Before the Europeans settled in Bucks County, the Lenni Lenape Indians used the Delaware River - their name for it was the “Great River” - as one of its major highways. And many of our roads today are trails of history. Those histories involved the Lenni Lenape culture, the American Revolution, the Industrial Revolution, and the birth of Levittown. Each of these histories has left a mark on part of Bucks County and Bristol Township’s history.Today, Bristol Township, Bucks County’s largest municipality, (1990 census) still stands at a crossroads. With the major highway links of Route 13, Route 413, the Pennsylvania Turnpike, and Interstate 95, traffic to and from the megalopolis (cities from Boston to Washington, D.C.) flows through Bristol Township.

River traffic still flows by the Delaware’s banks in Bristol township and passenger and freight trains ply the mainline of Conrail and Amtrack in our township.It’s no small wonder that the early settlers chose this area to develop.The Indian trails and the proximity of the river made it an ideal location. Hundreds of years later, William J. Levitt would build his suburban community because of our transportation system and industry.As we know from our history books the first Europeans to settle in Pennsylvania were the Swedes and Dutch (The first recorded settlement in the township is a Dutch family in 1625). The English took possession with William Penn’s land grant from the King in payment of a debt to Penn’s father. Bucks County, one of the Commonwealth’s first counties, is named for Penn’s home in England - Buckinghamshire. Bristol Township takes the back seat to Bristol Borough, our state’s oldest borough, as the first formal settlement founded in 1681.

Bristol Township was incorporated in 1692 as Buckingham Township. The name was later changed to Bristol in 1702. Two other townships, Bensalem and Falls, were also incorporated in 1692, and all three marked their 300th birthday in 1992.By 1701, Bristol Mills and Mill Pond (now Silver Lake) became industrial areas. Then in 1720, the springs at Bath attracted the wealthy from Philadelphia to its water and the resort of Bath was developed. It’s believed that Lower Bucks County Hospital sits on the site of the famous spa.The next significant part of our history concerns the American Revolution. Many residents fought in the Revolution and Route 13 - then known as the King’s Highway - had troops, patriots, and famous persons use it regularly. Before the Civil War, the spas at Bath lost in popularity to those in Saratoga, New York. It was in 1831 that the Delaware Canal was built through the township. The canal carried coal, steel, goods, and people from Bristol to Easton, some 60 miles distant. Today, the canal is a National Heritage Corridor and a National Historic Landmark.