Lower Makefield Township announced that the Thomas Janney Historic Agricultural District, a 234-acre landscape representing more than three centuries of farming history, has been nominated for listing in the National Register of Historic Places.
Located along Mirror Lake Road and Yardley–Langhorne Road, the district includes two long-standing farmsteads—the Janney Brown Yardley Farmstead and the Bayley Satterthwaite Doan Farmstead—set within open agricultural fields, historic farm lanes, woodlots, and spring-fed streams and ponds. The land has been continuously farmed since the late 1600s and remains one of the most intact agricultural landscapes in Lower Bucks County.
The site is known locally as Patterson Farm, named after Tom and Alice Patterson, the last private owners before Lower Makefield Township acquired the property to preserve its agricultural landscape and historic resources.
The district includes fourteen historic buildings, along with several agricultural structures, sites, and objects dating from the late seventeenth century through the mid-twentieth century. These resources illustrate the long evolution of farming in the region, including early settlement structures, traditional farmhouses, Pennsylvania bank barns, and later agricultural buildings reflecting changes in farming practices over time.
Approximately 183 acres of the property are permanently protected through an agricultural conservation easement, ensuring that the open farmland and rural setting will remain intact for future generations.
Matthew Ross, Chair of the Lower Makefield Township Board of Supervisors, noted that the district represents a rare example of an agricultural landscape that has remained largely unchanged despite decades of suburban development in the surrounding region.
“The Thomas Janney Historic Agricultural District represents more than three centuries of continuous farming,” Ross said. “The land has never been lost to development and still reflects agricultural patterns established by early Quaker settlers.”
Dennis Steadman, Chair of the Patterson Farm Master Plan Implementation Committee, said the nomination highlights the broader cultural value of the site.
“The historic buildings, open fields, streams, ponds, and wooded areas together preserve the look and feel of farm-rich Bucks County before the development of the past seventy five years,” Steadman said. “It offers a tangible connection to the region’s agricultural heritage and rural landscape.”
Joe Camaratta, Vice Chair of the Lower Makefield Township Historical Commission, explained that listing in the National Register formally recognizes the district’s historic importance and may help the Township pursue preservation grants and other funding opportunities for the restoration and long-term stewardship of the historic structures.
Township officials emphasized that the nomination reflects Lower Makefield’s long standing commitment to farmland preservation, historic stewardship, and protecting the rural character that has defined the community for generations.
Following review by the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office, the nomination will be forwarded to the National Park Service for final consideration. If approved, the Thomas Janney Historic Agricultural District will join other nationally recognized historic resources in Bucks County.
About Lower Makefield Township
Lower Makefield Township is a Township of the Second Class located in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. It consists of suburban neighborhoods highlighted by numerous park and recreational facilities together with historic properties and preserved open space and farmland. The Township is 18.3 square miles in area, has a resident population of approximately 36,000 residents, and is located approximately 25 miles northeast of Philadelphia.
Credit: Submitted