Upper Makefield Township near Washington Crossing in Bucks County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
The Durham Boat
Photographed by Don Morfe, July 19, 2015
1. The Durham Boat Marker
Inscription.
The large flat bottom boats housed in this barn are reproductions of a mid-18th century vessel known as the Durham boat. Robert Durham, an engineer at the Durham Iron Works in nearby Reiglesville, Pennsylvania, reputedly designed a prototype for these large cargo boats as early as 1757. Durham boats hauled cargo along the entire length of the Delaware River. These long-run vessels transported ore, fir, timber, and produce down the Delaware River to Philadelphias thriving markets. The largest vessels (up to 65 feet long and 8 feet in the beam) could transport 20 tons of iron or 150 barrels of flour downstream.
Durham boats played an important role in Washingtons crossing of the Delaware River on December 25, 1776. General Washington wrote to Governor Livingston of New Jersey directing him to secure “Boats and Craft, should be secured particularly the Durham Boats ” for his anticipated crossing and planned attack on Trenton. Although designed to haul cargo, the Durham boats successfully carried Washingtons troops across the icy Delaware in the early morning hours prior to the attack.
In addition, two of
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the boats on display were constructed in 1965 and 1976 by the Johnston Brothers Boat Works in Point Pleasant, New Jersey. They were restored by Chad Brenner working for the Washington Crossing Reenactors Society and given to the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission in 1999. The remaining boats were constructed by Paul Rollins, boatbuilder, York, Maine in 1996 and 1997. One of these is a gift of the Friends of Washington Crossing Historic Park and the other was purchased by the PHMC. The boats are used in the Parks annual reenactment of the Crossing on Christmas Day.
Washington Crossing Historic Park gratefully acknowledges the donations of the Washington Crossing Reenactors Society and the Friends of the Washington Crossing Historic Park.
Erected 1999 by Washington Crossing Historic Park.
is near Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania, in Bucks County. It is in Upper Makefield Township. It is on River Road. The marker is on the grounds of the Washington Crossing Historic Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Washington Crossing PA 18977, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Southeast Pennsylvania and in Greater Philadelphia. It is also in the American Northeast and in the Mid-Atlantic. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, New Netherland, and one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 24, 2015, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 1,680 times since then and 135 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on July 24, 2015, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. 3. submitted on March 15, 2016, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
