Asylum Township

Geography, Topography, and History

Asylum Township is located just southeast of the center of the County. It is bound to the east by Standing Stone and Wyalusing Townships, to the southeast by Terry Township, to the southwest by Albany Township, to the west by Monroe and Towanda Township, and to the north by Wysox Township. The Susquehanna River serves as a major border for the Township flowing from the north to the southeast. Ellis, Durrell, and Bennett’s Creek all flow throughout the township. A major thoroughfare for the township is State Route 187 as it runs from the north to the southeast.

Historically speaking, Asylum Township has one of the most interesting backgrounds in Bradford County. French refugees who fled from the French Revolution settled the village of Azilum. Nearly forty families erected the village, where they remained until around 1800, when a large portion of them returned to France.

Local Government and Current Data

Today, Asylum Township is run by a board of Supervisors and has an active Planning Commission, which consists of 5 members. In 2003, the planning commission adopted a comprehensive plan. Although the Township currently has no zoning regulations, they do have a set of regulations for their own subdivisions and land development projects that was updated in the summer of 2008.

The Township boasts an historic landmark; the French Azilum Site is open to the public during the months of May through October and remains to be a popular tourist and educational site for locals and visitors alike. Aside from the Historic Site, there is a public Asylum Township park that is open from dawn to dusk and has boat access to the Susquehanna River and picnic sites.

It was during the French Revolution that loyalists of the King and Queen fled to escape exile and built French Azilum in the township. According to legend, Queen Marie Antoinette and her children were to join them in the New World. Louis Phillipe, who was to be the next King of France, and Talleyrand Phillipe visited the town. The town consisted of the 1,600 acres acquired and a town consisting of fifty or more structures. Today, the only existing structure is The LaPorte House built in 1836, by a son of one of the original settlers. However, there are log structures that are used as a Museum to exhibit
the town’s unique story.

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