Newtown Creek Coalition

The Newtown Creek Coalition is a 501©(3) non-​profit community based organization that came into existence in 2006 with the mission of improving, protecting and preserving the natural treasure that is Newtown Creek. This 10 mile long stream with headwaters in Wrightstown and Upper Makefield, runs through open fields and forests until reaching Newtown along Route 532 (Washington Crossing Road). When William Penn founded his «New Town» in the 1630’s, he designed the village with the Creek at the center of community life. All the original landowners were given frontage along the creek in the center of the village — The Commons.
Over the centuries the Creek has been a participant and witness to the great changes that accompanied the American experience. Dams and a water chase were constructed to facilitate the running of a mill. Those structures are gone, but remnants remain, along with the beautiful mill building. The first bridge across the waterflow was built in 1796, and is the 3^rd oldest bridge in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Parks nestle along the banks. Today, it is more or less the border between Newtown Borough and Township, but being an independent body, it actually meanders between both municipalities.
The Coalition came into existence to insure that Newtown Creek was maintained in it natural state, and to bring its beauty to the fore. It is easy to miss it as you drive through town. You see the bridges, but miss the reason they are there. The people dedicated to this vision hold regular meetings, have conducted strategic planning, schedule creek cleanups to remove all things that are not part of the natural ecosystem, and interact with the local and county governments to assist with planning and to obtain assistance in attaining its goals. It has never yet taken any government money for its work. Taxpayers appreciate that. Currently it is working to find access points along the creek that encourage public view. Trails are planned. A pedestrian bridge where one stood in the 19^th Century is also a focus.
Next time you visit Newtown or Bucks County take a few minutes to find the Newtown Creek and feel its permanency and history. Looking at its crystal clarity and listening as its soothing voice brings you to a timeless place. George Washington stood where you are now as he planned his crossing of the Delaware on Christmas Eve lo, so many years ago.