How did Dublin, Pennsylvania get it’s name? This page provides a brief history about the naming of Dublin, Pennsylvania, the people who settled it, and the industry rising within it.
Borough on Route 270 (the old Newtown-Quakertown Road) on the township line between Hilltown and Bedminster Townships and incorporated in 1912 from parts of each township. It is an old settlement, the pioneers coming mostly from Ireland, followed soon afterward by Germans. Located upon a much traveled highway, a log tavern was erected there at an early date. There is a tradition that the second of several taverns built on the site of the first log tavern was a double log cabin, perhaps an addition to the first, with a chimney built between them. It is alleged by all local historians that from this double tavern, the village received the name of Double Inn and that this name was naturally corrupted into Dublin. The objection to this story is that, so far as records go, the village was never called Double Inn and even the existence of the so-called double tavern is purely chimerical. The earliest mention of Dublin is in one of Reverend Uriah DuBois’ letters, dated “Durham, 21st April 1798.” The next is in an agreement for the sale of the tavern and 76 acres of land by Isaac Morris, of Hatfield, the owner, to Charles Brock, of Hilltown Township, for $6,400, dated December 22, 1817. In this instrument it is called “the village of Dublin.” As there was a large preponderance of Irish pioneers in the Dublin and Deep Run territory, the naming of this little center after the city in Ireland, from whose vicinity several of them came, was quite natural. An attempt was made in 1832 to have Dublin erected into a township. The petition presented to Judge John Fox at the September Term of Court in that year represents that inhabitants of the adjoining townships of Hilltown, Bedminster and Plumstead desired to have a new township laid off to be composed of parts of the three townships named and to be called the township of Dublin. The petition was signed by Enos Hunsberger, Samuel Moyer, Angelmoyer, Samuel Angeny, Dielman Kolb, Henry Kolb, Daniel Rickert, John Wats, Jacob Kulp, Joseph Moyer, Philip Fluck, Isaac Bechtel, Abraham Fritz, Joseph Detweiler, Enos Cassel, Christian Eckert, Isaac Cassel, Michael Kulp, Samuel Rile and Samuel Wright. This move was not successful and another made early in 1841 met with the same fate. This time a few New Britain Township residents joined the petitioners from the other three townships, and it was planned to take in a part of New Britain. Dublin was made a post office April 18, 1827, with Newton Rowland as the first postmaster. Prior to that date Dublin people received their mail through Doylestown and Hilltown post offices. The Rowland family was prominent and influential in Dublin for over a century. William H. Rowland was an astute politician, numbered many influential men as his friends and served in the State Legislature from 1812 to 1815. Dublin has always been an important business center. For many years the J. D. Moyer & Co. country store was one of the largest and most successful in the county. Dublin people are enterprising, take a pardonable pride in their thrifty little town, have a well-organized fire company, other community organizations, prosperous industrial plants and a union Lutheran and Reformed Church, the present attractive building occupying the site of the smaller first structure, dedicated June 5, 1870.