Riegelsville is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, Riegelsville had a population of 847. It is included in the Philadelphia–Wilmington–Camden metropolitan statistical area, despite being so closely connected to the Lehigh Valley.

History

left|thumb|upright=1.1|A black and white photograph of Riegelsville Inn, built in 1838

Benjamin Riegel founded Riegelsville. The original, and now historic, Riegelsville Inn that he built in 1838 still stands. This historic stone inn has offered food and lodging to Bucks County travelers for over 160 years. The community was named for the Riegel family, as early landowners. They established paper mills across the Delaware River in Warren County, New Jersey.

With the completion of the Delaware Canal in 1832, the lands along the Delaware River attracted great industrial development. The movement of coal, a major important product of the area, brought capital & investment to Easton. Boats carried coal, stone, iron, crops, and goods from the mills along the 60 miles from Easton to Bristol. Along Canal Street grew one of the largest industrial manufacturing centers of America during the 1830s and 1840s. Easton continued to prosper as a center for industry, manufacturing, commerce, and culture at the Forks of Delaware and along the great rail lines. Between 1904 and 1926, Riegelsville was served by electric passenger and freight trolleys of the Doylestown & Easton Street Railway Company. Riegelsville prospered when the Delaware Canal opened in 1832 with warehouses and factories lining its banks. The canal closed in 1931 after 99 years of service and was replaced by the railroads. Today, Riegelsville is a peaceful and quiet town. Woods and fields border the Delaware Canal; remnants of crumbling stone foundations along its banks are reminders of a busy past.

left|thumb|upright=1.1|[[Benjamin Riegel House was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987]]

Riegelsville was a mill town in the late 1880s and 1900s. The borough overlooks the Delaware River, spanned by the Riegelsville Bridge, built in 1904 by John A. Roebling's Sons, Co. and connecting with Riegelsville, New Jersey. It is one of the approximately three dozen bridges spanning the Delaware River between Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Residences near the river built by Riegel Paper Company executives in the late 1880s along "Mansions Row" have been restored.

The Benjamin Riegel House was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of , of which is land and (5.71%) is water.

Neighboring municipalities

  • Durham Township (west and south)
  • Holland Township, New Jersey (southeast)
  • Pohatcong Township, New Jersey (northeast)
  • Williams Township, Northampton County (north)

Demographics

At the 2010 census, the borough was 96.8% White, 0.2% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.2% Asian and 0.5% were two or more races. 2.0% of the population were of Hispanic or Latino ancestry.

At the 2000 census, Clyde Waite, a judge in Bucks County approved the plan in 2012. Riegelsville was to be an independent school district for a period between it being part of two different school districts. Pennsylvania State Board of Education approved the moving of districts in July 2012. The change was to be effective in 2013. Around 60 students were to be moved to the Palisades district. To cover the student transfer, the Palisades district gave $1,400,000 to the Easton Area school district.

Weather and climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Riegelsville has a Hot-summer, Humid continental climate (Dfa). Dfa climates are characterized by at least one month having an average mean temperature ≤ , at least four months with an average mean temperature ≥ , at least one month with an average mean temperature ≥ and no significant precipitation difference between seasons. Although most summer days are slightly humid in Riegelsville, episodes of heat and high humidity can occur with heat index values > . Since 1981, the highest air temperature was on July 22, 2011, and the highest daily average mean dew point was on August 1, 2006. The average wettest month is July, which corresponds with the annual peak in thunderstorm activity. Since 1981, the wettest calendar day was on August 27, 2011. During the winter months, the average annual extreme minimum air temperature is . Since 1981, the coldest air temperature was on January 21, 1994. Episodes of extreme cold and wind can occur, with wind chill values < . The average annual snowfall (Nov-Apr) is between and . Ice storms and large snowstorms depositing ≥ of snow occur once every few years, particularly during nor’easters from December through February.

Transportation

As of 2005 there were of public roads in Riegelsville, of which were maintained by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and were maintained by the borough.

Pennsylvania Route 611 is the only numbered highway serving Riegelsville. It traverses the central portion of the borough on a north-south alignment via Easton Road.

Ecology

According to the A. W. Kuchler U.S. potential natural vegetation types, Riegelsville has a dominant vegetation type of Appalachian Oak (104) with a dominant vegetation form of Eastern Hardwood Forest (25). The plant hardiness zone is 6b with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of .