Solebury should preserve our heritage by buying former quarry property

When the New Hope Crushed Stone Quarry ceased its operation in 2019, following 70 years of environmental abuse and destruction, it left in its wake a dried-up creek, a pond at Phillips’ Mill filled with silt, fields covered with dust, dangerous sinkholes and dried-up wells. The deserted quarry now looks like the dark side of the moon, but the deep pits that had been dug deep into the earth are filling up fast, so fast that the water has to be syphoned out into Primrose Creek by two additional pumps.

The 166-acre land, which has the appearance of a desolated swiss cheese, is now graced with a 75-acre lake. Even though no one showed interest when it was put at auction by its owners in 2020, one cannot rule out the possibility that it might be developed, given the existence of a lake, which represents a true real estate asset. If it is, nearby land owners will no doubt be encouraged to follow suit, thus creating unsustainable environmental conditions, such as congested traffic.

Our community finds itself at a crossroads, faced as we have so often been in the past with an existential choice — to commercialize or to preserve. Will we let special interests pollute our land or will we have the good sense and vision to preserve it, for us and for generations to come? We feel that the historical and cultural integrity of Phillips’ Mill, in Solebury Township, must be protected. The loss of its intrinsic character would be permanent and beyond repair.

Our scenic valleys, creek, rivers, our canal, the old farms, our picturesque winding roads must be kept as pristine as they were when they inspired monumental artists such as William Lathrop, Edward Redfield, Daniel Garber or Fern Coppedge. Let’s not forget that our small English hamlet that surrounds the 18th century stone grist mill is the home of the Pennsylvania impressionist movement, an artistic movement created in the 1890s, now intrinsically part of our cultural heritage. We simply cannot afford to squander it.

We were told that the New Hope Crushed Stone Company gave assurances that, when it left, it would turn the 166-acre property back to the township as a community park, as a goodwill gesture and compensation for all the damage they caused in the past.

Since the company attempted to sell its land at auction, it is clear that they have reneged on their intentions. Therefore, we feel strongly that the township should purchase this land, in an effort to preserve it, as it has so often done in the past with other land parcels loaded with far less historical and cultural significance. Protecting and preserving this particular area should be a priority.

Eleanor B. Miller is a founder of the New Hope Colony Foundation for the Arts at Phillips’ Mill. Daniel Dorian is a writer living in Phillips’ Mill.

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