New Hope

New Hope: Old Town Hall

New Hope, borough (town) and artists’ colony, Bucks county, southeastern Pennsylvania, U.S. It lies in a scenic wooded region along the west bank of the Delaware River (there bridged to Lambertville, New Jersey), 33 miles (53 km) north-northeast of Philadelphia. The site, originally called Wells Ferry and later Canby’s Ferry and Coryell’s Ferry, was first settled about 1715. The present community, deriving its name from New Hope Mills (built there in 1790 after a fire had destroyed several other mills), was founded by William Lathrop in 1900 and has gained fame as a refuge for painters, writers, composers, and actors. New Hope abounds in craft shops, book shops, and galleries. It is crossed by a reconstructed section of the old Delaware Canal (in operation 1831–58), now a tourist attraction with mule-drawn barges.

Founded in 1939 and one of the nation’s oldest summer theatres, the Bucks County Playhouse (the building itself is a mill dating from the 1780s) is in the borough. The New Hope and Ivyland Railroad comprises 17 miles (27 km) of track and a steam-powered train and vintage passenger coaches; diesel-powered freight service is also provided. Washington Crossing Historic Park is 7 miles (11 km) southeast. Inc. 1837. Pop. (2000) 2,252; (2010) 2,528.