Introduction
There are two places in Pennsylvania named Bristol. One is Bristol Borough in Bucks county and also in Bucks county is the township of Bristol.
Bristol Borough
In 1681, Samuel Clift founded the Borough of Bristol, having received a land grant from Edmund Andros, who was then governor of New York. Clift was required by the grant to maintain ferry service across the Delaware River to Burlington, New Jersey, and to run a public house or inn. He named it Bristol, after Bristol, England. It soon became a port and dock and was first incorporated in 1720. Bristol Borough was the county seat of Bucks County until 1725.
In 1740, William Davis established a shipyard in Bristol, building small vessels such as schooners and sloops. One such vessel was the Morning Glory, noted as the fastest sailing craft on the Delaware. In 1800, John Reed acquired the shipyard. After 1834, it became very important to the development of the American Industrial Revolution as the terminus city of the Delaware Canal.
In 1961, Bristol Borough gained national attention when the song "Bristol Stomp", by The Dovells hit #2 on the Billboard pop chart. The song remains a local favorite, and it is often played at ceremonies, parades, and sporting events.
Today, the preserved elements of the shipyards, and other buildings once important in Bristol Borough's past service are celebrated in the Bristol Historic District and Bristol Industrial Historic District.
Bristol Twonship
Bristol Twonship was formed as Buckingham Township in 1692 and was renamed Bristol Township in 1702.
Sources & Resources
I took the Bristol Township map from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and superimposed their map of >Bristol Borough on top of it. The result can be seen here (PDF, 2.12Mb)
A history of Bristol borough in the county of Bucks by Doron Green, 1911 (Internet Archive)
A history of Bristol borough in the county of Bucks by Doron Green, 1911 (Library of Congress)
Bristol Cultural & Historical Foundation
Bristol Township (Internet Archive)
Bristol Township, Pennsylvania (Wikipedia)
Bristol, Pennsylvania (Wikipedia)
Bristol Township, Pennsylvania
Bucks County History and Genealogy
Bucks County News (Internet Archive)
Historical sketches of Bristol Borough,in the county of Bucks by William Bache, 1853 (Internet Archive)
Historical sketches of Bristol Borough,in the county of Bucks by William Bache, 1853 (Library of Congress)
How a Canal Built a Community (ArcGIS StoryMaps)
The Time The Jersey Devil Came To Bristol (LevittownNow)
Bristol Stomp
The kids in Bristol are sharp as a pistol...
The song was written about teenagers in 1961 who were dancing a new step called "The Stomp" at Good Will Hose Company dances in Bristol, Pennsylvania, a blue-collar suburb northeast of Philadelphia. Before the Dovells' song was released, kids were dancing the Bristol Stomp to the song "Every Day of the Week" by the Students.
Bristol Stomp (Román García Albertos)
Bristol Stomp (Wikipedia)
Bristol Stomp lyrics (MusixMatch)