The Mercer Museum in Doylestown takes a new look at the famous Doan Gang – the group of five Revolutionary War brothers and one cousin from Central Bucks County who served as British spies and hardened criminals during the war – through a new exhibition.
The tombstone of Abraham Doan, who was ultimately executed in Philadelphia in 1788, is the centerpiece of the exhibit “The Doan Gang: Outlaws of the Revolution.”
Who were the members of the Doan Gang and what were their crimes?
The Doan Gang consisted of parents Aaron, Abraham, Joseph, Levi, Mahlon and Moses.
“Abraham Doan was a member of the infamous ‘Doan Gang,’ a network of Bucks County loyalists who supported Great Britain during the Revolutionary War,” reads the description of Abraham Doan and the Doan Gang by the Mercer Museum. “The Gang robbed tax collectors, militia members, and other citizens who supported the American revolutionary cause.
“Abraham and his cousin Levy Doan were hanged in Philadelphia in 1788 and remain the only individuals ever executed for ‘outlawing’ in the United States of America,” the museum description continues. “The Doan cousins were buried in Bucks County after their execution, but the exact location remains a mystery.”
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The mystery of the Doan Gang tombs deepens
The mystery surrounding the exact location of the Doan Gang tombs continues to this day.
According to the museum, many believed the Doan Gang was buried in unmarked graves in tall grass near the Plumstead Friends Cemetery.
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“By the 1950s, many residents had come to believe that two unengraved stones located directly outside the cemetery walls marked the burial sites of Abraham and Levy Doan. used as a hospital,” reads the museum’s press release. “Regardless of this fact, the legend of the stones continued to grow. In 1966, two engraved stones, one for Abraham and one for Lévy, appeared near the anonymous stones.
“The carvings listed the names and parents of the gang members and referred to them simply as “outlaws.” Although Lévy’s stone remains intact, Abraham’s has suffered damage and broken in two over the decades. »
The Bucks County Historical Society agreed to donate the headstone to the museum last year.
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“The Doan Gang: Outlaws of the Revolution” exhibit sheds new light on the infamous group
The Mercer Museum’s exhibit, “The Doan Gang: Outlaws of the Revolution,” seeks to trace the history of the Doan Gang.
“Learn how these local outlaws plotted, schemed, and plundered their way across a divided world in the early days of a fledgling American nation, and why their deep loyalty to British rule in the colonies in made enemies of the Founding Fathers,” read the museum’s description of the exhibit. “‘The Doan Gang: Outlaws of the Revolution’ investigates the extraordinary accounts of the gang’s criminal exploits throughout the region and explores the conflicts that arose between neighbors, friends and families in Bucks County who were forced to choose their camp at a time of great political and social unrest.
The long-term exhibition will continue until December 31, 2026.
Damon C. Williams covers regional trends and developments for PhillyBurbs.com. Support our journalism with a subscription.
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: A new look at the Doan Gang, Bucks County’s notorious outlaws.
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