Upper Black Eddy, Pennsylvania

The town of Upper Black Eddy is one of many small Delaware River Communities, located in the northeastern region of Bucks County, Pennsylvania. It is part of Bridgeton Township. Upper Black Eddy gets its name from the Black family. The area now known as Point Pleasant was once called Lower Black's Eddy. It is a mostly rural, residential area, with a few businesses scattered among homes and open space.

The Pennsylvania Canal comes down from Easton, passes through Upper Black Eddy and continues on its way south to New Hope and beyond. Much of the town was initially founded around canal-related businesses, including a shipyard, mule stables, and general store. The town was a thriving locale along the Easton-Bristol route, and was a popular stopover point for sailors and administrators. As the town grew, several hotels were built. The Upper Black Eddy inn was erected, and in recent years operated as Chef Tell's Manor House, which closed in 2004. Upper Black Eddy was supposedly a favored vacation spot for President Grover Cleveland due to his love for fishing.

The shipyard was dismantled following the closing of regular operations of the canal. The portion of the canal that passes through Upper Black Eddy was known as "Candy Bend". This section of the canal was not severely damaged by extensive river flooding, but other areas were in 2004, 2005 and 2006, and large portions remain closed as of 2007.

A notable feature of Upper Black Eddy is the Ringing Rocks park. This is a 4 acre (16,000 m²) field of large boulders, some of which "ring" much like a bell when struck with a hammer, thanks to a rare geological formation.

There is a portion of Pennsylvania State Game Lands in Upper Black Eddy.

Upper Black Eddy is also home to one of the first Superfund environmental cleanup sites. "Boarhead Farms" a convert|113|acre|km2|sing=on front for an illegal toxic waste dumping ground, was located on the outskirts of Upper Black Eddy. The site was shut down decades ago, following an edict from the federal government, and 2,500 drums of hazardous material were removed in 1992. Since this time, the site has been undergoing extensive cleanup, seeing many of the primary contaminants expunged. However, residual contamination to wells of private homes abutting the site is likely to persist for some time. Thankfully, much of the damage occurred about two miles (3 km) from the main population center, with only 11 private dwellings being contaminated. Six have been fully cleaned.

ee also

*Leslie Parrish