Morrisville

Coordinates: 40°12'27"N 74°46'48"W

**Morrisville** is a borough in Bucks County.

## History

Morrisville was named for Robert Morris, financier of the Revolution, who lived there for some time. Morris' mansion, later owned by Jean Victor Moreau, a French general who helped Napoleon Bonaparte to power, burned down 25 December 1810. George Clymer, a signer of the Declaration of Independence also lived in Morrisville. George Washington kept his headquarters in Morrisville in December, 1776, before moving camp to Upper Makefield Township.

The John Wood tract of 478 acres (193 hectares) was shown on the Holmes map of (1681-1684), part of later Morrisville. The land was acquired by Wood from Sir Edmund Andros about 1679 or 1680. The area was originally known as the "Falls of Delaware", later known as Colvins Ferry throughout the Revolution. The first ferry from Trenton connected to Morrisville at Ferry Street, the second was the Bond Ferry at Lamberton, the third was about a mile above Ferry Street, the Beatty or Calhoun Street ferry. The Decatur Street bridge was opened on 3 March 1812, reconstructed in 1848, and was taken over by the Joint Commission for Eliminating Toll Bridges on 12 July 1918 for the sum of $240,000. In 1928, the Lincoln Highway bridge was built for $650,000. The Calhoun Street bridge was opened in 1860, destroyed by fire in 1882, reconstructed in 1884, and taken over by the Joint Commission on 14 November 1928 for $250,000.

Morrisville was called New Brumigem in 1793, according to a subscription paper concerning relief contributions for yellow fever victims, containing names such as Biles, Colvin, Kirkbride and Mark Hapenny.

Mark Hapenny was appointed postmaster in 1795, the name of the village was changed to Morrisville.

The Delaware Works, an iron plant, which consisted of a forge, grist mills and saw mills, may have been built by Samuel Ogden of the Ogden family who were ironmasters in New Jersey. According to the Pennsylvania Iron Manufacture in the Eighteenth Century, Harrisburg, PA, 1938, a publication of the Pennsylvania Historical Commission, quotes the "Papers of James Wilson, "following the Revolution the Delaware Works belonged to Mark Bird and James Wilson. After the failure of Mark Bird, James Wilson carried on for a time this enterprise, which consisted of slitting mills, a forge, grist mills and saw mills." The mill may have been purchased by Robert Morris from Samuel Ogden in 1789.

Morrisville became a borough passed by legislature on 29 March 1804, municipal organization began on 8 June of the same year. The borough water works was completed in October, 1894. The borough celebrated its centennial on 24 May 1904, Oscar Beck was president of Borough Council, Honorable Mahlon H. Stout, President Judge of the Bucks County Courts, Honarable Harman Yerkes and William C. Ryan, Esquire, represented the Bucks County Historical Society. Judge Yerkes spoke noting how Morrisville almost became the capitol of the United States.

During the American Revolutionary War, John Mason and James Ogden were captured, tried by court martial, and sentenced to hang, the court held on 10 January 1781, General Anthony Wayne presiding. Major Benjamin Fishbourn, aide-de-camp carried out the sentence.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 MacReynolds, George, *Place Names in Bucks County, Pennsylvania*, Doylestown, Bucks County Historical Society, Doylestown, PA 1942, Morrisville.