Bedminster Township is a
township
A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries.
Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...
in
Bucks County, Pennsylvania
Bucks County is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 646,538, making it the List of counties in Pennsylvania, four ...
, United States. The population was 6,574 at the 2010 census. It is part of the
Delaware Valley
The Philadelphia metropolitan area, also known as Greater Philadelphia and informally called the Delaware Valley, the Philadelphia tri-state area, and locally and colloquially Philly–Jersey–Delaware, is a major metropolitan area in the Nor ...
metropolitan region. Bedminster is part of
Pennridge School District
Pennridge School District is located approximately north of Philadelphia in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
The district
Pennridge was founded in 1952 by combining the resources of several small municipal school districts, including Sell-Perk S ...
.
History
Deep Run Presbyterian Church was established before 1725, Reverend William Tennant served as pastor from 1726 to 1738. In 1741, thirty-five residents, mostly Irish and German, petitioned the Court of Quarter Sessions to lay out the township which was granted and the land was surveyed by John Chapman. The name was taken from the town of the same name in
Somerset
Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...
shire, near
Bristol
Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...
, England. In 1841, the original church building was replaced, the new building was commonly called the 'Irish Meeting House', which still stands today. By 1746, enough Mennonites moved into the township to build a log church in the southeastern part of the township. The Tohickon Reformed Church was organized probably in June 1745, the first pastor was Reverend John Conrad Wirtz, of
Zürich
Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...
, Switzerland. Keller's Church was founded by Lutherans in 1744.
[MacReynolds, George, ''Place Names in Bucks County, Pennsylvania'', Doylestown, Bucks County Historical Society, Doylestown, PA, 1942, P1.]
The
Stover-Myers Mill was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in 1978.
Geography
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the township has a total area of , of which is land and (3.18%) is water. It is drained by the
Tohickon Creek
Tohickon Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 tributary of the Delaware River. Located entirely in Bucks County, in southeastern Pennsylvania, it r ...
, which forms its northern boundary and drains eastward into the
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and is the longest free-flowing (undammed) river in the Eastern United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock, New York, the river flows for a ...
.
Lake Nockamixon forms much of the NW boundary.
Place names
Its villages include
Bedminster, Bedminster Center, Deep Run,
Elephant
Elephants are the largest living land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant ('' Loxodonta africana''), the African forest elephant (''L. cyclotis''), and the Asian elephant ('' Elephas maximus ...
, Fretz, Griers Corner (also in Hilltown and Plumstead Townships), Hagersville, Jacobsville, Keelersville, Kellers Church, Kulps Corner (also in Hilltown Township), Owlsburg, Pipersville, and Weisel.
Natural features
Water features include
Cabin Run,
Deep Run,
Deer Run,
Haycock Creek,
Mink Run, Northeast Branch of the
Perkiomen Creek
Perkiomen Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 tributary of the Schuylkill River in Berks, Lehigh, and Montgomery counties in Pennsylvania.Gertler ...
,
Tohickon Creek
Tohickon Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 tributary of the Delaware River. Located entirely in Bucks County, in southeastern Pennsylvania, it r ...
, and
Wolf Run.
[
]
Neighboring municipalities
* Tinicum Township (northeast)
* Plumstead Township (southeast)
* Hilltown Township (southwest)
* Dublin
Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
(southwest)
* East Rockhill Township (west)
* Haycock Township (northwest)
* Nockamixon Township (north)
Demographics
As of the 2010 census, the township was 93.6% White, 0.8% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American, 1.9% Asian, and 1.7% were two or more races. 2.5% of the population were of Hispanic or Latino ancestry.
As of the census
A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2000, there were 4,804 people, 1,788 households, and 1,333 families residing in the township. The population density was . There were 1,868 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the township was 98.13% White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.58% African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.02% Native American, 0.42% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 0.19% from other races, and 0.65% from two or more races. Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or Latino of any race were 0.92% of the population.
There were 1,788 households, out of which 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.6% were married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 6.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.4% were non-families. 19.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.13.
In the township the population was spread out, with 24.5% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 26.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.9 males.
The median income
The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of unde ...
for a household in the township was $56,281, and the median income for a family was $64,338. Males had a median income of $42,015 versus $28,024 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year.
In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the township was $29,153. About 2.8% of families and 3.9% of the population were below the poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 4.2% of those under age 18 and 8.0% of those age 65 or over.
Climate
According to the Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
system, Bedminster Township has a Hot-summer, Humid continental climate
A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...
(''Dfa''). ''Dfa'' climates are characterized by at least one month having an average mean temperature ≤ , at least four months with an average mean temperature ≥ , at least one month with an average mean temperature ≥ and no significant precipitation difference between seasons. Although most summer days are slightly humid in Bedminster Township, episodes of heat and high humidity can occur with heat index
The heat index (HI) is an index that combines air temperature and relative humidity, in shade (shadow), shaded areas, to posit a human-perceived equivalent temperature, as how hot it would feel if the humidity were some other value in the Shade (s ...
values > . Since 1981, the highest air temperature was on July 22, 2011, and the highest daily average mean dew point
The dew point is the temperature the air needs to be cooled to (at constant pressure) in order to produce a relative humidity of 100%. This temperature depends on the pressure and water content of the air. When the air at a temperature above the ...
was on August 13, 2016. The average wettest month is July which corresponds with the annual peak in thunderstorm
A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm or a lightning storm, is a storm characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustics, acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere, known as thunder. Relatively weak thunderstorm ...
activity. Since 1981, the wettest calendar day was on August 27, 2011. During the winter months, the average annual extreme minimum air temperature is . Since 1981, the coldest air temperature was on January 22, 1984. Episodes of extreme cold and wind can occur with wind chill
Wind chill (popularly wind chill factor) is the sensation of cold produced by the wind for a given ambient air temperature on exposed skin as the air motion accelerates the rate of heat transfer from the body to the surrounding atmosphere. Its va ...
values < . The average annual snowfall (Nov-Apr) is between and . Ice storm
An ice storm, also known as a glaze event or a silver storm, is a type of winter storm characterized by freezing rain. The National Weather Service, U.S. National Weather Service defines an ice storm as a storm which results in the accumulatio ...
s and large snowstorms depositing ≥ of snow occur once every few years, particularly during nor’easter
A nor'easter (also northeaster; see below) is a large-scale extratropical cyclone in the western North Atlantic Ocean. The name derives from the direction of the winds that blow from the northeast. Typically, such storms originate as a low-pr ...
s from December through February.
Ecology
According to the A. W. Kuchler
August William Kuchler (born ''August Wilhelm Küchler''; 26 July 1907 – 17 June 1999) was a German-born American geographer and naturalist who is noted for developing a plant association system that has become widely used in the United Sta ...
U.S. potential natural vegetation
In ecology, potential natural vegetation (PNV), also known as Kuchler potential vegetation, is the vegetation that would be expected given environmental constraints (climate, geomorphology, geology) without human intervention or a hazard event ...
types, Bedminster Twp would have a dominant vegetation type of Appalachian Oak
An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...
(''104'') with a dominant vegetation form of Eastern Hardwood
Hardwood is wood from Flowering plant, angiosperm trees. These are usually found in broad-leaved temperate and tropical forests. In temperate and boreal ecosystem, boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostl ...
Forest (''25''). The plant hardiness zone
A hardiness zone is a geographic area defined as having a certain average annual minimum temperature, a factor relevant to the survival of many plants. In some systems other statistics are included in the calculations. The original and most widely ...
is 6b with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of . The spring bloom typically begins by April 13 and fall color usually peaks by October 27.
Transportation
As of 2022 there were of public roads in Bedminster Township, of which were maintained by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) oversees transportation issues in the Pennsylvania, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The administrator of PennDOT is the Pennsylvania Secretary of Transportation, Michael B. Carroll. PennDOT ...
(PennDOT) and were maintained by the township.
The main highways serving Bedminster Township include Pennsylvania Route 113
Pennsylvania Route 113 (PA 113) is a state route in eastern Pennsylvania. The southern terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 30 Business (Chester County, Pennsylvania), U.S. Route 30 Business (US 30 Bus.) in Downingtown, Pennsylvania, Downingt ...
, Pennsylvania Route 313
Pennsylvania Route 313 (PA 313) is a mostly 2-lane, state highway entirely within Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The western end of PA 313 is at an intersection with Pennsylvania Route 309, PA 309 and Pennsylvania Rout ...
, Pennsylvania Route 413
Pennsylvania Route 413 (PA 413) is a , north–south state highway in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The route runs from the New Jersey state line on the Burlington–Bristol Bridge over the Delaware River outside Bristol, where the road conti ...
and Pennsylvania Route 611
Pennsylvania Route 611 (PA 611) is a state highway in eastern Pennsylvania running from Interstate 95 in Pennsylvania, Interstate 95 (I-95) in the southern part of Philadelphia north to Interstate 380 (Pennsylvania), I-380 in Coolbaugh Townshi ...
. PA 113 follows a southwest-to-northeast alignment along Bedminster Road through the heart of the township, while PA 313 follows Dublin Pike along the township's southwestern border. PA 413 briefly enters the eastern edge of the township before terminating at PA 611, which follows a north-south alignment through eastern portions of Bedminster.
Notable person
*Johann Adam Eyer
Johann Adam Eyer (1755–1837) was an American fraktur (folk art), fraktur artist.
Early life and education
Eyer was a native of Bedminster Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Bedminster Township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. During his career ...
, fraktur
Fraktur () is a calligraphic hand of the Latin alphabet and any of several blackletter typefaces derived from this hand. It is designed such that the beginnings and ends of the individual strokes that make up each letter will be clearly vis ...
artist
References
External links
*
{{authority control
Townships in Bucks County, Pennsylvania
Townships in Pennsylvania