Tomlinson Farm is a historic Bucks County stone farmhouse built in 1769, located in Newtown, Pennsylvania, roughly 30 miles north of Philadelphia. The property is identifiable by its original date stone and is set within the rolling countryside that, during the Revolutionary War era, served as a haven for British loyalists and outlaws alike. The farm was owned by John Tomlinson, a British loyalist who sheltered the notorious Doan Gang and paid for that loyalty with his life. Today the site is a tangible remnant of the divided colonial world that gave rise to one of early America's most wanted outlaw groups. Gates investigated the farm in Season 13 of Expedition Unknown as the starting point in his search for the Doan Gang's alleged buried treasure, consulting with local historians and conducting a hands-on survey of the grounds.
The Doan family arrives in the colonies, according to Doan Gang historian Annie Halliday, who spoke with Gates on site.
Tomlinson Farm is constructed, as indicated by the date stone still visible on the property.
The Doan family, named as attainted traitors in local newspapers and stripped of their homestead, reportedly begins operating as the Doan Gang, with Tomlinson Farm serving as a known hideout.
John Tomlinson is executed for sheltering the Doans and for his loyalist activities.
Gates films S13E03 'Traitors' Treasure of 1776,' conducting a metal detector survey of the farm with Pennsylvania Historical Recovery Services.
On camera, Doan Gang historian Annie Halliday provides Gates with the most detailed available account of both Tomlinson Farm and the loyalist context that surrounded it. She emphasizes that British loyalty in the colonies was not simple villainy — for families like the Doans, who had lived under the Crown for generations since arriving in the 1690s, the Revolutionary government was an unfamiliar and coercive force. As Halliday tells Gates, the colonists "coerced their neighbors into joining the revolution with harsh fines and public shaming," and those who resisted, like the Doans, found themselves publicly branded as traitors in local newspapers.
The farm itself, built in 1769, represents a well-documented category of colonial-era Bucks County stone construction, and its date stone provides a reliable anchor for its history. John Tomlinson's role as a loyalist protector of the Doan Gang is part of the regional historical record, and his eventual execution underscores how seriously the revolutionary authorities treated harboring outlaws. The Doan Gang's activities — ranging from horse thievery and home invasions to bank robberies and alleged espionage — are documented in local Pennsylvania historical sources, though the precise location of any buried loot remains unconfirmed.
What is genuinely debated is whether the Doan Gang actually buried treasure, and if so, where. The gang's criminal career was prolific enough that loot could plausibly exist, but no verified cache has been publicly confirmed. The metal detector survey conducted during Gates' episode produced period-consistent artifacts that add texture to the site's history, though colonial coins and musket balls at a known loyalist farmstead are suggestive rather than conclusive.
Gates' episode frames Tomlinson Farm as the entry point into a broader mystery rather than the site of a definitive discovery. The investigation is honest about what the evidence can and cannot tell us — the farm is historically significant as a documented hideout, but whether treasure remains buried somewhere in Bucks County is a question the episode explores rather than answers.
The date stone on Tomlinson Farm's exterior reads 1769, making it a rare surviving example of original colonial-era Bucks County stone construction that still bears its original construction marker.
According to historian Annie Halliday, the Doan family's criminal career effectively began because their names were published in a local newspaper as attainted traitors — an 18th-century form of public shaming that left them homeless outcasts.
John Tomlinson's loyalist ties cost him his life; he was eventually executed for sheltering the Doan Gang, making Tomlinson Farm one of the more dramatic sites in Bucks County's Revolutionary War history.
A King George II coin dated 1736 — found during the metal detector survey at the farm — predates the American Revolution by four decades, reflecting the deep English heritage of the loyalist families who lived and hid here.
Tomlinson Farm is a private historic property, and public access is not generally confirmed — visitors should research current ownership and check local historical society guidance before attempting a visit. The surrounding Newtown, Pennsylvania area is rich in Revolutionary War-era heritage and offers related historical sites that are publicly accessible.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, approximately 30 miles to the southwest.
Late spring through early fall offers the most comfortable conditions for exploring the Newtown area's outdoor historical sites. Avoiding peak summer holiday weekends may allow for a quieter experience at nearby heritage locations.
Mercer Museum, Doylestown, Pennsylvania
The Mercer Museum in nearby Doylestown holds regional historical collections relevant to Bucks County's colonial and Revolutionary War era, and likely features in Gates' broader Doan Gang investigation.
Newtown Treasury Site, Newtown, Pennsylvania
The Newtown Treasury Site is directly connected to the same S13E03 Doan Gang treasure hunt, representing another key location Gates investigates in the same episode.
Doan Gang Cave, Buckingham Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania
Doan Gang Cave in Buckingham Township is another alleged hideout of the Doan Gang, investigated as part of the same expedition, making it one of the most directly related sites in the database.