Join Bucks Quarterly Meeting and Middletown Friends Meeting member, Pat Mervine, on Thursday, February 16th at 7:00 pm for an on-line presentation about her newly published book, Boone Farm: Its People and Place in Middletown History.
Boone Farm, one of the most historic properties in the county, is located in Core Creek Park in Middletown, PA, and has been in possession of the county for about 50 years. It became the new home to the African American Museum of Bucks County in 2020, when Bucks County officials agreed to lease the historic farm to them for the next 10 years.
Founded as a mobile museum in 2014, the African American Museum of Bucks County (AAMBC) honors the rich legacy of the African American experience in Bucks County. The museum has presented educational programs and special exhibits to thousands of men, women, and students of all ages, as well as conducting Underground Railroad tours and tours of Bucks County historic landmarks. Finding a permanent brick-and-mortar home has always been their goal. Linda Salley, Executive Director, spoke about this journey to Bucks Quakers in 2022; click here to view her presentation on YouTube.
Linda Salley in front of Boone Farm
In her book, Pat outlines the history of the farm, which has changed ownership more than 20 times in its 300-year history. It has historical ties to the Great Migration of the 20th century, during which six million African Americans moved out of rural Southern states to Northern areas such as Pennsylvania in search of economic opportunity. She addresses the questions:
• What makes this home unique?
• Who were the people who lived there?
• How did they contribute to the community?
• How did the house and property change over time?
• What events and changes throughout the history of Middletown did the owners witness?
Many sources were used to stitch together the home’s history, including wills, deeds, family genealogical accounts, and newspaper archives. War, slavery, religion, and the rise and fall of the rural industrial region of Bridgetown are all a part of the property’s past.
Pat’s book is available at Commonplace Reader Bookstore in Yardley and at the Middletown Township Municipal Building. All proceeds from the book will be donated to the African American Museum of Bucks County; renovations are projected to cost around $3.7 million. For more information and to donate, please visit https://infoaambc.org/.
Registration is required; click here to register. Zoom link will be sent after registration.
Patricia L. Mervine, M.A., is a retired speech/language pathologist and assistive technology consultant. She is the author of more than a dozen books and CDs of therapy materials for teachers and therapists and has written three illustrated children’s books about speech/language therapy and augmentative communication. She is active in many local organizations, including Langhorne Council for the Arts, Historic Langhorne Association, Langhorne Open Space, Inc., Middletown Friends Meeting, and the African American Museum of Bucks County. Pat has lived around the corner from Boone Farm for forty years.