America At 250: Crooked Billet Revolutionary War Clash Featured In Documentary

Editor's Note — This is a series highlighting important historical events, places and people in the Philadelphia region for the 250th anniversary of America.

WARMINSTER TOWNSHIP, PA — "Have you seen the Battle of the Crooked Billet monument on York Road?"

A marker stands on York Road.

It marks a battle during the Revolutionary War that covered Bucks and Montgomery counties, starting in nearby Hatboro and ending in the township.

There are actually two monuments to the Battle of the Crooked Billet: One in front of the school and the second one on Jacksonville Road on Warminster.

The Warminster Republican Club recently posted about the battle on Facebook in hopes of encouraging residents to remember this historic event and visit the monument during the upcoming 250th anniversary of American independence.

While the Warminster organization seeks to highlight the landmark with the upcoming anniversary, Crooked Billet Elementary School holds Crooked Billet Day to pay tribute to the historic battle.

There's also now a documentary about the battle.

Scott Randolph — an alum of Hatboro-Horsham High School and Crooked Billet Elementary School — recently released a documentary called "The Battle of The Crooked Billet," that is now streaming on seven networks and platforms.

"I grew up in Mitchell Park and attended Crooked Billet Elementary," Randolph said. "In 3rd grade, I was one of two kids to lay the wreath at the 1861 monument (yes, I clarify it, because there is a second monument in Warminster dedicated in 1928).

Click here to see the trailer

The historian and filmmaker spent years researching and documenting the 1778 battle, highlighting the events surrounding General Lacey's Pennsylvania Militia and the critical role the region played during the American Revolution.

He said the film was created with support from the Hatboro-Horsham School District and features narration by fellow Hatboro-Horsham alumnus John Grossman.

"I was born and raised in Hatboro and Crooked Billet has stayed with me my entire life," said Rudolph, who now lives in Southampton.

The project has earned two Telly Awards for Excellence in a Documentary and Excellence in Videography.

With America celebrating its 250th anniversary of the Fourth of July, historic events and places are once again being recalled in the Philadelphia region.

The battle started near the current Crooked Billet School and moved into Warminster Township.

In the skirmish on May 1, 1778, British forces under the command of Major John Graves Simcoe launched a surprise attack against Brigadier General John Lacey and three regiments of Pennsylvania militia, who were mainly comprised of soldiers from Cumberland County.

The mission of the British was to kill Lacey and push him south down present-day Horsham Road, Randolph told Patch on Tuesday.

He said that Lacey instead recognized the trap and headed north on County Line Road into Warminster.

"Warminster wasn't just a campsite; it was a battlefield where local 'citizen soldiers' proved they could stand toe-to-toe with an empire," historians said.