Neshaminy Creek

Neshaminy Creek
Neshaminy Creek in Tyler State Park
Map
Map of Neshaminy Creek
EtymologyThe place where we drink twice
Native nameNishamening (Unami)
Location
CountryUnited States
StatePennsylvania
CountyBucks
TownshipNew Britain
Doylestown
Warwick
Buckingham
Wrightstown
Northampton
Newtown
Middletown
Lower Southampton
Bensalem
Bristol
BoroughChalfont
New Britain
Langhorne
Hulmeville
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • coordinates40°16′59″N 75°12′19″W / 40.28306°N 75.20528°W / 40.28306; -75.20528
 • elevation220 feet (67 m)
Mouth 
 • coordinates
40°4′26″N 74°54′32″W / 40.07389°N 74.90889°W / 40.07389; -74.90889
 • elevation
0 feet (0 m)
Length40.7 miles (65.5 km)
Basin size232 square miles (600 km2)
Basin features
ProgressionNeshaminy Creek → Delaware RiverDelaware Bay
River systemDelaware River
LandmarksWilma Quinlin Nature Preserve
Twin Streams Park
Lenape Bike and Hiking Path
Castle Valley Park
Central Park-Kids Castle
Bridge Point Park
Dark Hollow
Diamond Ridge Day Camp
Middle Bucks Institute of Technology
Tyler State Park
Bucks County Community College
George School
Core Creek Park
Playwicki Park
Playwicki Farm Park
Idlewood
Neshaminy State Park
Tributaries 
 • leftNorth Branch Neshaminy Creek
Cooks Run
Mill Creek
Newtown Creek
Core Creek
 • rightWest Branch Neshaminy Creek
Mill Creek
Little Neshaminy Creek
Mill Creek
Slope5.7 feet per mile (1.08 m/km)
Map of the Neshaminy Creek
Throughout Bucks County, the Neshaminy Creek runs mainly through wooded areas.
Historic Bridge Valley Bridge (1804) on Neshaminy Creek, north of Hartsville.

Neshaminy Creek is a 40.7-mile-long (65.5 km)[1] stream that runs entirely through Bucks County, Pennsylvania, rising south of the borough of Chalfont, where its north and west branches join. Neshaminy Creek flows southeast toward Bristol Township and Bensalem Township to its confluence with the Delaware River.

The name "Neshaminy" originates with the Lenni Lenape and is thought to mean "place where we drink twice".[2] This phenomenon refers to a section of the creek known as the Neshaminy Palisades, where the course of the water slows and changes direction at almost a right angle, nearly forcing the water back upon itself. These palisades are located in Dark Hollow Park,[3] operated by the county, and are flanked by Warwick Township to the south and Buckingham Township to the north.[4]

  1. ^ United States Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset. The National Map, accessed April 1, 2011
  2. ^ MacReynolds, George, Place Names in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Doylestown, Bucks County Historical Society, Doylestown, PA, 1942, P1.
  3. ^ "Dark Hollow Park". Visit Bucks County. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
  4. ^ "About Dark Hollow Park" (PDF). Delaware Riverkeeper Network. Retrieved May 6, 2017.