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Bristol, Pennsylvania

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This article is about the borough in Bucks County. For Bristol Township, the township in Bucks County, see Bristol Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

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Bristol is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, 23 miles (37 km) northeast of Center City Philadelphia, opposite Burlington, New Jersey on the Delaware River. Bristol was first incorporated in 1720. Although its charter was revised in 1905, the original charter remains in effect, making Bristol one of the older boroughs in Pennsylvania. 7,104 people lived in Bristol in 1900; 9,256 in 1910; 10,273 in 1920; and 11,895 in 1940. The population was 9,726 at the 2010 census. The current Mayor is Patrick Sabatini Sr.

History

House on Mill Street constructed in 1781
Bristol's Harriman Historic District.

Bristol was first settled in 1681 as Buckingham (for Buckingham, England). It was originally used as a port and dock. Bristol is rich in history, boasting many historic and restored houses that line the streets of Radcliffe and Mill.

Until 1725 Bristol served as county seat of Bucks County.[1]

From its earliest days Bristol was a center of textile mills,[2] foundries, milling, and miscellaneous manufacturing. With the building of the 60 miles (96.6 km) long, forty feet wide, and five feet deep[3] Delaware Canal—it became a transshipment gateway[notes 1] connecting the anthracite barges flowing down the Lehigh Canal's end terminal at Easton to Philadelphia. Bristol was chosen to terminate the Delaware Canal because it already had regular shipping connections to other parts of Philadelphia and Delaware River ports by both the era's typical animal powered barges and era typical coastal/inland shipping vessels. Its docks also had regular ferry services to New Jersey and other points east from as early as 1681[2] until 1931, and the town would receive early steamboat service as that technology came to be.[notes 2]

The expense of digging the canal was justifiable as the banks of the Delaware southerly from Easton were less suitable, there was insufficient real estate for extensive additional docks, so the legislature figured the Delaware Canal avoided the need to transship barge loads of coal to boats, drastically saving costs and time. Since Bristol's long established[2] docks were accessible to the Delaware, the town also became the Delaware Canal's southern (main distribution) terminal end.[notes 3] Consequently, later, the Pennsylvania Railroad would also connect to the anthracite flowing through the canals, to the riverine barge and boat traffic, and to provide rail depots servicing the manufacturies. Even before the canal, Bristol was located along a main land route to New York City,[2] Trenton, and New England so with construction of the canal and railroads, it became became a major center of transportation and an even more attractive location for industry.[2]

By the 1880s Bristol was home to many factories, including companies manufacturing wall paper and carpet.[2]In World War I, the Bristol docks had sufficient space for a shipyard to construct twelve building slips for the construction of merchant vessels.[2][4] In 1917 Averell Harriman organized the Bristol shipyards founding the Merchant Shipbuilding Corporation (later called Merchant-Sterling)[4] and given the U-boat menace, would land a contract to build 40 identical cargo ships for the war.[4] The residential area that developed around the shipyards was soon named Harriman, Pennsylvania, and most of the housing built therein is still in use today.[4] In 1922 Harriman was annexed by Bristol.[4] Most of the shipping was finished too late to enter WW-I, but some of the shipyard's output was used post-war in relief and troop support missions.[4] The majority of the contracts were canceled in 1919,[4] and the ship yards rapidly became excess real estate.[4] Between the world wars, the eighty-acres of the shipyard were let out to various concerns, including one area[4] converted to building amphibious planes—the flying boats technology which was the heart and soul of long distance air travel until the technological advances theretofore the middle years of WW-II.

During World War II the old shipyards were used to build those[2] and other airplanes,[5] but most of the manufacturing in WW-II was not directly war related.[4]

In 1961, Bristol gained national attention when the song "Bristol Stomp", by The Dovells hit #2 on the Billboard pop chart. The song remains a local favorite, and it is often played at ceremonies, parades, and sporting events. The Merchant Shipbuilding site returned to the news in the 1990s when the Bucks County Redevelopment Authority using state and federal funding[4] targeted the area as a priority for urban redevelopment.

Given its riverfront location, the old shipbuilding site was ranked highest in priority,[4] and on 20 October 2000 various legislators and officials held a press conference at the former shipyard heralding the construction of the residential development already under way, known as the 'Riverfront North Project',[4] and publicizing how derelict portions of the slipways were being removed.[4] The project also established a park with four monuments celebrating the towns past in the redevelopment.[2]

Today the preserved elements of the shipyard, and other buildings once important in Bristol's past service are enshrined and celebrated in the Bristol Historic District, Bristol Industrial Historic District,[2] and tourism sites celebrating the towns history and rich ethnic diversity. Various annual festivals, in particular keep a multi-ethnic cultural identity alive and well.[2]

Historic sites in the town such as the Delaware Division of the Pennsylvania Canal, Dorrance Mansion, General Stores and Mold Loft Building-Harriman Yard of the Merchant Shipbuilding Corporation, Grundy Mill Complex, Harriman Historic District, Jefferson Avenue School and Jefferson Land Association Historic District are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Delaware Division of the Pennsylvania Canal is also designated a National Historic Landmark District.[6]

Tourism

The historic King George II Inn, in downtown Bristol
The historic Grundy Mills Complex, a former textile mill in Bristol.

Attractions include the Bristol Riverside Theatre, and the Margaret R. Grundy Library and Museum. In the summer there are many festivals and free concerts. The cultural festivals include: Celtic Day, Puerto-Rican Day, African-American Day, and Italian Day (with a Doo-Wop Concert). There is also an Antique Car Show, Arts & Crafts Festival, and a Fall Auto Show. All held at the Bristol Lions Park, Bristol Wharf and in the Historic Mill Street Shopping District by the Delaware River.

Silver Lake Park and Nature Center provides an area of recreation.

Geography

Bristol is located at 40°6′12″N 74°51′5″W / 40.10333°N 74.85139°W / 40.10333; -74.85139 (40.103382, -74.851448).[7]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 1.9 square miles (4.9 km2), of which, 1.6 square miles (4.1 km2) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km2) of it (10.81%) is water.

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1800511—
181062822.9%
182090844.6%
18301,26239.0%
18401,43813.9%
18502,57078.7%
18603,31428.9%
18703,269−1.4%
18805,27361.3%
18906,55324.3%
19007,1048.4%
19109,25630.3%
192010,27311.0%
193011,79914.9%
194011,8950.8%
195012,7106.9%
196012,364−2.7%
197012,085−2.3%
198010,867−10.1%
199010,405−4.3%
20009,923−4.6%
20109,726−2.0%
2014 (est.)9,657[8]−0.7%
Sources:[9][10][11][12]

As of a 2014 estimate, the borough was 69.2% Non-Hispanic White, 16.4% Black or African American, 1.5% Native American and Alaskan Native, 0.2% Asian, 3.5% Some other race, and 3.4% were Two or more races. 15.0% of the population were of Hispanic or Latino ancestry [13]

As of the 2010 census, the borough was 81.1 White, 9.5% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.6% Asian, and 3.5% were two or more races. 14.2% of the population were of Hispanic or Latino ancestry.[14] There are 661 veterans living in Bristol Borough.

As of the census[11] of 2010, there were 9,726 people, 4,237 households, and 3,926 families residing in the borough. The population density was 6,016.5 people per square mile (2,322.0/km²). There were 4,207 housing units at an average density of 2,550.8 per square mile (984.4/km²).

There were 4,004 households, out of which 28.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.7% were married couples living together, 15.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.0% were non-families. 33.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.20.

In the borough the population was spread out, with 24.5% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 30.5% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 15.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 90.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.3 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $47,093, and the median income for a family was $44,517. Males had a median income of $35,090 versus $27,836 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $17,198. About 8.2% of families and 11.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.7% of those under age 18 and 10.5% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The Bristol Borough School District comprises two public schools: Warren Snyder-John Girotti Elementary School (K-8) and Bristol High School (9-12). Other schooling opportunities in Bristol are offered through the Roman Catholic parish school of St. Mark Church (K-8), located in the borough. Conwell-Egan Roman Catholic School in Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania provides private/parochial schooling for children in grades 9-12. Higher education in Bristol includes Pennco Tech.

Notable people

The first female Mayor was Margaret Stakenas, elected in 1979.

Bibliography

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Delaware Canal was later organized and known as the Pennsylvania Canal (Delaware Division).
  2. ^ Steam boat service between Trenton, New Jersey and Philadelphia also played a key role in community development, since many lines had historic sailing ship ferry stops in Bristol.
  3. ^ Both the Delaware and the Lehigh canals operated over 100 years, into the 1930s, and Bristol saw most of that traffic once the canal was online; though some coal shipped from Easton. Canal traffic diminished as the Railroad age matured, but shipping bulk goods by water transport has decided economic advantages, so the canals lasted until the economic crash in the great depression.

References

  1. ^ Bristol, Pennsylvania - LoveToKnow 1911
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k official town website, unattributed. "The History of Bristol Borough". Retrieved 28 April 2016. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  3. ^ official town website, unattributed. "The History of Bristol Borough". (Between Bristol's docks & Easton), quote: `the (Delaware) canal was sixty miles long, forty feet wide, and five feet deep'.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Bristol Yard". www.globalsecurity.org. Global Security ezine's e-historys, 300 N. Washington St., Suite B-100, Alexandria, VA 22314. 7 May 2011. Retrieved 2016-04-28.
  5. ^ Bristol, PA: History, Destinations and Activities
  6. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  7. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  8. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014". Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  9. ^ "Number of Inhabitants: Pennsylvania" (PDF). 18th Census of the United States. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
  10. ^ "Pennsylvania: Population and Housing Unit Counts" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
  11. ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  12. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
  13. ^ Template:Http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?src=CF
  14. ^ "Census 2010: Pennsylvania". Usatoday.Com. Retrieved 2013-07-22.
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