Newtown Township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Boyd-Yardley House
Newtown Heritage Walk No. 17
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., January 28, 2010
1. Boyd-Yardley House Marker
Inscription.
Boyd-Yardley House. Newtown Heritage Walk No. 17. This building sits on land that was on the edge of the Newtown Common next to the original townstead land of Christopher Taylor. This property was originally purchased in 1796 by James Boyd “Minister of the Gospel” of the Presbyterian Church for five shillings and the promise to pay yearly rent to the Trustees of the Newtown Commons. In addition to owning several properties in the area, Boyd was an important figure in the history of the church and Newtown. Serving as minister of the Presbyterian Church from 1769-1814, Boyd was well liked and respected. One of his first tasks was to build the new church on Sycamore Street. James Boyd was also committed to education and he was a founder, and for many years a teacher, at the Bucks County Academy and an original trustee of Dickinson College., Boyd sold Lots 50 and 51 to brothers Joshua and Amos Yardley in about 1808 for $1 and the payment of back rent. Tax records indicate that the Yardley brothers were living in Newtown in 1807 and it is possible they on the property before they actually purchased it. Since 1742, this Yardley family had owned and farmed a large tract of land in Newtown Township near the Lower Makefield border. After the American Revolution, there was a movement in the country away from the farms and into towns, either because town life was seen as more attractive or because the land was worn out by over farming. This family seems to be typical of that trend. All of the children moved to the same block in Newtown and took up trades. Amos was a cooper, Enos and Joshua were carpenters and their sister Sarah married Isaac Reeder a harness maker., The oldest section of the building was probably built in about 1808 by Amos Yardley and it is one of the earlier structures built on the Common. The structure was built in several sections with six winding staircases and eventually became two residences. In 1886, Michael Mann, a German immigrant and stone mason, purchased the property and members of the Mann and Keller families lived in the house until 1958. In 2003, the private residence was converted by the Tyrols into office space.
This building sits on land that was on the edge of the Newtown Common next to the original townstead land of Christopher Taylor. This property was originally purchased in 1796 by James Boyd “Minister of the Gospel” of the Presbyterian Church for five shillings and the promise to pay yearly rent to the Trustees of the Newtown Commons. In addition to owning several properties in the area, Boyd was an important figure in the history of the church and Newtown. Serving as minister of the Presbyterian Church from 1769-1814, Boyd was well liked and respected. One of his first tasks was to build the new church on Sycamore Street. James Boyd was also committed to education and he was a founder, and for many years a teacher, at the Bucks County Academy and an original trustee of Dickinson College.
Boyd sold Lots 50 & 51 to brothers Joshua and Amos Yardley in about 1808 for $1 and the payment of back rent. Tax records indicate that the Yardley brothers were living in Newtown in 1807 and it is possible they on the property before they actually purchased it. Since 1742, this Yardley family had owned and farmed a large tract of land in Newtown Township near the Lower Makefield border. After the American Revolution, there was a movement in the country away from the farms and into towns, either because town life was seen as more
Click or scan to see this page online
attractive or because the land was worn out by over farming. This family seems to be typical of that trend. All of the children moved to the same block in Newtown and took up trades. Amos was a cooper, Enos and Joshua were carpenters and their sister Sarah married Isaac Reeder a harness maker.
The oldest section of the building was probably built in about 1808 by Amos Yardley and it is one of the earlier structures built on the Common. The structure was built in several sections with six winding staircases and eventually became two residences. In 1886, Michael Mann, a German immigrant and stone mason, purchased the property and members of the Mann and Keller families lived in the house until 1958. In 2003, the private residence was converted by the Tyrols into office space.
Erected 2007 by Newtown Historical Association and Tyrol Insurance.
Location. 40° 14.048′ N, 74° 56.254′ W. Marker is near Newtown, Pennsylvania, in Bucks County. It is in Newtown Township. Marker is on Sycamore Street, on the right when traveling north. Marker is about 200 feet south of Silo Drive. Touch for map
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., January 28, 2010
2. Boyd-Yardley House and Marker
. Marker is at or near this postal address: 223 N Sycamore Street, Newtown PA 18940, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Also see . . . Rev. James Boyd. (Submitted on March 4, 2010, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., January 28, 2010
3. Boyd-Yardley House and Marker
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., January 28, 2010
4. Boyd-Yardley House Photo on Marker
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., January 28, 2010
5. Boyd-Yardley House Photo on Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on March 3, 2010, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 843 times since then and 22 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on March 4, 2010, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.