The Franklin County Visitors Bureau invites the public to travel the trails of Franklin County history on April 16 with twenty sites free and open to the public to enjoy individually or take a caravan tour.
Spring into history on Saturday, April 16, 10 AM to 4 PM and traverse centuries of American heritage and culture in Franklin County PA. Take in Native American artifacts. Explore the history and culture of the frontier and colonial America, the Underground Railroad, and the Civil War. See architectural and archaeological history. Take the leap; take a fresh look at Franklin County and spring into America’s history.
All sites are free and open to the public on Saturday, April 16, and participants can explore individually at their own pace or try something new by joining a caravan tour. For the caravan tours, sites are divided into four tours. Each tour includes a 12-passenger van with guide, so the public can hop on the van while seats are available or join the caravan in their own vehicle. There is no fee for participating in the caravan, and lunch is self-pay. The four tours are:
- Conococheague Settlement – Discover the Franklin County frontier, which was collectively known as the Conococheague Settlement. Learn about the early residents of the Cumberland Valley, who settled the frontier of Franklin County. Glimpse their lifestyle, culture, customs, and challenges.
- Social Struggles & An Emerging Nation – Chapters of American history played out across Franklin County. The county’s proximity to the Mason-Dixon Line catalyzed significant chapters of American history, impacted residents’ sentiments, and even brought war to their door steps.
- Made in America: Architecture, Archaeology & Art – Experience early American architecture. Excavate and discover artifacts of frontier farmers. See artifacts of early American lifestyle, which is today’s art. Discover the customs immigrants brought from their homeland, the resources that built beautiful limestone farmhouses, and the inventions of the next generation.
- Over the Mountain: Over Two Centuries of American History – South Mountain is a special landscape. It fed the iron ore industry and sheltered escaping enslaved. It saw the strife of Civil War and was reborn through Pennsylvania’s conservation movement. Visit a general store museum, a town where John Brown taught Sunday school, learn how Pennsylvania led the conservation movement, and see Smokey the Bear in many shapes and sizes.
For more details, learn the meeting location of each tour, and sign-up for the caravan tours, contact the Franklin County Visitors Bureau at 866-646-8060, visit www.ExploreFranklinCountyPA.com, or sign up for one of the caravan tours at these Eventbrite links:
Conococheague Settlement Caravan Tour
Social Struggles & An Emerging Nation