When Pennsylvania was purging Indians, this Bucks municipality encouraged them not to leave

You can’t go anywhere in Bucks County without bumping into reminders of our Native American past. Neshaminy Boulevard in Bensalem. Playwicki Park in Middletown. Tamanend Park in Upper Southampton. Tamanend Avenue in New Britain. Perkiomen Creek in Perkasie. Unami Creek in Quakertown. Buckwampum Hill in Durham. They’re all vestiges of Lenape Indians who governed every corner of Bucks before William Penn took over in 1681.

A half-century later, Penn’s sons swindled the tribe out of all their lands above Wrightstown including the Lehigh Valley. Predictably, warfare resulted on the frontier for the next two decades, causing the forced removal of Native Americans from Pennsylvania.

Of all the municipalities in Bucks, there was one to stand against the tide. Solebury Township. It encouraged Indians to stay ― and they did. “Lenape Indians stayed long after the tribe moved westward,” according to Bucks historian George MacReynolds of the Bucks County Historical Society. “They liked the treatment they received from the white residents. We know the names of very few who remained, but if a record had been made of their names, doubtless it would have amounted to a considerable number. Those who tarried on or near Burn Bridle Hill were allowed to wander at will through the forest, and they rarely violated the privileges granted them and did surprisingly small damage to property.”

Good neighbors, for sure. But given most of the tribe had moved west to Ohio, Oklahoma, Wisconsin and Canada by 1800, their numbers dwindled in Solebury until a bare few remained. Among them was “Peg” Tuckamony, a hickory basket weaver who lived in a hut at the northern base of Burn Bridle Hill in an area now known as Honey Hollow. Today, Upper York Road parallels the 3-mile-long hill between Creamery Road to the north and its junction with Route 202 to the south at Peddler’s Village.

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Peg remains an endearing figure, long after she passed in 1830. Toting her wares to market, she followed ancient Indian paths through Burn Bridle Forest. There a nexus of trails led to four springs. Peg used the trails to reach Lahaska and Buckingham Friends Meeting House where she sold her baskets in a woodland clearing. Tuckamony Christmas Tree Farm on Upper York Road where her home once existed honors Peg’s memory.

Another Lenape to reside in Solebury was Hannah Gibbs. In poverty, she and her five children moved into the Bucks almshouse in Doylestown Township where she died prematurely. The manager didn’t approve healthy orphaned children living there. So, he parceled them out as indentured servants, common at the time. Solebury’s Moses Eastburn took in Hannah’s son Mahlon and paid for his private school education. Completing his indenture, he purchased a local farm where he raised a family, grew crops and produced lime fertilizer for area growers.

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This history brings me to pondering whether there’s been movement by state government to restore recognition of Native American tribes. The champion of doing so in Harrisburg is state Sen. Steve Santarsiero (D-10) of Lower Makefield. His district encompasses Solebury. In December, he introduced Senate Bill 505 to formalize state recognition of Native American tribes. Eight co-sponsors have signed on, all Democrats. The bill, if passed by the Legislature and signed by the governor, would establish a Commission on Native American Affairs to set up criteria for recognizing and certifying native “bands or clans, nations and tribes indigenous to Pennsylvania.”

At this writing, SB 505 is under consideration in the Community, Economic and Recreational Development Committee. There has yet to be a floor vote. As for Santarsiero, he says it’s time to rectify the past. In seeking support for his legislation in December, he told lawmakers, “We have a duty and responsibility to foster awareness, understanding and appreciation of the many and varied contributions to the quality of life made by Native Americans.”

Sources include “Moses Eastburn Farm” on file at the Solebury Township Historical Society; “Place Names in Bucks County” by George MacReynolds published in 1942, and “Burn Bridle Hill and Forest” found on the web at https://burnbridle.com/?page_id=55. You can reach Sen. Santarsiero through his website www.senatorstevesantarsiero.com/, or by calling his Harrisburg office at 717-787-7305.

Carl LaVO can be reached at carllavo0@gmail.com

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: When Pa. was purging Indians, Solebury encouraged the Lenape to remain