SAVE THE DATE – JULY 19, 2025
Chambersburg Comes to Life
Join us on Saturday, July 19th 2025 in Downtown Chambersburg as the town is set ablaze to commemorate the day that Chambersburg was held for ransom and then burned by the Confederate army under General McCausland. We celebrate community, rebirth and Chambersburg’s rise from the ashes with a day full of events. CLICK for Parking Info
ACTIVITIES AND MORE!
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Old Market Day Street Festival
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Civil War Walking Tours
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11/30 Visitors Center Exhibits
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Children’s Activities
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Acapella & Unplugged Finals
plus Voting for the Winner
1864 Ransoming,
Burning & Rebirth
Living History
Re-enactment & Light Show
This exciting re-enactment and light show is done completely with atmospheric effects, lights, and actors!
Join the thousands that gather to watch as the town is transported back to 1864 and history comes to life.
July 19 is packed with lots to see and do!
9 AM – 4 PM – Old Market Day fills the streets of Chambersburg with over 100 vendors.
9:00 AM – Cumberland Valley School of Music Camps perform on Courthouse Steps.
9 AM – 8:00 PM – Franklin County Visitors Bureau (FCVB), 15 South Main Street, offers a children’s area with crafts, coloring pages, and ball pit. Video vault will air FCVB-TV episodes. Take a selfie with Ben Franklin. Enter to win a gift basket. Take the self-guided walking tour; begin on the square.
TOUR AUDIO
10:00 AM-2:00 PM – Meet local author Steve Holoviak at the Franklin County 11/30 Visitors Center. He will be talking about his series of who-dunnit crime mysteries and signing books. Hot off the press is Steve’s newest offering: Retribution. How ironic…the 1864 Ransoming and Burning was an act of retribution!
11:00 AM– 1:00 PM –Berg Brewing Beer Tasting in the Great Room of the 11/30 Visitors Center. Berg Brewing will hold an open house at the new location, 100 South Main, from 9 AM until just after the Burning. Enjoy a full-pour or shop the delicious food vendors and relax at the brewery to enjoy your food.
NOON – 4:00 PM – Masonic Temple Open House, 74 South Second Street. Property was one of a few left unburned by the Confederate troops during the burning. Rare opportunity to tour!
4:00 PM – 8:00 PM – The Chambersburg Volunteer Fireman’s Museum, 441 Broad Street, is open for free tours. Check out the 1850 hose cart, which was at the burning of Chambersburg.
5:30 PM – 7:30 PM – Evening horse and wagon rides,. Rides are free, loading northwest of fountain. Ride is about 10 minutes.
5:30 pm – 8 PM – Enjoy food vendors. Dining is available along Main Street, including Don Checko’s, Veroni Cafe, Falafel Shack, Bistro 71 and more.
7:00 PM – 8:30 PM – Courthouse Plaza is the stage for A Cappella & Unplugged. Winner receives $500.
8:45 PM – Join thousands, who gather to watch, as the town is transported back to 1864 and ransomed by Confederate soldiers.
1864 Ransoming,
Burning & Rebirth
is a re-enactment and light show
done completely with
atmospheric effects and actors.
The steps of the
1865 Franklin County Courthouse
are the stage.
Bring a lawn or stadium chair.
The event is rain or shine.
Enjoy
the LED panel display
with a live feed to help the
audience experience
the total event.
On July 30, 1864, Brigadier General John McCausland and 2,800 Confederate cavalrymen entered Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, rang the Courthouse bell to gather citizens and read a ransom demand of $100,000 in gold or $500,000 in Yankee currency or else the town would be burned in retaliation for the destruction committed by General Hunter in the Shenandoah Valley.
Even if the citizens of Chambersburg wanted to meet the demand, they could not. With the Stuart’s raid in 1862 and the invasion of the Army of Northern Virginia in 1863, residents shipped their valuables out of town. Banks, also, transported their money to safer places. The townspeople knew Couch telegraphed Averell and stalled for time. As soon as McCausland realized the ransom demand would not be paid, he gave the order to burn the town.
Detachments were sent to different parts of the town. Firing the buildings on the square commenced. Houses were opened, furniture was broken, piled in heaps, and set on fire. Sometimes the fire was started in closets or bureaus with clothing. The Confederates moved quickly and fired building after building. It was a horrific and startling scene.
The firing of the town began about 8 AM and by 11 AM, the Confederate forces had all left Chambersburg with ten squares of properties in ruin and 2000 residents homeless. The destruction was massive. Flames destroyed more than 500 structures leaving more than 2,000 homeless.
However, this would not be the end. Out of the ashes of this tragic event, through strength and courage of a determined people, Chambersburg would be rise.
One month after the burning, Chambersburg was busy formulating progressive recommendations for the rebuilding of the Town. Then ten years after the 1864 burning, the community was solidly moving toward a new era. Ladies groups and veterans’ organizations resolved to establish a memorial to pay tribute to the soldiers of Franklin County in the Civil War. On Saturday, July 20, 1878 more than 15,000 gathered in the diamond of Chambersburg to remember, honor, and appreciate the County’s veterans with the dedication of the 26-ft. tall, 5-basin cast iron bronze Memorial Fountain. It included a 7-ft, tall bronze soldier. Along with the tribute to veterans, the day carried a significant amount of gratitude for the good fortune of Chambersburg to emerge from the ashes rather than be buried by the events of July 30th, 1864. It was a day to celebrate Chambersburg coming to life and Memorial Fountain stands as a constant reminder.
The rebuilding brought a fresh vibrant Chambersburg. The Cumberland Valley Railroad extended to Hagerstown and on to Winchester. The Western Maryland railroad extended the rail line from Waynesboro to Chambersburg. Chambersburg commenced the municipal operation of utilities and the size of the town expanded. By 1900, Chambersburg had 9000 residents, nearly twice the population at the time of the 1864 burning.
Underground Railroad
