History of the Site
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The Lenape
The Lenape People were the first inhabitants of the lands now known as Bucks County. Many of the county parks, historic sites, nature centers and place names acknowledge the Lenape’s role as the original caretakers of this land through exhibits and signage.
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The Erwin Family
The Erwin Family were among the earliest colonial landowners in Upper Bucks County, having arrived in 1768. Within the first decade after arriving in the Americas they became the largest landowner in Bucks County.
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The Enslaved People of Pennsylvania
Enslaved people were held in Pennsylvania at its inception in 1681. At the height of the institution in 1750, Pennsylvania had over 6,000 enslaved people in the state with an overall population of 120,000. In 1780, the Pennsylvania Assembly passed the "Act for the Gradual Abolition of Slavery", the first ever to be enacted in America.
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Tenant Farm
Tenant farmers like lived in and managed first the Erwin Farm and then the Stover Farm for a share of the produce.
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The (Erwinna) Stover Family
The Stover Family, all millers by trade, lived in Bucks County for at least four generations. They built and resided in many of the historic homes preserved in Upper Bucks County.
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Tinicum Park History
John Stover gave his house, outbuildings, and 126 acres of land to the county in 1955 to be used in perpetuity as a park, the land known today as Tinicum Park.
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