Taylorsville Casino

Did you know that Washington Crossing was once the home of a casino?

I’m not talking about the craps table at the carnival in the 80s, a riverfront dancing casino!

Ad for Taylorsville Casino

Opened on Memorial Day 1916 by Charles R. Randall and David Ryan, the Taylorsville/Washington Crossing Casino was built of frame, large enough to accommodate 150 couples on the open-air dance floor. There was ample space for the orchestra, which furnished music for the dancing events. 

A wharf was built to accommodate motorboat parties from Trenton and the various camps along the river. There was a bathing beach, where swimming contests and canoe races were held. The casino held dance instruction and served ice cream and soft drinks to the guests.

The casino and wharf were located just south of the Washington Crossing bridge, where the George Washington Picnic Pavillion currently sits. The property belonged to Dr. Isidor P Strittmatter, of Philadelphia, who owned many tracts in the immediate area that would eventually become a part of the park. 

Accessible by train, trolley, auto and water, the casino was a popular spot for locals and the surrounding towns.  At the time, there were bungalow and camping communities scattered along the river and nearby islands. Trentonians often made the trip upriver, many of them making Washington Crossing their summer home. Local clubs and organizations often rented out the casino for private parties, carnivals, and benefits. The Hopewell High School seniors gave a dance there in 1919, and other schools held class reunions in the space. The Trenton trolley men rented the casino for a dance.

The casino was open from Memorial Day to Labor Day. By the fourth season it had become one of the most popular dancing pavilions in the vicinity. Large crowds filled the dance floors each week. It proved popular enough that the casino had to be enlarged by 42 feet. At this time the pavilion was equipped with electric lights, which could be seen across the river where a competing casino opened. Called the Delaware View Log Cabin, it was destroyed by fire 2 years later.

In 1918 Ryan and Randall dissolved their partnership, Ryan bought out Randall. Ryan went on to purchase the general store of J.E. Howell, named it “Washington Market” and became postmaster. Things were going well for him, but not everything on the river was as idyllic as it seemed.

In June of 1921, casino proprietor David Ryan was jailed, along with two of his employees, accused of breaking into bungalows and stealing various items such as furniture and electrical equipment. There were a rash of bungalow thefts attributed to the trio.

With Ryan out of the picture the casino went under the management of the Yardley Fire Company No. 2. The casino didn’t last long after the change and was closed for good after the 1921 season. However, the trouble was just getting started for David Ryan.

In September of 1921 Ryan and well-known local farmer Walter Buckman were arrested and charged with improprieties involving four young local girls. Buckman, a former school director, fled town briefly before surrendering and being jailed. A well-known Bucks County farmer, he had a large farm that attracted many children. Ryan was also charged with blackmail after an attempt at extorting money from Buckman. 

Uh-oh

Ill feeling running against Ryan and Buckman is running high here and the community is aroused to an angry pitch against the suspected men. 9/30/1921

The community turned on them, as expected. Ryan removed to Stewartsville, NJ. Unable to handle the heat, he fled further to Santa Fe, New Mexico. His brother, one of his bondsmen, turned him in when he wired for financial help. Ryan was brought back to face justice in Bucks County. 

Ultimately, Ryan was named in seven indictments, Buckman four. Ryan was charged with felonious entry, larceny, receiving stolen goods, burglary, rape, adultery, and attempted rape. Another co-conspirator in the burglaries, John Clark, received a six-month sentence for his role. Clark promised to testify against Ryan if he would be released. The third suspect, Watson Church, was let off with no charges.

Walter Buckman's House

Buckman was represented by former Judge Harman Yerkes, of Doylestown. Yerkes was a prominent lawyer, State Senator and married to Emma Buckman. He was also almost 80 years old. Three of the four charges against him were dropped, he stood trial for the one. He claimed that he was being framed and extorted on the remaining charge. Buckman was 69 at the time of the trial. He was found guilty, and his lawyers were denied appeal for a new trial. Walter Buckman was sentenced to two and a half to four years in the Eastern Penitentiary. 

Ryan, now 24 years old, pled guilty to the theft charges and was sentenced to eighteen months to three years. He served the beginning of his term in the Bucks County Prison and was to serve the remainder at the Eastern Penitentiary. He was also given four to six years for the other offenses.

Ryan’s property, which included eleven bungalows and the dance pavilion, was sold at Sherriff’s sale in 1922 to a lumber merchant who was owed money for the buildings by Ryan. Presumably, the buyer tore down the structure and reclaimed the wood. 

The story isn’t over yet. In May of 1923 David Ryan managed to escape the county prison by scaling the wall with a rope that had a hook attached. He was nine months into his term at the time of his escape. The state police were up in arms at the escape, claiming the jail antiquated and too lax in its handling of prisoners. A reward of $100 was offered for his capture. 

Walter Buckman was eventually granted a new trial which ended in a hung jury. He died in 1933 at age 76 after a brief illness. 

As far as I can tell, Ryan was never apprehended again. His wife divorced him and the trail ends there.