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Newtown – The Beginning The 5,000 acres originally comprising both Newtown Borough and Township were part of the vast tract purchased by William Penn from the Indians by William Markham, Penn's agent, on July15, 1682. Penn originally called this area his "New Town" which eventually evolved into "Newtown". What is now the Township was incorporated in 1683 with the Borough following in 1684. Newtown was the county seat of Bucks County from 1726 to 1813 before it was moved to Doylestown. The town was patterned to resemble an open fan surrounding a narrow rectangular piece of property called the town common. The plan of the township and townstead were surveyed by Thomas Holme in 1684 and the boundaries that appear on his map of that date remain essentially the same today. 325th Celebration To celebrate the 325th activities which were held in Newtown this past year, a yearbook will be produced. The 325th Anniversary Yearbook will be a full-color, 200-page publication commemorating Newtown’s latest milestone. The yearbook will include history, residents, organizations and businesses that have shaped Newtown to date, celebrating the town’s past, present and future. Of additional note, the theatrical production “Sweet Land,” which officially marks the end of the 325th anniversary year, will be held in August at the historic Newtown Theatre. “Sweet Land,” an historical pageant, traces Newtown’s history from the time of William Penn through the present day through a series of dramatic vignettes. The original production of “Sweet Land” was performed at Newtown’s 275th Anniversary. The show was updated and produced again for Newtown’s 300th Anniversary. The 325th Anniversary version of “Sweet Land” is being produced by Newtown Arts Company, which had its beginnings with the 1983 production of the historical pageant. Newtown Arts Company has grown during the past 25 years, and now produces six live shows a year at the Newtown Theatre Historic Newtown Heritage Walk The Newtown Heritage Walk is a self-guided walking tour consisting of thirty-four 18” x 24” wayside markers at historically significant sites along State Street (Newtown Borough) and Sycamore Street (Newtown Township). Each stop has been selected because of its historical value to the Newtown community, featuring sites from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. The Heritage Walk is modeled after similar wayside programs in Gettysburg, Harrisburg, Carlisle, the Delaware Canal, and other historic locations in Pennsylvania.
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 A messenger from Philadelphia arrives in Newtown to announce the signing of the Declaration of Independence a.k.a Steve Harris 
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Newtown First Fourth Committee
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