Benevolent in disposition: Readers comment on Erwinna's founder, ghosts in Newtown
I heard from a good many folks about my recent columns involving Arthur Erwin, Wistar Rats of Red Cedar Hill, artist Edward Hicks and his ghost.
‘Bright cheerful discussions’
Chris Merrick of Lower Makefield expressed interest in Col. Arthur Erwin, founder of the picturesque village of Erwinna in Upper Bucks. At 6 feet 6 inches tall, he was an energetic, wealthy Irish immigrant who arrived in the mid-1700s to establish a large estate in Tinicum and provided boats needed for George Washington’s army to cross the Delaware River at Christmas 1776. The colonel joined the general in defeating Hessian mercenary troops in Trenton. An acquaintance admired Erwin as “gentle in manner and benevolent in disposition.”
Chris was much impressed by that description. “I am going to insist that this line is in my obit,” he wrote, adding, “I really look forward to Friday for your column. As a native son of original Red Cedar Hillians, I felt obliged to forward the Wistar Rat column to my three remaining brothers and my son's girlfriend who is working on a doctorate in pharmacology (with mice, not rats). Bright, cheerful discussions followed.”
Benevolent in disposition. That’s Chris Merrick.
Incidentally, biologists at the University of Pennsylvania created and patented the Wistar Rat for use in experiments to develop human vaccines at labs on Red Cedar Hill in the early 20th century before the hill became part of Levittown. The rodents were so successful, they are in use all over the world today to conquer human disease.
The resident deer of the Elephant Hotel
My column on the Elephant Hotel in Bedminster caught the attention Clarence King, a noted historian in Northampton.
“During the late 1970s I had a few occasions to visit the Elephant Hotel. On one visit, the owner told me his resident white-tailed deer.
The male deer lived inside the restaurant and laid down behind the bar. If he needed to go out he would just get up, leave the bar, walk across the restaurant and stand at the door and wait to go out much to the surprise of patrons.
“The owner had pictures of his young sons playing football with the deer and dancing near the Christmas Tree with the deer. Fascinating pictures. The deer was at the hotel for multiple years. The owner had a legal permit to keep him. One time the deer went out and did not come back. I personally never saw the deer but was truly intrigued by the story.”
About that Temperance House ghost . . .
Ghost stories. They’re fables, I think. At the Temperance House in Newtown, innkeeper Kathy Buczek can tell many with conviction. She’s witnessed more than a few bumps in the night at the venerable Main Street icon. As the new owner, she inherited ghost stories from a previous owner who said folk artist Edward Hicks resided at the inn in the mid 1840s and took his life in Room No. 9. Kathy said she’s experienced his ghostly presence in the room with a door often slamming shut mysteriously.
My column drew immediate interest of Langhorne historians who say Hicks didn’t take his life. “Nothing could be further from the truth,” said Larry Langhans of the borough historical society. He cited Hicks being a devout Quaker. Committing suicide was a sin to believers. Furthermore, he died peacefully at home among friends he summoned to say his farewells. Testimony recorded by clerks of the Makefield Monthly Meeting of Friends in 1851 make that clear.
“So, it seems that after an interesting life, Hicks was at peace at the end,” said Larry. “Must be someone else haunting the inn.”
. . . and that ‘Peaceable Kingdom’ mural
Another tale innkeeper Kathy appears to have inherited six years ago is that Hicks painted a magnificent mural in the dining room. It clearly has the imagery of Hicks’ “Peaceable Kingdom” series that made him world famous. However, it isn’t by Hicks. It’s by Carol Nagel of Doylestown.
“In the early 1980's, the ‘Temp’ was totally renovated,” she told me. “I didn’t sign the mural – actually it was the first mural I ever painted, and I did it for free because I wasn't confident about whether I could do it well. It was ‘Peaceable Kingdom’ on the long side wall and a farm scene between the front windows. Since then, I went on to make a career (through the ’80s, ’90s, and up to 2016) of painting murals and other decorative painting in the Bucks County area, and often in the annual Designer House.”
Carl LaVO can be reached at carllavo0@gmail.com
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Readers comment on Erwinna founder, ghosts in Newtown, Elephant Hotel
