Town Tours & Village Walks 2026

Celebrating its 32nd year, this series of free, guided summer strolls through historic neighborhoods, hamlets and villages welcomes you to join in celebrating America 250 with an expanded season. Tours focus on places, people and events in Chester County that defined the tapestry of history that shaped our nation. Tours are from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

July 16 – Radley Run Mansion House: A Journey Through Time

The 250-year-old Mansion House was in the path of soldiers marching to the Battle of Brandywine during the Revolutionary War. The Mansion House has served many purposes over the years, from farmhouse, to Underground Railroad Station, to foxhunting base. Today it remains a landmark for the Radley Run community for its beauty and educational value. Park: 1100 Country Club Rd., West Chester. Parking available in front of the mansion or in the lot across the street.

August 6 – Primitive Hall, Ancestral Home of the Pennock Family

Primitive Hall, built by Irish immigrant Joseph Pennock in 1738, is a house museum that showcases 18th-century architecture and provides insights into the lives of early Chester County residents. Visitors will learn about the history of this prominent Quaker family and the hall’s 20th-century restoration. Park: Primitive Hall, 830 N. Chatham Rd., West Grove.

August 20 – Historic Yellow Springs

Celebrate America 250 and discover the story of the American Revolution from a whole new perspective — literally! This tour invites visitors to experience the American Revolution from an often-overlooked vantage point: the critical medical infrastructure that sustained the Continental Army. Park: 1709 Art School Rd., Chester Springs.

September 17 – Oxford Area Historical Association

The Oxford Area Historical Association invites you on a road journey of Dickey Family history in Oxford and the surrounding townships. For more than two centuries, the Dickey family made major contributions to the growth of southwestern Chester County. They pioneered the use of improved farming methods, developed manufacturing centers, promoted modern transportation facilities, founded schools, a university and led a host of social reform movements. This self-driving tour will guide you by Dickey homes and farms, mills, schools, Lincoln University and enterprises.

September 24 – The Mill at Anselma

Step inside the Mill at Anselma, a historic water-powered grist mill built around 1747 that once served local farmers in Chester County, known as the “breadbasket” of colonial America. Visitors will explore the history of the mill and its owners, see how early milling technology worked, and learn how mills supported local communities and the Revolutionary-era food supply. 1730 Conestoga Rd., Chester Springs.

October 1 – Kennett Square – A Hotbed of Social Reform

Kennett Square earned a lasting reputation as a center of social reform. Since the founding of the Anti-Slavery Movement in 1833, citizens of Kennett have been among its supporters. Many redirected their energies toward women’s suffrage and the temperance movement, continuing the town’s legacy as a hub of progressive change. Park: Municipal parking garage, 120 E. Linden St., Kennett Square. The tour will start on the walkway outside the parking garage.

October 8 – Adaptive Reuse – Where the Past Meets the Future in the Heart of Chester County!

Come walk in the footsteps of the Thomas Vickers Family, who were renowned Quaker potters, abolitionists and farmers. Learn how the historic c. 1770 house and bank barn are being preserved, see examples of the Vickers’ 18th-century pottery created on site and enjoy a display of vintage clay pipes like those once made there. Then, take a hayride to explore the neighboring farm where the original part of the c. 1750 house was built by early Quaker settlers — the Mendenhall family. Park: 215 Reeseville Rd., Coatesville.

More at ChesCo.org/TownTours.