Carversville is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

and geographically isolated area in Solebury Township,

Bucks County Bucks County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 646,538, making it the fourth-most populous county in Pennsylvania. Its county seat is Doylestown. The county is named after the English ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

, United States, approximately 45 miles north of

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

. It was originally a

Lenape The Lenape (, , ; ), also called the Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. The Lenape's historica ...

gathering place called Aquetong (translation: "many springs") more than 300 years ago the area's land was granted to James Harrison and Joseph Pike by

William Penn William Penn ( – ) was an English writer, religious thinker, and influential Quakers, Quaker who founded the Province of Pennsylvania during the British colonization of the Americas, British colonial era. An advocate of democracy and religi ...

. The Paunacussing Creek, also called Fleecydale, runs through Carversville and meets the Delaware River at Lumberville. By 1730, roads had been formed into Carversville's dense forests so that settlers could haul out wool and farm produce and bring in lumber that had been rafted down 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 ...

from northern Pennsylvania. Carversville was originally called Indian Village, though was later named Mill Town for the presence of its mills. Its name was later contracted into Milton before finally, in 1833, being renamed Carversville in honor of the first postmaster,Richardson, John. ''Solebury Township Bucks County Pennsylvania, a Short History of the Township and a Report on Township Officers and Affairs''.

: Offset Service, 1958. whose last name was Carver. Carversville was a center of commerce from its inception, and boasted enterprises such as Stovers Mill, Fretz Mill, Carver Mill, Suggin Bag Manufactury, a sash and blind mill, and the famous Roram Hat factory. In 1859, the Excelsior Normal Institute was founded on the hill that overlooks the village. This five-story stone building became a well-known school which turned out scholars until it fell on hard times in the late nineteenth century. When teaching ended, pleasure began as the building became a resort. However, its lifespan was also short-lived. The final use for the property was as the Carversville Christian Orphanage. The building was razed in the mid-1900s. Today, Carversville is home to some 100 residents, and is protected by a Historic District Ordinance which prevents the area from being marred by overdevelopment of new homes and businesses. The center of Carversville, nicknamed the

Town Square A town square (or public square, urban square, city square or simply square), also called a plaza or piazza, is an open public space commonly found in the heart of a traditional town or city, and which is used for community gatherings. Relat ...

, is home to the Carversville Inn, a restaurant which dates back to 1813, the dental office of Dr. Howard Barsky, and the Carversville General Store. The Historic Carversville Society maintains an active schedule full of events for its residents, which includes Carversville Day (a town fair that includes the famed "pet parade"), Films in the Field (old movies shown once a month during the summer, projected on the side of the general store), and Carolling in the Square (where villagers gather in the square to sing

Christmas carol A Christmas carol is a Carol (music), carol on the theme of Christmas, traditionally sung at Christmas itself or during the surrounding Christmas and holiday season. The term noel has sometimes been used, especially for carols of French or ...

s and visit

Santa Claus Santa Claus (also known as Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle or Santa) is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring gifts during the late evening and overnight hours on Chris ...

). The Bridge in Solebury Township and Carversville Historic District are 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 popular culture

Carversville was home to noted artist

Charles Hargens Charles William Hargens, Jr. (1893−1997) was an American painter. He created over 3000 covers for magazines such as ''The Saturday Evening Post'', ''Collier's'', '' Country Gentleman'', '' Farm Journal'', ''Boys' Life'', ''The Open Road for Boys ...

, famous for his cover art. Hargens painted covers for ''

The Saturday Evening Post ''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine published six times a year. It was published weekly from 1897 until 1963, and then every other week until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely circulated and influ ...

'', ''

Collier's } ''Collier's'' was an American general interest magazine founded in 1888 by Peter F. Collier, Peter Fenelon Collier. It was launched as ''Collier's Once a Week'', then renamed in 1895 as ''Collier's Weekly: An Illustrated Journal'', shortened i ...

'', ''

The Open Road for Boys ''The Open Road for Boys'', a boys' magazine encouraging the outdoor life, was published from November 1919 to the 1950s. The magazine was a monthly for the first 20 years and then switched to a schedule of ten issues a year. It began as ''The O ...

'', and many western novels of the 1930s and 1940s. "Carversville" is the title of a song by the band

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the 16th president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincoln (na ...

. During a concert in 1998, the band said that it was specifically about Carversville, Pennsylvania.

References

External links

Community website
{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Bucks County, Pennsylvania Unincorporated communities in Pennsylvania