The Bird in Hand, formerly the Red Lion Inn and Old Frame House, has played a varied role in Newtown's history. A tavern stood on this site by 1686, and the building is considered the oldest frame structure still standing in Pennsylvania. It was the site of the only Revolutionary War action in Newtown, and after the Battle of Trenton in December 1776, George Washington's Continental soldiers used it as an overflow jail for Hessian officers before taking them to Philadelphia. The site was also the location of the Loyalist Raid of 1778. The building remained a tavern until 1858, but in 1817 its name changed after Edward Hicks painted a sign based on Benjamin Franklin's adage, "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush." Over the years it housed Newtown's first post office and the Library Company. In 1819, the Newtown Reliance Company for the Detection and Apprehension of Horse Thieves and Other Villians was founded here to provide members with mutual protection and insurance, warning would-be thieves through a hand bill posted inside stable doors, and that organization continues today. During World War II, the house gave its last public service as headquarters for the Local Selective Service Board, Ration Board, and other civilian defense agencies before becoming a private residence.
