Secretary; Sons of the American Revolution; Bucks County Chapter; Jamison, Pa.
Describe your event.
We recently organized a meeting for the statewide membership of the Sons of the American Revolution, held in Bucks County at the Radisson Hotel in Trevose. We had about 50 members and 20 spouses attending. Our local chapter also holds quarterly meetings in Bucks County, usually at the Washington Crossing Inn.
Was anybody particularly helpful? The staff at the Radisson bent over backwards to help us. We had several elderly members with special needs and the hotel staff made sure they were taken care of.
Did you incorporate any interesting activities or excursions into the agenda? For our spouse program, we organized an excursion to Washington Crossing Historic Park, where they were able to tour the visitor center and the nearby Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve. Sometimes you can time your visit to the park when there are costumed interpreters demonstrating wool spinning and other aspects of colonial life. Two weeks before Christmas there is a full dress rehearsal of Washington’s crossing of the Delaware. For other meetings, we’ve worked with the David Library of the American Revolution in [the town of] Washington Crossing. It’s a fabulous research library that is open to the public. They’ve supplied us with speakers and also with an interpreter who portrays Thomas Paine.
What are some of the unique off-site venues that you have used in Bucks County? There are amazing colonial mansions here. You can visit places like Summerseat, where Washington stayed after the Battle of Trenton and where William Penn conferred with the Lenape Indians, and Moland House, where, in the Council of War Room, the Marquise de Lafayette accepted a position in the Continental Army.
In Doylestown, there’s the Mercer Museum, which has a wonderful collection of items from the pre-Industrial era. The James A. Michener Art Museum is just across the street. Peddler’s Village and the Pearl S. Buck House are great venues as well.