Pidcock House 300th Anniversary |
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Members of the Pidcock Family Association gathered at
Washington Crossing Historic Park on September 21, 2002 and joined in
celebrating the 300th anniversary of the oldest part of the (Pidcock)Thompson-Neely
House. They are descendants of John Pidcock, who built
the center section of the house in 1702. |
It is not clear when Pidcock built the stone cabin that survives today as the central portion of the house. His stone cabin, traditionally ascribed to 1702, may have been a rebuilding or extension of an earlier log or framed house on the property. What remains is typical of the small one-cell stone dwellings that were being built in southeastern Pennsylvania at the turn of the 18th century, with its roughly laid irregular stonework and wooden lintels over openings. |
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| Guide Bridget Salentri makes a point while taking Jane Moore on a tour through the (Pidcock) Thompson-Neely House. |
Living history interpreter Richard Howett portrays Captain James Moore of the Continental Army. Moore died in the house on December 25, 1776. Standing in doorway is Donna Pidcock of Allentown. |
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| Pitsawing demonstration in front of the (Pidcock)Thompson-Neely House: David Kirkpatrick of Doylestown (top) and Glen Yerkes of Buckingham demonstrate the craft of pit sawing, which was used to cut boards from logs. | Guide Bridget Salentri explains how early Pennsylvanians used these millstones to grind flour into grist at the Thompson-Neely Mill, which used water diverted from nearby Pidcock Creek to turn the stones.(The youngest Pidcock present on Sept. 21 was Jonathan Pidcock, age 11,who referred to this mill as "grits-mill", a certain reflection of his southern upbringing!) |