Newtown Historic District
Also known as: See Also:Half-Moon Inn; Friends Meeting House; Newton Downtown
The pin is a point inside the NPS boundary polygon, not a surveyed location.
Why it's listed
Newtown is a village whose historic district contains about 230 buildings and 82 barns or carriage sheds, mostly built between the late 17th and early 20th centuries. The district follows State Street and Washington Avenue and takes in the original Court House tract, where many 18th-century stone and brick town houses survive. Its significance rests on several strands of history. Thomas Holme laid out the townstead in 1683 and 1684 under William Penn's plan, and the county seat was at Newtown from 1725 until 1813. The village served as a Continental army supply depot and as headquarters for General Washington and his officers, and it held about 1,000 Hessian prisoners after the Battle of Trenton. Edward Hicks, the primitive painter, lived in Newtown from 1811 until his death in 1849, and two of his houses remain in the district. The architecture spans colonial to Victorian styles and is regarded as an unusually well-preserved group.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues that the district retains an unusually intact group of colonial, Federal, Victorian and early 20th-century buildings. It also cites Newtown's role as the county seat, a Revolutionary War supply depot and headquarters site, its agricultural and commercial history, and its links to artist Edward Hicks.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 79002174, listed December 17, 1979. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | PA 413 and PA 332, Newtown |
|---|---|
| County | Bucks County |
| Listed | December 17, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79002174 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architectural style | Colonial, Federal, Georgian Revival, Greek Revival, Victorian, Italianate, Second Empire, Queen Anne |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Agriculture, Military, Transportation, Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Most buildings are described as in good or original condition, with about 39 intrusions of recent construction or extensive alteration. |
| Acreage | 103.8 |
| Within district | Newtown Historic District (Boundary Increase) |
| Coordinates | 40.22887, -74.93653 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 79002174.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7020726
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.