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Community Corner

History of Bensalem - Part V: Fun Facts

Take a break from the chronological approach and enjoy these interesting tidbits about the township's history.

Author's Note: I figured it would be interesting to change things up a bit and include fun facts about Bensalem's history before delving back into the short history I've been writing since the summer. In this segment, I'll be able to include tidbits of information that I've found fascinating in the time I've spent researching our township's history – but haven't, or won't, be able to include them in my other chapters without disrupting the flow.

Most of these facts are taken from Bensalem III: The Journey Continues, which is published by the Historical Society of Bensalem, or from William Watts Hart Davis' The History of Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

  • Beechwood Cemetery was being used as far back as 1704 to bury the dead. However, it wasn't known as Beechwood then. It was the Larzelere Burying Ground and contains several well-known local leaders, such as Samuel K. Faust and Cecelia Snyder. (Bensalem III, 253)
  • Natalie A. “Marge” Strange, the first employee officially hired by Bensalem Township, actually served as the Chief of Police for a spell. (Bensalem III, 304)
  • The Bensalem Presbyterian Church celebrated its 300th anniversary in 2005. (Bensalem III, 213)
  • Before the Brookwood Shopping Center was developed, an airport resided there. Buehl Field opened in the 1940s but was closed by 1964. (Bensalem III, 125)
  • According to Davis, Bensalem Township “contains an area of 11,656 acres, and its boundaries have not been disturbed since its organization in 1692.” (Davis, 160)
  • The first post office in Bensalem was established in 1816. (Davis, 160)
  • The Bensalem Township Country Club was once privately owned until the township purchased the property in the mid-2000s. (Bensalem III, 339)
  • There are over 30 parks in Bensalem Township.

The next article will focus on the post-Civil War Bensalem up to, and including, the pre-World War I era.

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