Hatboro

The Crooked Billet Inn, although no longer standing,
remains one of the most recognizable and well-loved
spots in Hatboro. It was there where one of Hatboro’s
founders, John Dawson, operated an inn and eatery, and where George Washington ate and slept during his pursuit of the British Army during the Revolutionary War. It is because of the popularity of the Crooked Billet Inn that Hatboro was often known simply as “The Billet.” There is no confusing Hatboro for anywhere else, since it is the only town with that name in the United States. First settled in the early 1700s, Hatboro grew to become an industrial and educational giant. Hatboro includes, among many others, exceptional images of the former Loller Academy, which helped Hatboro become an educational
center in an otherwise rural area. Also highlighted are the Brewster Aviation Company, and the equipment Brewster manufactured for the military during World War II. Of course, the Crooked Billet Inn and the Battle of Crooked Billet, Willow Grove Park, and the music of John Philip Sousa and Victor Herbert are revisited in these pages, as well as some lesser-known stories, like those of the horrors of having two competing phone companies, and the story of “Matilda.”