The Newtown Treasury Site in Newtown, Pennsylvania marks the location where, on October 22, 1781, the Doan Gang carried out what is believed to have been one of the most brazen robberies of public funds in early American history. The site is associated with the old Bucks County Treasury building, where thieves reportedly pried open an official desk and made off with approximately 1,200 Spanish dollars and 400 French crowns in tax revenues. Newtown, situated roughly 30 miles northeast of Philadelphia, served as a seat of colonial governance in Bucks County and retains a strong sense of 18th-century history throughout its historic district. The timing of the robbery — just three days after General Cornwallis surrendered to Washington at Yorktown — lends the crime an almost theatrical quality, a loyalist strike at the heart of a newly triumphant republic. Gates investigated the site as part of his broader search for the Doan Gang's reputed buried loot, tracing the gang's criminal legacy through the documents, artifacts, and living memory of Bucks County.
The Doan family arrives in the colonies, according to Doan Gang historian Annie Halliday, who spoke with Gates on camera.
The Doans are publicly named as attainted traitors in local newspapers and their family farm is forfeited to the Pennsylvania government, effectively transforming them into outlaws.
On October 22 — three days after Cornwallis's surrender at Yorktown — the Doan Gang robs the Bucks County Treasury in Newtown, stealing approximately 1,200 Spanish dollars and 400 French crowns.
Gates visits Newtown as part of Expedition Unknown S13E03, 'Traitors' Treasure of 1776,' examining the historical record of the robbery and searching for the gang's rumored buried loot.
Doan Gang historian Annie Halliday, whom Gates meets at the historic Tomlinson Farm in Newtown, provides crucial context for understanding why a family might take the loyalist side during the Revolution. As she explains to Gates, the Doans were of English descent and had lived under British governance for generations since arriving in the 1690s — making the Crown the only form of government they had ever known. When colonial authorities began coercing neighbors into the revolutionary cause through fines, public shaming, and even physical branding, the Doans found themselves on the wrong side of an increasingly brutal ideological divide.
The robbery of the Bucks County Treasury on October 22, 1781, represents the gang's most audacious act. Historians have characterized it as what may have been the largest single theft of U.S. public funds at the time, targeting tax revenues that would have supported the Continental war effort. The timing — just three days after Cornwallis's surrender at Yorktown effectively ended major combat in the Revolution — underscores the desperation and defiance of loyalists who refused to accept the new political order.
What makes the Newtown Treasury episode particularly compelling to historians is the physical evidence that has survived. The desk allegedly pried open during the robbery is said to still exist, providing a rare tangible link to the crime. Bucks County retains an unusually rich documentary and material record of the loyalist experience during the Revolution, and local historians like Halliday have devoted significant effort to reconstructing the Doan Gang's activities from period sources.
Gates' episode does not claim to resolve the central mystery — whether the gang buried their loot somewhere in Bucks County and whether any of it remains hidden — but it does ground the legend in documented history. The episode frames the Doans not simply as villains but as people caught on the losing side of a revolutionary moment, a nuance that reflects the best of Gates' approach: letting historians complicate the story rather than flattening it into simple adventure.
The Doan Gang robbery occurred on October 22, 1781 — just three days after General Cornwallis surrendered to Washington at Yorktown, marking the effective end of major Revolutionary War combat.
The stolen funds consisted of approximately 1,200 Spanish dollars and 400 French crowns, reflecting the patchwork of foreign currencies that circulated in early America before a unified U.S. monetary system was established.
The Doan family had been publicly named as attainted traitors in local newspapers, and their ancestral farm was seized by the Pennsylvania government — losses that historian Annie Halliday suggests were central to their radicalization as outlaws.
According to Halliday, the Doan family had arrived in the colonies in the 1690s, meaning they had lived under British governance for roughly three generations before the Revolution forced them to choose sides.
Newtown, Pennsylvania is a well-preserved historic borough in Bucks County and is generally accessible to visitors interested in colonial-era American history. The broader Newtown historic district contains numerous 18th-century buildings and is walkable; specific access to any surviving treasury-related structures or artifacts should be confirmed locally, as site availability may vary. The Mercer Museum in nearby Doylestown is also a recommended stop for Bucks County historical context.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, approximately 30 miles to the southwest.
Spring and fall offer the most comfortable conditions for exploring Bucks County's outdoor and historic sites, with mild temperatures and attractive foliage in autumn. Summer can be warm and humid but the area remains active with historical tours and events.
Tomlinson Farm, Newtown, Pennsylvania
Tomlinson Farm is the starting point of Gates' investigation in the same episode, where he meets historian Annie Halliday and learns about the Doan Gang's loyalist connections.
Mercer Museum, Doylestown, Pennsylvania
The Mercer Museum in Doylestown holds significant Bucks County historical collections and is visited by Gates as part of the same Doan Gang treasure investigation.
Doan Gang Cave, Buckingham Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania
The Doan Gang Cave in Buckingham Township is the legendary hiding place where the gang may have buried their stolen loot — the central mystery driving Gates' search in S13E03.
Doan Brothers Burial Ground, Bucks County, Pennsylvania
The Doan Brothers Burial Ground is another Bucks County site connected to the gang's story and is part of the same episode's investigation into the fate of the Doan Gang.