Friends @ Newtown

Join us for some fun in the sun playing beach volleyball. Level is intermediate but casual. All we ask is that you be able to control the ball on a relatively consistent basis and attempt to set.

It is important you check the event prior to heading out to the event. In the event of inclement weather or low rsvp, we will post comment and/or cancel event.

We will play until sundown, and late comers are welcome. Event will be weekly lasting through October.

Two courts. 20 person limit.

End of season BBQ at Jason's.

Join us for a leisurely dog friendly Hike to the Schofield Ford covered bridge in Tyler state park. The fall foliage is amazing this time of year and the bridge photo op is awesome. we will Hike approx. 3 miles. terrain is kind of hilly with dirt and gravel paths. please keep dogs on leash as there is often horses on the trails. we will meetup at the covered bridge parking lot 345p. This 1873 bridge was once privately owned and part of the 2,000 acre Tyler Estate known as “Indian Council Rock”. The Schofield Ford Covered Bridge is within the 1,688 acres which became Tyler State Park in 1974. Closed to traffic, it is still used as part of a bridle path.

Destroyed by arson in 1991. Schofield Ford was rebuilt through a community effort of more than 800 volunteers, and reopened September 6, 1997. The bridge, 164 ft long by 15 ft wide, was reconstructed on the old abutments and piers entirely of native Pennsylvania Hemlock and White Oak. This is the only bridge in Pennsylvania that has a queen post truss system supporting a Town Trusssystem. The queen post is attached everywhere it makes contact with a diagonal of the Town Truss with an oak trunnel (tree nail, or peg). The grey patina of the unpainted weathered wood is also unique for a Bucks County Covered Bridge.

Directions:

From Rt 413 turn right on the Newtown Bypass. Go north on Swamp Rd 1.6 mi pass Bucks County Community College. There is a sign forthe bridge on Swamp Road. Turn left, into a parking lot. On foot, follow the Covered Bridge Path downhill and turn left, walk the 0.25 mi to the bridge.

tickets are 20 dollars and 1st come first served. MERCERMUSEUM.ORG for tickets. Once you purchase a ticket u will be moved from wait list to attending. Fonthill Castle Tour ticket 10/29 4pm time slot. tour groups are small so capped at 15 people here. 1 hour guided tour through an amazing eclectic real life castle built by Henry Mercer and team in our own backyard. Fonthill Castle

Built between 1908-1912, Fonthill Castle was the home of Henry Chapman Mercer (1856-1930). Archaeologist, anthropologist, ceramicist, scholar and antiquarian, Mercer built Fonthill Castle both as his home and as a showplace for his collection of tiles and prints. The first of three Mercer buildings in Doylestown, Fonthill Castle served as a showplace for Mercer’s famed Moravian tiles that were produced during the American Arts & Crafts Movement. Designed by Mercer, the building is an eclectic mix of Medieval, Gothic, and Byzantine architectural styles, and is significant as an early example of poured reinforced concrete.

Upon his death in 1930, Mercer left his concrete “Castle for the New World” in trust as a museum of decorative tiles and prints. He gave life rights to Fonthill Castle to his housekeeper and her husband, Laura and Frank Swain. In accordance with Mercer’s Will, Mrs. Swain resided in the house and conducted occasional tours until her death in 1975.

Upon her death, the Trustees of the Mercer Fonthill Museum determined to operate Fonthill Castle as a historic house museum and contracted with the Bucks County Historical Society to provide professional care and management. In 1990, the Bucks County Orphans court appointed the Trustees of the Bucks County Historical Society as the permanent Trustees of the Mercer Fonthill Museum thus solidifying the commitment to professionalism at the site. Fonthill Museum remains a separate legal entity from the Historical Society.

From 1976 to the present, Fonthill Castle has evolved into a unique professional museum that provides a full range of museum programs related to Mercer and his collections while maintaining a strong commitment to the preservation and conservation of the building and its collections. Fonthill Castle is designated a National Historic Landmark and the site is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. Today, Fonthill attracts over 30,000 visitors annually from every state and more than 35 foreign countries. The site has been featured in numerous print and electronic media including the Arts & Entertainment Network’s popular “America’s Castles” series. Fonthill Castle is one of the original associate sites of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Historic Artists’ Homes and Studios program. In 2012 the Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia recognized the 100th anniversary of Fonthill with a historic preservation award for stewardship presented to the Bucks County Historical Society.