Hart’s Woods

Sharing ownership between the Heritage Conservancy and Doylestown Township, Hart’s Woods, with a total of 41 acres, is a climax oak-beechforest, with mature beech, red oak, black oak and white oak species. Some of the oak species, in particular, feature balding bark. Also found are tuliptrees; hickory species, including shagbark and mockernut; and maple species. Also noteworthy on the Heritage Conservancy acreage: One very large red maple near a small tributary of the Neshaminy Creek that is near the park/conservancy property boundary line. Hart’s Woods has a rich history of preservation. The northern 20 acres was gifted to the Heritage Conservancy by George M Hart in 1958. A decade later, in 1968/69, David Benner, a horticulture instructor at Delaware Valley College in Doylestown, led a long, fierce and ultimately successful effort to have the planned Rts. 611/202 bypass re-routed slightly to the north to avoid destroying a significant portion of the woods. The adjoining 21 acres is part of Doylestown Township’s Central Park. Previously owned by nearby Delaware Valley University, Central Park was purchased by Doylestown Township from a developer in 1991 and dedicated and opened as a park in 1995. Hart’s Woods benefits from the larger contiguous acreage to promote its biodiverse eco-system.