Happy to Be Here: Solebury Township supervisor Noel Barrett bows out

You’ve seen him on public television’s Antiques Roadshow, he’s been with it from the very first episode, 25 years ago, or maybe you’ve seen him walking the loop between Lumberville and Carversville along Fleecy Dale and Old Carversville roads.
I’m guessing you haven’t seen him lately at the Solebury Township Municipal Building sitting at the table as a member of the board of supervisors. Their meetings have been on Zoom in for the last few months. Wrapping up a six-year term, he appeared live, in person at his last, the Dec. 13 meeting.
Noel Barrett, the grey-haired, pony-tailed toy expert on Antiques Roadshow, has lived in Carversville more than 35 years. His home and office are in a storefront building said to have been “the first department store in Bucks County.”
In the Depression era, the 1930s, with Carversville commercial prospects in the doldrums, the then owner of the building raised turkeys on the third floor. Paint has not quite covered the pecking marks on the wood window mullions. Barrett has his office on the first floor, a wide and deep expanse housing a photo studio, office with desk and large computer screen and walls lined with a personal and reference book library along with a scattering of vintage toys and some of his personal antiques collections.
He and his wife, Anne, live on the second floor. The third floor loft is home to a large collection of vintage toys, folk art and commercial antiques.
Raised in Alexandria, Va., Barrett left home for New York early in his career – “I loved New York, loved being in the midst of everything,” He attended City College of New York and the New School for Social Research; eventually earning a degree in American history from Columbia University.
Now a Pennsylvaian, he lives in a building, dating to the late 1870s, in what he refers to as “downtown Carversville.” It housed his antique shop, then his auction business. He held his auctions at the New Hope Fire Hall for many years.
He first became aware of Bucks County from the ads for the 1740 House in his parent’s weekly editions of the New Yorker. A sketch of the inn along with “If you can’t be a house guest in Bucks County be our guest,” was in every issue.

What drew Barrett to Carversville were visits to Betty Miller’s eclectic antiques shop, now Howard Barsky’s dental office. When he saw that the vacant store building, just across the creek, was for sale he knew this was the place he wanted to be. He’s been in Bucks County ever since.
In the close-knit Carversville community, Barrett was an active citizen – he served a term as co-president of the Historic Carversville Society. Among his contributions over the years have been as an annual Carversville Day pet parade judge and auctioneer and founder of, and programmer, for Films in the Field.
As to his stint on the Board of Supervisors,“Six years is enough,” he noted as his term neared its end. “I was lucky to work with three impressive board chairs during my term, Kevin Morrissey, Helen Tai and Mark Baum Baicker,”
He mused on Solebury Township’s accomplishments in the past six years – the completion of Aquetong Spring Park, working with the DEP to keep the closing of the New Hope Crushed Stone Quarry compatible with Solebury township, and active and continuing campaigning for land preservation.
Solebury Township has an active Democratic Party and Barrett is part of it. Six years ago, a promising candidate for supervisor dropped out and the local party didn’t know where to turn.
“They needed somebody and I took it on,” he said, not knowing exactly what he was getting into. “It’s a hardworking bunch,” Barrett said of the supervisors.
“I feel like I contributed. I’m glad I did it.”

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