CRAVEN HALL NEWS
Craven Hall
Early1900’s
Volume 6,
PO Box 2042, Street and Newtown Rds, Warminster, PA 18974
(215) 675 4698
Volume 13 Issue 1—April 2013
Issue 1 - April 2005
HONORARY BOARD MEMBER
John Cooper Fitch
President:
V. President:
Corporate Secretary:
Corresponding Secretary:
Treasurer:
Photographer:
Editor:
Erik Fleischer
Lin Schreiner
Bonnie Jaeschke
Terry Stone
Linda Ruf-Caimi
Kent Sloan
Jeanette Fusco
Initial Launch of the John Fitch
1790 Steamboat Model July 23, 2012
With great fanfare and a large number in the
cheering crowd gathered around the pond, John Fitch
(aka Gary Hanley)
successfully launched
our model steamboat on
the pond in Warminster
Community Park. The
masterfully constructed
model by Fred Rosse of
Meadowbrook, PA,
“sailed” successfully
We were saddened to hear of the passing of our Honorary
Board Member, John Cooper Fitch, at the age of 95.
Like his Great-great-great Grandfather, John Cooper Fitch
was an inventor with numerous patents associated with automobile
safety—most well known were the crash barrels (aka Fitch
Barrels) seen on turnpikes and interstate highways across our
country.
John Cooper Fitch was also a world renown
race car driver and a World War II
fighter pilot, credited with
shooting down a German jet fighter. The old
expression, “The apples don’t fall far from the tree,” would
certainly be applicable in this family. It may help to explain the
similarity of these two inventive geniuses and the so called apple
gene which certainly had landed directly on the late John Cooper
Fitch.
Our President, Erik Fleischer had the distinct pleasure of
meeting Mr. Fitch at a reception in Fitch’s honor at the Simone
Automotive Museum where he received the Spirit of Competition
Award in 2010. John Cooper Fitch will be missed.
around the pond
without a hitch; much
to the delight of the
spectators on shore.
Currently, the
model is operated
electrically, via a
remote control device.
A small steam engine
is under construction, allowing us to operate the model
with steam in the
future. We plan
to launch the
Fitch model at
least once a year
on the Pond in
the Park. We are
trying to arrange
a launch on the
very pond where
John
Fitch
conducted his first experiments. What is left of this pond
is located off Davisville Road in Southampton. The pond
is on a property deeded to Upper Southampton by Bucks
County. Considerable brush clearing will be required to
clear the pond area and we’ll work with township
officials in an effort to make our launches successful.
John Fitch Steamboat Exhibit
at Bucks County Visitors Center
During March and April, 2012, we had the opportunity to set up
a display commemorating John Fitch and the invention of the
steamboat. The display included our 1790 Fitch model that could be
operated for visitors by members of the visitor center staff. Included
in the display was a video showing operation of the model on its’ first
trial runs.
While the exhibit was on display, we took the opportunity to
invite students from the John Fitch Elementary School to a
presentation on John Fitch and the steamboat. The John Fitch
Elementary School located in Levittown, PA is the only existing
school named after the inventor. The session proved highly
successful and we have offered to take our presentation directly to the
John Fitch Elementary school in the future.
Comparing Steamboat Pioneers-John Fitch versus Robert Fulton
The confusion regarding the invention of the steamboat has caused
great debate for over two hundred years and continues today in some circles.
Part of the problem is defining what constitutes the invention process – when
the individual thought of the idea, when the individual demonstrated the
invention with drawings/model and/or when the invention was proven in a
commercial application. Most of us learned in our American History class
that Robert Fulton was the inventor of the steamboat as his vessels achieved
commercial success and spawned the rapid expansion of our nation. But
Robert Fulton never claimed he invented the steamboat! If you have visited
the John Fitch Steamboat Museum, either in person or by virtual tour on our
website, you know that we support the belief that John Fitch is the inventor of
the steamboat based on his operation of the world’s first commercial
steamboat service in 1790 on the Delaware River – a full 17 years before
Robert Fulton’s success on the Hudson River. Compare these two pioneer
inventors.
It is interesting to note that the U.S. Congress in 1927 recorded
John Fitch as the inventor of the steamboat and allocated funding for a
substantial monument to Fitch that rests in the town square in
John Fitch
2012 was a year of significant accomplishment as we moved
forward with plans laid out at our annual planning meetings in
January 2012. One of our prime objectives was the initial launch
of our John Fitch Steamboat model. That occurred with great
success on July 23rd 2012 on a pond in Warminster Community
Park.
Another major objective was the development of a History
Trail with signs depicting the proud history of Warminster
strategically placed around the perimeter trail in Warminster
Community Park.
A third major project was the development of new signage
for our property –a need we have recognized for some time.
Hopefully, we will have new signage in place in early spring
2013.
We also offered our newest program, Historic Character
Interpretation, to the public after a trial run in 2011. We plan to
continue that program in 2013 based on feedback from attendees
at this year’s program.
We again hosted Centennial School System third graders
in our program – Life in Colonial Times and Farm Life in the
1850’s. This was our 17th year offering this program to our
community’s young people at no cost to the taxpayer. Much
credit goes to Lin Schreiner, our open hearth “chef”, and Jeri
Lutman for making this program a success. As we have stated in
the past, we are hopeful that some of the over 6,000 young
people who have participated in the program will catch the
“history bug” and become involved in our Society to continue
this and other programs in the future.
We have two major initiatives slated for 2013 – An
exhibit on Early Local Schools—our first of what we hope will
be a series of changing exhibits. We plan an opening later this
year.
A second initiative is the development of more
programs to involve our youth in gaining a love of history. We
will be working with our local schools on these programs. Be
sure to check our web site frequently for updates on our
activities.:
Craven-Hall.org
Robert Fulton
•
Built & operated the world’s •
first commercial steamboat in
1790 on the Delaware River.
Built and operated a
commercial steamboat on the
Hudson River in 1807.
•
Designed and built his own •
steam engines with assistance
of partner, Henry Voight.
Purchased a Boulton/Watts
steam engine from England and
had access to the design plans
of others, including Fitch.
•
Given monopoly rights to •
operate boats by “fire &
steam” on the rivers of several
states including the Hudson
River for up to 14 years.
Had a wealth y p artn er,
Chancellor Robert Livingston,
who was able to obtain Fitch’s
monopoly on the Hudson River.
•
Struggled to find financial •
backing and failed to achieve
commercial success.
Livingston’s wealth easily
funded Fulton’s design and
construction efforts, resulting in
commercial success on the
Hudson and beyond.
Bardstown, Kentucky.
Presidents Letter
None of the listed activities can happen without the
dedication of our volunteers, and we have been particularly
blessed in this regard. Please come and see what we are all about
and what might be of interest to you – and then consider
volunteering with us.
You will find a check off sheet at the end of this newsletter.
Finally, please consider renewing or taking out a membership in
our Society. The cost is only $10 which helps defray the cost of
producing and mailing this newsletter. Donations are always
welcome and as a private 501-c-3 non-profit. organization, your
donations are tax deductible as allowed by law.
RELOCATION OF JOHN FITCH MONUMENT
AND ASSOCIATED STATE HISTORICAL MARKER
With the opening of the John Fitch Steamboat Museum on the grounds of Craven Hall, our plan was to move the John Fitch
Monument and associated State Historical Marker to the grounds of Craven Hall. With the permission of the Bucks County
Historical Society and the Pennsylvania State Historical and Museum Commission, we accomplished the relocation in the fall of
2012. The monument and the State Historical marker now reside on either side of the driveway entrance to Craven Hall.
The John Fitch Monument belongs to
the Bucks County Historical Society
and was presented to the Society in
1902 by Edward Longstreth and was
installed on the southwest corner of
Street and York Roads. The Longstreth
Fa mil y, p r o min en t W a r mi n ster
residents, were early supporters of John
Fitch.
John Fitch Monument
John Fitch State Historical Marker
Both the John Fitch Monument and the State Marker were most recently located
behind the large clock tower on the northeast corner of Street and York Roads—
basically hidden from view and largely unknown to the public.
New Signage for Craven Hall
It has been apparent to us for a number of years that even with
our location on a very busy highway, we are in need of better
signage to mark our existence. With that in mind and with a
grant from VisitBucks, the county tourist promotion agency, we
have purchased new signage. We hope to have the new signs set
up in early spring 2013 and intend to install two identical signs,
one on Street Road and the other on Newtown Road. The new
signs will note both of our facilities, Craven Hall and the new
John Fitch Steamboat Museum, proving information on our
operations and special events. (below)
As noted in last year’s newsletter, the Fitch Monument was
located on the front lawn of Craven Hall for many years and
was most likely moved to the clock tower site to save it from
loss when the Craven Hall property was destined for private
sale by the Centennial Joint School Authority in the late
1970’s.
Page 3
Warminster’s Proud History now on display at Warminster Community Park
Local residents can now learn about Warminster’s proud contribution to our nation’s
history by strolling around the Perimeter Trail at Warminster Community Park. Signs
depicting the numerous historic events involving the township were produced and erected in
the Fall of 2012 with funds remaining from the township’s 300th Anniversary Celebration in
2011.
The sign development was made possible by members of the NADC Museum, The
William Tennent House Association and the Craven Hall Historical Society, Inc. in
collaboration with Warminster Township officials. Karen Whitney, Parks and Recreation
Manager spearheaded the project. It is unfortunate that much of the physical part of
Warminster’s history is no longer visible. However, now at least residents can view and gain
an understanding of the major events that took place in Warminster’s past.
Page 4
Founders Day Parade – Philadelphia – October 9, 1909
In October, 1909, Philadelphia held a series of events to celebrate the city’s 225th Birthday. This
included a Founders Day Parade that included a huge model of John Fitch’s 1790 steamboat, depicted
above. The image was taken from a series of postcards taken during the event. We are indebted to Jack
Regenhard for providing us with this photograph. We wonder whatever happened to this large model.
Was it just a float for the parade? Was it ever used again? Was it sea worthy?
Notes from Hearthside: by Lin Schreiner
February’s Fireplace Cooking Class: The class took us back 100
-200 years via the great equipment given to us by generous
donors, including reproductions bought with Quester Chapters’
grants. All parts of the menu came from 18th and early 19th
Century receipts. We started with soup hanging from the crane,
moved to making Dutch Oven biscuits using dried herbs from our
own kitchen garden and dessert baked in the D.O. Spices were
grated or crushed in graters and mortar and pestles. We had
apples from our orchard and many receipts featuring them,
including sausage sautéed in the spider and honeyed apple rings.
Typical of these menus, it reflected the season. Dinner was served
in the lovely parlor and made a relaxing time, filled with much
conversation between the cooks and their guests.
New to our Kitchen: was a polished cow’s horn to show folks the
similarity between an actual horn and the horn spoon and combs
that the folks of the 18th and early 19th Century used….instead of
plastic. We have a set of ten lovely reproduction two-tined forks
and knives, both with bone handles. They make a great
presentation for our dinners. A donor also gave us an antique set
of fork and knife with bone handles. A gift of a yellow ware mold
rests on the top of the milk bench shelves to illustrate the great
care ladies in the 19th Century to demonstrated in making lovely
jellied-food presentations. Harvest foods have been yummy, great
smelling and beautiful.
Featured Herb: Culinary Uses of Lemon Verbena:
Lemon Verbena is commonly used by Europeans to flavor
fruit-based drinks, fruit salad dressings, in soups,
marinades, puddings, jams and desserts. It does not tend to
lose its flavor during cooking. It pairs well with fruits,
vanilla and seafood dishes. You can use Lemon Verbena in
place of lemon zest in recipes. Virtually any fruit salad can
be enhanced with its finely chopped leaves.
Lemon Verbena makes one of the best beverage teas,
especially when blended with mint. It can also be used to
brighten the taste of fish, poultry, veggie marinades,
stuffing, salad dressing, jellies and vinegar. Chop up leaves
and put them in drinks. As the leaves are tough, remove
them before serving. Finely crumbled dried leaves can be
added to the batters of carrot, banana, or zucchini bread.
Try adding some to cooked rice just before serving.
Bury six lemon verbena leaves in a cup of sugar that has
been placed in a covered jar or container. Use this sugar to
top muffins, fruit, or sprinkle on the top of muffin batter
before baking. Because the leaf is rather tough, you’ll need
to mince it very fine if you plan to leave it in a dish, or add
it whole and remove before serving. Dried, it should be
crumbled before adding to recipes. We are truly looking
forward to spring and to preparing our kitchen and heirloom
gardens. We invite you to join us.
Page 5
NAME: _______________________________________________________
STREET: ______________________________________________________
CITY: ______________________________ STATE: _____ ZIP: __________
TELEPHONE: ____________________________
E-MAIL ADDRESS _______________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL
MEMBERSHIP
( ) Individual or Family
$10.00
Annually
( ) Small business
$25.00
Annually
( ) Corporate
$100.00
Annually
VOLUNTEERS:
I am interested in working with the following at Craven Hall:
( ) Restoration/Repairs
( ) Docent (Tour Guide)
( ) Fund Raising
( ) Membership/Public Relations
( ) Historic Research/Library ( ) Special Events
( ) Centralizing Records
( ) Gravestone Restoration
( ) Other
( ) Volunteer
If you are interested in volunteering, please also check that off. We really need you. Thanks.
CONTRIBUTION TO THE FITCH MUSEUM
( )
Amount: ___________________ Thank you.
DVD of CRAVEN HALL
( )
Amount: By check:
$17.50 check to address below.
Amount: Pick up:
$15.00 at Craven Hall. Please leave a message
215 675 4698 to arrange
Contributions to aid in the restoration and operation of Craven Hall are always welcome. Please make your check payable to the
Craven Hall Historical Society, Inc. The Society is a non-profit corporation registered in Pennsylvania; your contribution is tax
deductible. Return to Craven Hall, P.O. Box 2042, Warminster, PA 18974
Craven Hall 1900’s
Craven Hall Historical Society
P.O. Box 2042
Street & Newtown Roads
Warminster, PA 18974