Formed in early 1700s, the early inhabitants of Plumsteadville, PA, were English Quakers fleeing religious oppression. Primarily a farming town for decades, the quiet town was shocked by the arrival of the infamous Doan Gang, a group of outlaws that arose in late 1700s. The Doans, also known as the Plumstead Cowboys, were a gang of brothers and other loyalists who were British spies during the Revolutionary War. The gang also robbed Whig tax collectors and stole over 200 horses from their neighbors, and turned around to sell to the Redcoats in Philadelphia. Because the Doan brothers and other members of the gangs came from Quaker families, they were buried outside the Plumstead cemetery