Town Tours & Village Walks

Celebrating its 31st year, the Chester County Town Tours & Village Walks program is a free event featuring Chester County’s cultural heritage through a series of lectures and evening strolls. You’ll come away with an increased awareness of Chester County’s rich heritage and historic landscape. Tours are from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

July 10 – Warwick County Park

The forests of Warwick County Park were once used for making charcoal that fueled the iron industry through the 18th and 19th centuries. Learn about the people, their occupations, plus see where charcoal was made and how resources were used to build an industry that built a nation. Park: Warwick County Park, 191 County Park Rd., Pottstown.

July 17 – Valley Forge National Historic Park

Explore some of the lesser-known buildings, monuments and stories, starting at the Washington Memorial Chapel. See historic Maurice Stephens House, owned by the National Park Service and being restored as a coffee house to provide visitor services. End the walk at the Patriots of African Descent Memorial, a relatively recent addition to the Historical Park. Park: Memorial Chapel Parking Lot, Rte. 23, Valley Forge.

July 26 – Lafayette Day

The Marquis de Lafayette, a French aristocrat and military officer, volunteered and served in the Continental Army under George Washington. Wounded at the Battle of Brandywine, Lafayette helped to secure France as an ally and served until the end of the Revolution. Morning events: Thornbury Farm. Park: Thornbury Farm, 1256 Thornbury Rd., West Chester. Afternoon: Downtown West Chester: Lafayette Memorial Parade, High & Miner Sts., ends at Marshall Square Park, where Lafayette spoke to an adoring crowd.

July 31 – Barnard Station, Pocopson Township

Barnard Station represents 19th-century efforts throughout Pennsylvania to end slavery and uphold the community’s values and beliefs to help secure “the Blessings of Liberty” for all people. Tour Barnard Station’s interior, currently undergoing restoration. Learn about 19th-century Pocopson Township, its free Black population, agricultural highlights and the Barnard Family’s anti-slavery activism. Park: 664 S. Wawaset Rd., West Chester.

August 7 – Oxford Region Self-Guided Driving Tour

The Oxford Area Historical Association invites you on a tour of the small villages in the Oxford region, such as Homeville, Russellville, Tweedale, Hopewell and Lewisville. These historic villages highlight the agricultural and scenic resources that characterize the area. Driving tour start: Oxford Area Historical Association, 119 S. 5th St., Oxford.

August 14 – Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site

The tour will focus on the lesser- known people who called the furnace their job and home. Look at colliers who made the charcoal, the drovers who shipped raw materials and finished goods, the school that served the village and the families who lived there. Park: Hopewell Furnace Visitor Center, 2 Mark Bird Ln., Elverson.

August 21 – Historic Yellow Springs, West Pikeland Township

Did you know vaccinations were given to Revolutionary War soldiers at Yellow Springs? Or that patient John Knight was wrapped in spring-water-soaked sheets as part of his spa treatment? Or that Burt Bacharach wrote music here for “The Blob,” Steve McQueen raced his Corvette through these country roads, and Patty Duke, Lee Meriwether and Robert Lansing starred in movies made here by Good News Productions? Learn the many “untold stories” from over 300 years of history at Yellow Springs. Park: 1701 Art School Rd., Chester Springs.

More at ChesCo.org/TownTours