05 Finding aid prepared by Celia Caust-Ellenbogen and Faith Charlton through the Historical Society of Pennsylvania's Hidden Collections Initiative for Pennsylvania Small Archival Repositories. Last updated on September 20, 2013. Historical Society of Bensalem Township
Table of Contents Summary Information...3 Biography/History...3 Scope and Contents... 4 Administrative Information... 4 Related Materials... 5 Controlled Access Headings...5 - Page 2 -
Summary Information Repository Historical Society of Bensalem Township Creator Bensalem (Pa. : Township). Tax Collector Title Bensalem Township tax assessment rolls Call number 05 Date [inclusive] 1986-1990 Extent 1.75 linear feet Language English Abstract Settled by the Dutch, Swedes, and English, Bensalem Township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, was a farming community until the 1950s and 1960s when the area underwent a significant amount of suburban development. The Bensalem Township tax assessment rolls, 1986-1990, consist of 17 volumes of real estate assessment rolls. Biography/History "Bensalem Township [Bucks County, Pennsylvania] is an area of 22 square miles bounded on three sides by waterways: the Delaware River, the Neshaminy Creek and the Poquessing Creek. Through it pass four of the most important arteries of transportation in the United States: Interstate 95 (Delaware Expressway), US Route 13 (Bristol Pike), US Route 1 (Lincoln Highway), and Interstate 276 (PA Turnpike). "There have been many discussions about the name 'Bensalem' with the most popular theory being that it comes from the estate of Joseph Growden called 'The Manor of Bensalem' in the 1700s. - Page 3 -
"Settled by the Dutch, Swedes, and English, it was a farming community until the 1950s when businesses and industries started to dot the landscape. One of the biggest changes in the township in the 1960s was the construction of Interstate 95 which transformed Street Road from a two lane country road into a major four lane highway. "In 1979 all the small towns (Andalusia, Eddington, Cornwells Heights, Bridgewater, Flushing, and many others), became one postal area called 'Bensalem.'" Bibliography: Quoted text from The Historical Society of Bensalem Township. "The History of Bensalem." Accessed March 25, 2013. http://www.bensalemhistoricalsociety.com/history.html Scope and Contents This collection consists of 17 volumes of real estate assessment rolls. The volumes are organized alphabetically by property owner and include address, property description, assessment value, county tax payments, borough/town tax payments, and school tax payments. Administrative Information Historical Society of Bensalem Township Finding aid prepared by Celia Caust-Ellenbogen and Faith Charlton through the Historical Society of Pennsylvania's Hidden Collections Initiative for Pennsylvania Small Archival Repositories. Sponsor This preliminary finding aid was created as part of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania's Hidden Collections Initiative for Pennsylvania Small Archival Repositories. The HCI-PSAR project was made possible by a grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Access Restrictions Contact Historical Society of Bensalem Township for information about accessing this collection. - Page 4 -
Immediate Source of Acquisition Note Gift of Bensalem Township. Bensalem Township tax assessment rolls Processing Information Note Summary descriptive information on this collection was compiled in 2012-2014 as part of a project conducted by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania to make better known and more accessible the largely hidden collections of small, primarily volunteer run repositories in the Philadelphia area. The Hidden Collections Initiative for Pennsylvania Small Archival Repositories (HCI-PSAR) was funded by a grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. This is a preliminary finding aid. No physical processing, rehousing, reorganizing, or folder listing was accomplished during the HCI-PSAR project. In some cases, more detailed inventories or finding aids may be available on-site at the repository where this collection is held; please contact Historical Society of Bensalem Township directly for more information. Related Materials Related Archival Materials Note Historical Society of Bensalem Township: Ray Wall papers. Controlled Access Headings Corporate Name(s) Bensalem (Pa. : Township). Tax Collector Bensalem (Pa. : Township) Bucks County (Pa.). Board of Assessments Bucks County (Pa.). Dept. of Finance Geographic Name(s) - Page 5 -
Bensalem (Pa. : Township) Bensalem (Pa.) Bucks County (Pa.) Bensalem Township tax assessment rolls Personal Name(s) Wall, Ray (Raymond) Subject(s) Real property surveys School taxes Tax collection Taxation Valuation - Page 6 -