Chester County celebrates its heritage with the 17th annual Town Tours and Village Walks. This year the program honors those who lived and died during this country’s Civil War as well as explores the county’s iron and steel heritage.
Tours venture outside the county to further emphasize the importance of iron and steel. Stops include historic towns, villages, iron master plantations, and ironworks, all of which highlight the research knowledge accumulated by historical commissions and organizations.
New this year are suggested driving itineraries developed to take participants farther into iron and steel country to enjoy recreational opportunities as well as educational ones.
Summer 2011 Schedule:
June 16: West Chester Kick-off & Tour
June 23: Lukens National Register Historic District
June 30: Village of Coventryville
July 14: Historic Spring City Borough
July 21: Joanna Furnace
July 28: Elverson Borough: 100th Anniversary Celebration
August 4: Historic Yellow Springs Civil War Orphanage
August 11: Phoenixville
August 18: Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site
August 25: Hibernia Mansion & Iron Master Plantation
Tours are on Thursday evenings from June 16 through August 25. The first tour starts at 5:30pm and the last tour at approximately 7 pm. All tours include light refreshments and are free of charge.
Brochures are available for both the Town Tours and Driving Tours. For more information contact Karen Marshall, Heritage Preservation Coordinator, Chester County Parks & Recreation, 610.344.6415; kmarshall@chesco.org