![]() ![]() I phoned the nearby David Library of the American Revolution. No one there knew of any connection between Paine and the house. In a segment on Solebury, he notes, “Tom Paine is said to have written ‘Common Sense’ at the Thompson-Neely House.” Is this true? With no sourcing to lean on, I did a little sleuthing.įirst, I contacted the visitors center at Washington Crossing Historical Park in Upper Makefield. MacReynolds’ revelation is in “Place Names in Bucks County Pennsylvania” published by the Bucks County Historical Society in 1940. ![]() Paine’s call for a declaration of independence convinced many in the 13 colonies that war against King George III was winnable. The 48-page pamphlet was a best-seller when published in Philadelphia in January 1776, a year before the crossing. According to historian George MacReynolds, Colonial firebrand Thomas Paine wrote “Common Sense” at the Thompson-Neely House. ![]() Yet, before that pivotal event, a two-story farmhouse in Solebury might have had much to do with the general’s success. Every kid of a certain age knows George Washington crossed the Delaware River on Christmas 1776 to turn the course of the American Revolution. ![]()
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