The Wedgwood Inn

Reading that the historic Wedgwood Inn was up for sale, the New Hope Historical Society's Archives Team felt it was the perfect time to visit the inn, explore its history, and update our building records.


On a recent afternoon, our team met with husband-and-wife owners Carl Glassman and Dinie Silnutzer. They have owned the Wedgwood – note this correct spelling – since 1982. While making additions over the years they have kept much of the original design intact. In addition, they discovered a historic tunnel that was possibly used as part of the underground railroad. 

The current structure was built by Mary Ann Slaughter in 1870 on the stone foundation of the original 1720 “old hip-roof” house. In the 1907 edition of W. H. H. Davis’ History of Bucks County, Davis states the older house was used as headquarters by patriot Alexander Lord Stirling during the Revolutionary War. Washington and his troops were camped across what is now Bridge Street from December 8, 1776, to December 25, 1776, just before the historic Battle of Trenton. That became a victory for the Continentals and an emotional turning point in the war. Inn owner Carl Glassman explains that there was a cannon in the front yard facing the slope down to Ferry Street in case the British were to approach. At that time there were mostly fields between the house and the river. As a salute to its role in the revolution, the house subsequently became known as “The Old Fort” or “The Headquarters House.”

In the 1930’s the house began to be used as a rooming house, a role that continued through several owners and decades. Carl’s and Dinie’s tenure has led to the expansion of the mansion with a rear addition in 1999, and upgrades such as private baths for each of the 10 lodging rooms. The construction led to the discovery of an underground wood and stone tunnel running from the kitchen to a gazebo located on the east side of the house. The tunnel was accessed inside the house from the wooden kitchen floor. The residue of gunpowder and candles was found in the tunnel. It is theorized that the tunnel was likely used to store ammunition for the Continental Army during the revolution. Later it may have served as a hiding spot for the enslaved on the underground railroad as they awaited a friendly mule barge northbound on the Delaware Canal. The current owners state that two of their visitors are said to have seen the ghost of a 12-year-old girl who is felt to be an enslaved person looking for her parents. 

Famous guests have included politician & author Ralph Nader, William Shatner of Star Trek, and Antoni Poworski of Queer Eye. Nader volunteered to speak to a class in the school across the street. 


Architecturally the house is Victorian style with deep eaves, a projecting two-story bay window, a wraparound verandah with scrolled brackets, and a porte-corchere built initially to be the coach entrance for women. Until recently there was a slate roof. The clipped gables may be an echo of the original building. Inside are found walls stenciled by local artist Cheryl Raywood, an old claw foot tub, and a Mercer tile fireplace, along with many original decorative features. English Wedgwood plateware decorates the house. 

At one time, the property extended as far as the Aquetong Creek. Southern parts of the property were sold off years ago and newer structures were constructed there. Besides the gazebo mentioned above, there is a view that captures that of the famous Joseph Pickett painting of New Hope. In addition, a Ray Faunce sculpture from the New Hope Arts Outdoor Sculpture Project, Triffids, can be seen from Bridge Street.


Many thanks to Carl and Dinie for sharing their historic property with us as we continue to explore the history of New Hope through its buildings and its current residents. 

The Parry Mansion Museum Archives Team is a team of passionate and energetic volunteers who bring diverse, professional backgrounds to advance our archives with programs such as this monthly series “Beyond the Door,” and individual and community research request fulfillment and so much more. Many thanks to the Archives Team!

Beyond The Door

Methodists, Marsha Brown, and Oldstone Steakhouse

April 13, 2025
One of the most prominent buildings in New Hope today is found at the current location of the Oldestone Steakhouse . For 125 years it was the home of the New Hope Methodists, under various names including the New Hope Methodist Episcopal and New Hope United Methodist Church. The history of this building is intertwined with the history of New Hope and helps inform us about how societal trends impacted our community. To prepare this article, volunteers from the New Hope Historical Society met and toured the building with current Oldestone owner/partner, Michael Sklar. They also spoke with Walter Jennings who was born while his father pastored the church in the 1940’s. Rev. Joseph F. DiPaolo was also interviewed. He was pastor of the church from 1992 to its last service on Main Street in 1999 and was the first pastor after it then moved to Aquetong Road in Solebury. Rev. DiPaolo wrote lengthy and well-documented histories (1,2) of Methodism and other religious entities in New Hope and nearby areas covering the years 1818-2003. These sources, coupled with the archives of the New Hope Historical Society, provided the content of this article.  Rev. DiPaolo writes in his book that in the early years of Bucks County’s development, residents were largely Quakers, with a local meeting house built on Sugan Road in Solebury by 1805. In addition to Quakers, Bucks County was home to Scots Irish Presbyterians. They formed the first New Hope Sunday school in 1818 and met in what was known then as the Academy, still standing at 129 Bridge Street. It was in the Academy that the first Methodist congregation in New Hope also met by 1818: the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church which later took the name Mt. Moriah and drew congregants from the African American community. In 1830, another Methodist group began meeting at the Sutton home on W. Mechanic Street, drawing from the White community. By 1837, a simple wood-frame church building had been built at the southwest corner of West Mechanic Street and New Street, the first such structure in New Hope. The second great awakening in America (1795-1835) was occurring and by 1845 there were 12 churches in the area of New Hope, Solebury and what was then called Lambert’s Ville. The building at 15 South Main Street was built 1873-1874 on land between the Logan House (now the Logan Inn) and the then newly constructed Crook home (now the Mansion Inn). The land was purchased for $600, having once been part of tracts owned by well-known New Hope historical figures: Richard Heath, Benjamin Canby, John Coryell, and Joseph Stockton. The church architect was James Bird, and the stone mason was Peter S. Naylor. By the time it was completed it was valued at $14,000. It replaced the Methodist church on Mechanic Street, for which no known photos exist today. A newspaper at the time reported the prior church was in a bad location and in dilapidated condition. The old Methodist cemetery still exists adjacent to the parking lot driveway from Mechanic Street to the New Hope Borough Municipal Office. Rev. DiPaolo reports that a cemetery clean-up in 1959 resulted in some gravestones not being placed in their original location.

Buttonwood Street Home was Once a Stable across Bridge Street at the Old Hip-Roof House

January 17, 2025
Buttonwood Street in New Hope is just one block north on Chestnut Street from Bridge Street. This article will focus on one home on Buttonwood, but also remark on other interesting properties nearby. The subject home on Buttonwood was once a stable located on the Bridge Street property now known as the Wedgwood Inn Bed and Breakfast. The inn is clearly visible from Buttonwood Street. At a recent visit to the property on Buttonwood the current owner related that the stable was built in 1833, and at least partially supporting that assertion was the hand-hewn post and beam construction found under the walls during modern renovations. Such construction was most common from the mid-17th to the mid-19th centuries. As stated in our earlier "Beyond the Door" article about the Wedgwood Inn, the building now housing the inn was constructed in 1870 on the stone foundation of an earlier "old hip-roof" house built in 1720. The Buttonwood property owner says the stable was moved to its current location in the 1940's or 1950's and then was used by a blacksmith, and later an upholsterer. In 1958 it was converted to a home. If the stable dates to 1833, it must have been present during the time of both the original 1720 house as well as the still extant 1870 building now housing the Wedgwood Inn. 

Parry‘s General Provisions Store

October 30, 2024
Situated directly across Main Street from New Hope Historical Society’s Parry Mansion is one of the oldest surviving buildings in New Hope, now housing several commercial ventures including Farley’s Bookshop. The New Hope Historical Society (NHHS) archives include a copy of Margaret Bye Richie’s extensive and well-documented review of historic buildings in New Hope for her 1987 academic dissertation in the University of Pennsylvania Department of American Civilization. In it, she noted that the northern portion of the building was built circa 1748 and was represented on Benjamin Parry’s 1798 map as “No. 21”, while the southern portion was built circa 1830 near the time of the canal construction. Her 1980’s conversation with local architect Donald Hedges quoted him that in 1940 a sign stating “Parry’s General Store” still hung on the building. The Parry Store was likely the first provisions store in New Hope. 
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