We have no means at hand of giving the population of Newtown borough before
1850, when it was 546 white and 35 black inhabitants. In 1860 it had grown to
652, and 859 in 1870; [1880, 1,001; 1890, 1,213; 1900, 1,463.8] The population
is slowly, but steadily, increasing. Eleven public roads lead to Newtown,
nearly all of them opened at an early day, evidence alone that it has always
been an important centre in that section of the county. There is probably not
another point in the county to which there is access by the same number of
roads.
Newtown was incorporated in 1838. There have been several newspapers printed
there during the present century, but none earlier. Among these were the
"Bucks County Bee," in 1802, "Farmers' Gazette and Bucks County Register," in
1805, "Herald of Liberty," 1814*], The Star of Freedom," 1817, "Newtown
Journal," 1842, "Newtown Gazette," 1857, and the "Newtown Enterprise," in
1868, the youngest, and only living of all the newspapers established there,
the others having gone, one by one, to that undiscovered country, the last
resting-place of defunct journals. The post office was established in 1800,
and Jacob Fisher appointed postmaster.
