thick, not dry, peaks: fold into liquid mixture. Cover and refrigerate at least 5 days before serving.
As old George might have toasted, “Wise, kind, gentle, generous, sexy. But enough about me, here’s to you.”
Sources include “Place Names in Bucks County” by George MacReynolds published in 1942.
Carl LaVO can be reached at carllavo0@gmail.com
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This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Fairhill in Upper Bucks County afforded a view of seven counties
