72 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



peaceful highways about it once re- 

 sounded witli the bustle of war, and the 

 frequent tramp of armed inen, as our 

 patriot sires hurried forward to do battle 

 for their country or fell back in the sad- 

 der marches of retreat. The years have 

 come and gone since the days of the 

 Revolution, bringing with them many 

 changes, but the old settlement at 

 "Coryell's" still remains, nestling close 

 beside the noble river, at the "Ferry" 

 which our forefathers defended in the old 

 heroic days. Many of the boats used by 

 General Washington on Christmas night, 

 1776, to make that memorable crossing 

 of the Delaware, now known the world 

 over in history, as "Washington's Cross- 

 ing" and made additionally famous by 

 the artists' brush, were collected at New 

 Hope ("Coryell's Ferry") and kept se- 

 creted behind Malta Island, then densely 

 wooded over and were floated by night, 

 down the river to "Knowles Cove," just 

 above Taylorsville, Pennsylvania, the 

 point where Washington crossed 

 to fight and win the Battle 

 of Trenton. "Malta Island" has 

 since filled up and become mainland, 

 the present "Union Mills" paper manu- 

 facturing company's plant at New Hope 

 is just at the north end of Malta 

 Island. Former mills here were owned 

 many years ago by Daniel Parry Esq., 

 (born April 21, 1774) a younger brother 

 of Benjamin Parry. Many letters of 

 General Washington and other of his 

 prominent Generals, are at different 

 times, during the Revolutionary War, 

 dated at "Coryell's Ferry." 



In both Benjamin Parry's day and 

 that of his son Oliver Parry, the "Old 

 Parry Mansion" was the scene of much 

 hospitality and its doors were thrown 

 open wide upon many an occasion to bid 

 hearty welcome to both city and coun- 

 try guests and during the life time of the 

 latter and his hospitable and popular 

 wife, Rachel Randolph, this ancient 

 homestead was often called by their 

 friends "Hotel de Parry" and sometimes 

 "Liberty Hall." Many distinguished per- 

 sons have been entertained beneath its 

 broad roof in the long period in which 

 it has stood and had it lips, much it 

 could speak of events in three centur- 

 ies. Interesting mementos of bye-gone 

 days have been sacredly treasured up 

 and much old family furniture is yet pre- 

 served in this home; some of it nearly 

 (or quite) 200 years old, and brought 

 from over the sea; the ancient high 

 clock standing half way up the stairs, 

 on the broad landing, has ticked in and 

 out the lives of many generations of the 

 family and still shows upon its familiar 

 face the moon, in all its phases. In this 

 connection it may be perhaps of some in- 

 terest to note the occurrence of an event 

 so unusual in its character as to become 

 historic, and worthy of passing notice in 

 the birth in this home, on May 3, 1901, 



of a daughter to Mr. and Mrs. Oliver 

 Randolph Parry (named Margaret 

 Kreamer Parry) in the same room in 

 which her great-grandfather Oliver 

 Parry was born in 1794, one hundred and 

 eleven years ago, and in the same old 

 mansion, in which her great-great-grand- 

 father Benjamin Parry lived and died. 

 Seldom do we find homes in the United 

 States passed on beyond the second or 

 third generations. Many sketches of 

 "The Old Parry Mansion" have appeared 

 from time to time, in various published 

 works, and newspaper articles, a com- 

 paratively recent one on July 15, 1901, 

 issue of The Philadelphia Inquirer by 

 its historical editor, being illustrated. In 

 the "York Road, Old and New" by Rev. 

 S. F. Hotchkin, published 1892 in Phil- 

 adelphia, this old colonial home of the 

 Parrys of "Coryell's Ferry" is thus de- 

 scribed : "As viewed from the outside — • 

 this ancient mansion, presents a quiet 

 and dignified appearance, in keeping with 

 the family for whom it was built; the 

 quaint and handsome carved ornamen- 

 tations, over the windows, small window 

 panes, pointed corners, and hoods, be- 

 token its age, and are charmingly at- 

 tractive. Over the front door remains 

 the ancient bonnet or hood of our fore- 

 fathers' day, beneath which is the mas- 

 sive old-fashioned door, with its trans- 

 verse panels, brass knocker, cumbrous 

 lock and huge iron hinges, which stretch 

 across the whole width. This door opens 

 into a wide wainscoated and paneled hall, 

 running through the middle of the house 

 and dividing the long parlor upon one 

 side from the dining room and the parior 

 or sitting room, on the other; in these 

 rooms and in daily uso, are yet preserved 

 the corner cupboards of a hundred 3'ears 

 ago" now (1905) 121 years old. "The up- 

 per floors are approached, by low broad 

 steps and half way up the stairs on the 

 broad landing, stands in one corner, 

 relic of a past age — the old eight-day 

 clock which has ticked in and out, the 

 lives of so many of the family and still 

 showing upon its familiar face, the moon 

 in all its phases. Five bed chambers, 

 most of thetn communicating upon the 

 second floor, open out upon an upper 

 hall, the full width of that beneath ; the 

 inside shutters over the house — both in 

 the main building and wing — -are secured 

 for the most part by long wooden bars, 

 stretching across, and fitting into the 

 deep window frames. In most of these 

 rooms may be seen great open mouthed 

 chimneys and fire places, the brick floors 

 of which are painted in bright tile col- 

 ors; immense closets, with brass door 

 knobs in one of these chambers fill up en- 

 tirely one end of the room, taking sev- 

 eral feet off its length but compensating 

 by the additional convenience afforded 

 the family. The rooms and halls of this 

 old mansion contain much valued, hand- 

 some and ancient furniture, belonging 



