By Ruth A. Hill
Below our balcony at the historic Black Bass Hotel in Pennsylvania's central Bucks County more than three centuries of American history seemed to be moving with the Delaware River. Getting into that flow seemed like a good pairing with the 21st century luxuries at our fingertips, including the area's performing arts scene, trendy shops and restaurants, and bucolic natural beauty.
Bucks is a smorgasbord for culture vultures like my friend Maria and me because it's laden with America's political and artistic heritage. We found it a place to cool down from urban stress amid leafy landscapes and small towns with sophisticated art galleries, boutique retail and unique museum collections. Signs of national chain anything are hard to find.
The Black Bass's bones themselves date to the 1740s, as do those of some neighboring inns, houses and commercial buildings in this east Pennsylvania region within 90 minutes' reach of both Philadelphia and Manhattan. This was Tory territory in the Revolution era, and British loyalties are still evident in the Bass's tavern collection of British antique china, tea tins and a miniature parade of soldiers at Queen Victoria's coronation.
Early records detail a ferry crossing between New Jersey and Pennsylvania by 1700, and by the time George Washington and his men crossed the Delaware on Christmas night of 1776 to do battle in Trenton and Princeton, Tory sympathizers were already ensconced.
The war stories and more are at Washington Crossing Historic Park and its new visitor center, where educational events and symposia happen regularly. Buildings — including a tavern where Washington met to strategize troop movements — that were standing during the Revolution era are open for visitation. Each Christmas Day locals and others make re-enactment of the river crossing part of their holiday traditions.
There's also the picturesque Washington Crossing Inn in a building that dates to 1817, when the area was known as Taylorsville. Modern visitors enjoy contemporary fare inside walls that observed the innkeepers help the Continental Army with their daring strategies to confront the British army.
Bucks' Revolution-era partisanship subsided a long time ago and made way for some arts history that has nurtured a long list of creative geniuses. It's said that back in the 1930s and '40s a Bucks visitor might have encountered residents such as James A. Michener, Moss Hart, Pearl S. Buck and Oscar Hammerstein on the scene. Many marquee theatrical greats have passed this way, especially across the stage of New Hope's Bucks County Playhouse.
Robert Redford, Bea Arthur, Angela Lansbury and a long list of other American theater royalty have cut their acting teeth since 1939 at this performance venue, which is often called "America's Most Famous Summer Theater." The house was built atop a former grist mill that was functioning on the banks of the Delaware River in 1790. When the mill faced danger of demolition in the '30s, some local artists and playwrights — including Moss Hart — rallied the community to transform the building into a theater, and the rest of the story is artistic history. The playhouse became "home" for generations of stars and wannabes, so it's no wonder that Prince Albert II of Monaco recently stopped by to see the stage where his mother, Grace Kelly, as a BCP summer apprentice, made her professional debut in 1949.
Faithful BCP alums and friends refurbished the theater again in recent years, and it reopened its modern era in 2012 with the return of professional Equity productions and fundraising events year 'round. This, the BCP's 75th season, has already seen Joy Behar's one-woman show and Marsha Mason's signature directorial presentation of Neil Simon's "Chapter Two." This summer is bringing in children and young people for a Mary Poppins sing-along event and Disney's "Beauty and the Beast Jr.," which will continue the BCP tradition of pairing professionals with younger artists.
Bucks doesn't limit its cultural servings to American political and theatrical history, however. There's plenty for museum-lovers, shoppers and antique pickers.
Boutique shoppers love picturesque Peddler's Village with its 42 acres of landscaped retail variety, restaurants and galleries in Lahaska. Pair the shopping with one of Lahaska's newest additions — Caleb's American Kitchen by veteran chef Caleb Lentchner — an excellent purveyor of farm-to-table creations that are part of Bucks' fabric. Chef Caleb celebrates the American palate with innovative dishes such as seared scallops with shrimp and lobster risotto.
Nearby Doylestown is the place to enjoy some great culture stops at the James A. Michener Art Museum, where 20th-century American paintings, sculpture and furniture celebrate the artistic heritage of Bucks County. It's named for one of its most famous sons, the Pulitzer-Prize-winning writer who first dreamed of a regional art museum more than 50 years ago.
Art and antique collectibles that are the unique legacy of Henry Mercer are on display at Fonthill Castle, Mercer Museum, and the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works. These unique edifices hold tiles and mosaics from around the world as well as an eclectic collection of furnishings and tools of early America. A current Mercer Museum display through Aug. 24 is "America's Road: The Journey of Route 66" celebrates that iconic highway's role in the American story. Included are vintage automobiles and photographs of service stations, motor courts, restaurants and other Route 66 sites.
WHEN YOU GOP
Trip planning tips and ideas are at www.visitbuckscounty.com. The Bucks County Playhouse performance schedule, history and other information are at www.bcptheater.org.
Ruth A. Hill is a freelance writer. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
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