May 17, 2021
R. KENNEDY/VISIT PHILADELPHIA
On Christmas Day, many gather at Washington Crossing State Park to watch a reenactment of when George Washington crossed the Delaware River. The Continental Army crossed the river in 1776 before the pivotal Battle of Trenton during the American Revolution.
Pennsylvania's Department of Conservation and Natural Resources will provide $8.7 million to conserve and improve Washington Crossing Historic Park, the Bucks County destination that has long been a preservation site for America's revolutionary past.
The project will cover 17 structures, many of them historic, at the 500-acre state park, which formerly was overseen by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.
"We’re pleased to get this project underway to help to protect the cultural and historical significance of some of the buildings at Washington Crossing and continue the site's historic legacy for the public's education and enrichment," DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn said.
The structures slated for improvement are located on the upper and lower parts of the park, which is also a National Historic Landmark.
Below are the planned projects:
•McConkey's Ferry Inn: new roof, window and door restoration, masonry, HVAC, exterior
•Mahlon Taylor residence: new roof, window and door restoration, interior, exterior
•Amos Taylor residence: new roof, window and door restoration, electric, exterior
•Frederick Taylor house: window and door restoration, plumbing, exterior
•Elmer Buckman residence: new roof, window and door restoration, electric, exterior
•Eliza Taylor residence: new roof, window and door restoration, interior, exterior
•Hibbs House: new roof; window and door restoration, masonry, plumbing, interior, exterior
•Frye House: new roof, window and door restoration, interior, exterior
•Andrassy House: new roof, window and door restoration, interior, exterior
•Taylorsville General Store: new roof, window and door restoration, interior, exterior
•Oliver Taylor residence: new roof, window and door restoration, exterior
•Thompson Neely house: new roof, window and door restoration, masonry, HVAC, exterior
•Thompson Neely restroom: plumbing, electric, interior
•Blacksmith Shop: new roof, exterior
•General Washington Pavilion: new roof, masonry repairs
•General Washington Bathhouse: new plumbing
•Bowman's Hill Tower: parking lot and road improvements
Work has already begun on the Washington Crossing project, which is led by Mount Laurel-based contractor Wu & Associates.
Recreation opportunities offered at Washington Crossing include fishing, walking trails and pavilions for picnics. The park also hold historical and environmental education programs in addition to annual reenactments, such the famed Christmas event celebrating George Washington crossing the Delaware River to fight Hessian mercenaries in Trenton on Christmas 1776.
Attendance figures at Washington Crossing climbed to nearly 900,000 visits in 2020, an increase of more than 56% over the previous year as people flocked to outdoor sites during the coronavirus pandemic.
