Summer 2018 Town Tours and Village Walks
Explores our Roots of Industry and Innovation

The Chester County Board of Commissioners through the Chester County Planning Commission; the Chester County Historical Society; Westtown Township; the Chester County Historic Preservation Network; and the Chester County Conference and Visitors Bureau announce the 24th summer of sharing Chester County’s heritage during the annual Town Tours & Village Walks.

Town Tours & Village Walks is a series of free summer strolls through historic neighborhoods, hamlets, villages and sites. This summer, you can explore Chester County’s heritage on Thursday evenings, June 14th-August 30th. Tours generally last 50 minutes and begin at 5:30 pm with the last tour leaving at 7:00 pm unless daylight allows for additional tours. Each tour is designed to inform, entertain and increase awareness of Chester County’s rich heritage and historic landscape. A number of our sites offer a selection of restaurants and shops to enjoy after your tour. Please note: The June 14th Kick-Off Program begins at 5:30 pm at the Chester County Historical Society with an option to tour the museum after 4:00 pm for a donation of your choice. CCHS is celebrating their 125th anniversary. On August 23rd we will feature our first ever Lecture & Supper as a new Town Tour offering.

Chester County has a long and distinguished industrial heritage. Beginning in 1682, the county’s largely Quaker founding settlers established a strong work ethic that remains today. Their tenacity coupled with abundant natural resources and rich farmland resulted in a fascinating array of industrial innovations that are still evident in our historic landscape from the two-level, bank barn long admired as one of the outstanding vernacular north American structures; to the Phoenix Column which provided the structural foundation to bridges throughout the world; to the home of the mushroom capitol of world. From cannons to roses, we strove to supply the country’s needs. Just consider, there were over 130 mills operating on the Brandywine Creek alone at the height of its industrial use! This summer, we will explore one of Chester County’s proud family farms that exemplifies agriculture as the economic foundation of the county. We will visit mills in West Pikeland and East Brandywine that processed everything from flour in the 18th century to automobile upholstery in the 20th. In West Nantmeal, we will learn about the remarkable Isabella Furnace and our proud iron production heritage; and in Coatesville experience the steel industry. We will tour a canal town and learn about the engineering challenges of the Schuylkill Canal’s 92 lift locks.

To learn details on the tour dates and locations, click here!