The Makefield Monograph
January 2015 Vol. XIII No. 2
Published by the Lower Makefield Historical Society
WOODSIDE…A SLICE OF HEAVEN
(pictured left is an aerial view of the Stapler Farm in 1959)
“I grew up in the little town of Woodside, PA. Following are memories of mine,
and memories passed to me, about my home place.
My family has lived here since 1917. Woodside was close-knit. Folks worked
hard, doing without when necessary, which was often. When called, they fought
our wars; won our freedom. Woodside was self-sufficient, with filling stations and
a store/post office where we picked up our mail.
There were no sidewalks, traffic lights, house numbers and certainly no I-95. Foreign cars were nonexistent.
Residents could stop their car on the street to chat with a neighbor in an oncoming vehicle. There was no rush
hour. At night it was dark and quiet. You could see the stars, because no one left a light on while they slept.
Heacock’s provided employment in their greenhouses and dairy farm on West Edgewood Road (now Stony Hill
Road). Residents set their watches by the sounding of the company steam whistle at 7am.
Edgewood Junior High School (grades 7-10) was a large, white clapboard schoolhouse on Edgewood Road. A
wooden school bus transported students. I hope someone has saved a picture of it somewhere. The school was
later renamed Valley Day School and was lost in a fire.
Woodside’s humble chapel hosted local weddings. Wedding receptions were held at the Makefield Community
House, with its wooden dance floor and stage. Neighbors also met there for square dances, plays, Grange & 4-H
meetings. It’s where Yardley's' most-beloved WWII veteran Danny Quill met his bride-to-be, Ann, and where
the Hunt Club held their exuberant dinner/dances with music that lasted into the night, a good time being had by
all.
Next to the chapel is the Heacock tenant house where Danny & Ann Quill settled during their married life, and
where Danny enjoyed his hobby of raising pigeons. His former house, and the historic stone house next to it, has
fallen into neglectful disrepair. Across Edgewood Road there once stood another small Heacock tenant house. It
was a cozy clapboard duplex with an inviting front porch. It was demolished after a failed renovation some years
ago. Next to its foundation is the site of a former filling station. I remember the old kerosene pumps. They too
have been erased by time, like the blacksmith shop that once stood opposite them. A simple “Honor Roll” marker in the center of town expressed our town’s appreciation for the local residents whose names were listed on it.
They served our country in wartime, and their contribution should always be remembered as we enjoy the freedom they made possible. The Honor Roll is gone now, but thankfully, efforts are being made to replace it.
My family’s home was on East Edgewood Road (now Mirror Lake Road). Marcus Doan and my grandfather
Duane Doan Sr. initially farmed with a team of horses. Tractors came later. Marcus tended his fields and apple
orchard, and drove his team and wagon to Philadelphia to market eggs and produce. The team knew the way
home. My grandparents raised eight children in the farmhouse, though it had no central heat or indoor bathroom.
The family worked together. They overcame times of hardship, grief and a lengthy illness that almost took my
Grandmothers life. They possessed little money, but enjoyed plenty to eat. And, of course they laughed together
at the funny things that happen on a farm, like the time my Uncle set the outhouse on fire, and when he got
sprayed by a skunk as he walked home in the dark, or the time the cow swallowed my Grandmother’s apron!
And then there was the pony who used to knock at the back door to let my Grandmother know he wanted a
snack. I grew up listening to my extended family share many humorous stories of farm life, over cups of hot tea
around my grandparents’ kitchen table. When wartime rationing was required, my family considered how fortunate they were to be farmers. Even when they had no money, they always had food. There were apples in the
orchard, meat, chicken and eggs, and a good variety of home-grown vegetables.
(Continued on page 3)
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The Makefield Monograph
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The Lower Makeield Historical Society will
partner with the Yardley Historic Association
in presenting...
REVOLUTIONARY TEA
Stacy Flora Roth is a museum educator , public speaker , vocalist and per for mance ar tist whose specialty is
educational presentations on themes in American history. Ms. Roth approaches her subjects from many angles:
incorporating activities, reproductive objects, music, storytelling, roll-play, demonstrations and
other techniques. She is a native of New Jersey and a lifelong enthusiast of state history, ignited
from a fascination with the American Revolution that began in the 4 th & 5th grades.
Ms. Roth has a B.A. in History from Keen University, an MLS from Rutgers School of Library
and Information Studies and an MA from the University of Pennsylvania in American Civilization. Ms. Roth studied Visitor Behavior and Museum Education through a Fellowship at Rutgers SCILS.
Her signature program, Revolutionary Tea, explores the social history of the rise and
downfall of tea in Colonial America through a look at its history and material culture,
infused with quotations, poetry, prose and songs about the popular and once controversial
beverage.
DATE: Sunday, March 15. 2015
TIME: 3 P.M.
PLACE: Yardley Community Center
65 S Main Street
Yardley, PA 19067
William Penn turned 370 years…Happy Birthday, Billy!
Lawyer, Missionary, Minister, Journalist (1644-1718)
William Penn was an English Quaker best known for founding the colony of Pennsylvania
as a place for religious freedom in America.
William Penn was born in London, England, on October 14, 1644. The son of an admiral
and landowner, he was educated in theology and the law. In his twenties he converted to
the Quaker religion and was jailed several times for his resistance to the Church of England. In 1681, he received a royal charter to form a new colony in America, to be named
Pennsylvania. He envisioned this territory as a peaceful refuge for members of all religious
beliefs. He died in England on July 30, 1718.
The Makefield Monograph
Page 3 of 4
Board of Directors
Officers
‘NEVER FORGET THE SACRIFICE’
President
Pat Miiller
Past President
Kellee Blake
Vice President
Dorothy Carr
Secretary
Jennifer Stark
Treasurer
Karen Boyd
Directors
Joyce Anderson
Jennifer Hauck
On Sunday, November 9th, Lower Makefield celebrated those who have served in the armed
forces with a parade and the dedication of Veteran Square Monument as part of the township’s Veterans Day commemoration. Hundreds celebrated the dedication of Veterans
Square Monument which was preceded by the township’s eighth annual Veterans Day parade. The parade included boy and girl scout troops, first responders and veterans of foreign wars who funneled into the pocket park off Edgewood Road for the ceremony.
“Mission: To create a gathering place for residents, friends and neighbors to honor veterans
within a peaceful, uplifting park setting. The community can gather for events like the annual Veteran’s Day parade and ceremony, the weekly Farmers Market, yoga in the park, flea
markets or come on their own. It is a place where we can educate our children about the
sacrifices made by those who serve.
Atop the wall surrounding the flag, rises a life-size bronze eagle representing the emergence of the human spirit from despair to hope for the future.
Local veterans who gave their lives in service to our country will be memorialized on a
bronze plaque within the protective walls of the monument.”
Pat Frankenfield
http://www.veteranssquare.org
Grace Godshalk
Pat Kolle
Bick Remmey
WOODSIDE...A Slice of Heaven
(continued from Page 1)
Newsletter Editor:
Karen L. Boyd
The neighboring Stapler Farm was a thriving farm & dairy herd operation. I remember my Grandfather
picking corn in Mr. Stapler’s field. With my cousins and me riding in the wagon, “Pop” drove the Farmall “M” with a 2-row corn-picker that deposited the ears of corn in the wagon with us kids. We thought
it was great, dusty, fun.
Sam & Lena Yardley and their son Jack owned the “Will O’ The Wisp” gas station & store where we
bought gasoline, motor oil, a loaf of bread, ice-cream bars, a peck of fruit, or a bottle of Coke kept cold in
a steel cooler with a sliding door on top and a bottle opener in the front. If you wanted candy you pointed
out what you wanted in the display case with the curved glass front. A visit there with my Grandfather
for a Dixie Cup (complete with wooden spoon), or a Yoohoo, or an Orange Crush was a treat. Neighborhood men met at “Sam’s” in the evenings to share news of the neighborhood, play checkers, smoke tobacco and talk about such things as the weather, farming, fishing and hunting.
Woodside was a slice of Heaven. As a child I’d lie in bed in the early morning hours and listen to ringnecked pheasants calling in our strawberry bed. Woodside was a secure place for a child to grow up,
guided by honest, salt-of-the-earth, hard-working people. Rural hometowns like Woodside once fed the
world and ensured America’s prosperity. We need that hometown security and prosperity now more than
ever.”
http://www.pattersonfarmpreservation.com/Home_Page.php
This article was written by a granddaughter of Duane Doan Sr. and his wife Ida Doan.
Lower Makefield Historical Society
P.O. Box228
Yardley, PA 19067
Lower Makefield Historical Society Spring 2015
Program Schedule
Sunday, March 15th at 3 P.M. The LMHS will partner with the Yardley Historic Association in presenting
Revolutionary Tea. To be held at the Yardley Community Center, 65 S. Main Street, Yardley, PA. Stacy Roth of
History on the Hoof will discuss “Why tea was so important in the lives of 18th century people that fashion
conscious families posed for portraits with their tea sets? Did Great Britain lose her American Colonies
over “the cup that cheers?”
Sunday afternoon, on June 14th, the LMHS Annual Meeting is a Special “Members Only” Program to be
held in Edgewood Village.
Please Continue to consult our website for upcoming programs:
http://www.lowermakefieldhistoricalsociety.com
Programs are Free of Charge and Open to the General Public