Spring Into History

 

Explore 300 Years of American History

A Long Timeline of History

From the 1700s to the present, Franklin County has played an important part in our nation’s history and its story. With ties to the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, the County offers an in-depth look into the unique landscapes, cultures, and risk-takers who shaped futures.

Historic Trails of Franklin County

Explore our Guides and Publications

Check out our guides and publications

Celebrating over 100 Years

Women’s Constitutional Right to Vote

I long to hear that you have declared an independency. And, by the way, in the new code of laws which I suppose it will be necessary for you to make, I desire you would remember the ladies and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors.

Abigail Adams to John Adams, June 1776

1848

July 19-20, 1848 at the Seneca Falls Convention, named because it was held in Seneca Falls, New York, women met to discuss equality and the right to vote.

 It was not the first meeting in support of women’s rights, but it was the one to launch a national movement and cause.

1920

The 19th amendment was added to the U.S. Constitution to guarantee all women the right to vote in all states of the U.S.

 

Take a Look Inside our Spring Into History Publication

Every year, the Franklin County Visitor’s Bureau produces a Spring Into History booklet to highlight the history of Franklin County. Enjoy your virtual visit to Franklin County, PA!

The Great Fire of 1864 | The Burning of Chambersburg

As the likelihood of a Confederate victory waned, the harsh impacts of war in the south destroyed mills, crops, barns, and warehouses. On July 28, 1864, General Jubal Early issued the order to General John McCausland to ransom Chambersburg for $100,000 in gold or $500,000 in Yankee currency as retaliation for Northern devastation of the Shenandoah Valley. As Confederate troops closed in on the Mason Dixon Line and its northern target of Chambersburg, General Darius Couch, who commanded the Headquarters of the Department of the Susquehanna at Chambersburg, worked to evacuate military supplies from the town. A small unit of Union soldiers secreted themselves in the hills along St. Thomas, surprising the McCausland column of Confederates and holding them back a few more hours to allow Couch to liquidate the army headquarters.

By daybreak, Confederate soldiers had positioned cannons atop the hill west of Chambersburg. About 5:30 AM, they fired on the sleeping town, rode into town, and rang the courthouse bell to gather residents to hear the ransom demand. According to an account by Chambersburg shopkeeper Jacob Hoke, <

“The money demanded was not, and could not be paid, for the reason that there was nothing like the amount demanded remaining in the town. Besides the citizens did not feel like contributing aid in the overthrow of their government.”

Once it was clear to Confederate troops that the ransom would not be paid, they wasted no time in setting the fires. By day’s end, over 550 structures had burned, 2000 people were homeless, and more than $750,000 in property was lost.

Hoke described the column of smoke created by the town’s burning as a crown of sackcloth, asserting, “It was heaven’s shield mercifully drawn over the scene to shelter from the blazing sun the homeless and unsheltered ones that had fled to the fields and cemeteries around the town, where they in silence and sadness sat and looked upon the destruction of their homes and the accumulation of a lifetime.”

Franklin County Visitors Bureau

Explore Franklin County PA is the official site for adventure, history, and getaways throughout our wonderful county. You'll find adventure at your pace throughout our diverse and unique towns of Chambersburg, Greencastle, Waynesboro, Mercersburg, and a little sliver of Shippensburg and all points in between.

Office & ConTACT

15 South Main Street

Chambersburg, PA 17201

866.646.8060

717.552.2977

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