Halfway Point: Chester County's 2026 Town Tours & Village Walks
Posted July 13, 2026
The 2026 Town Tours & Village Walks season is well underway, commemorating our nation's 250th with an extended program featuring "13 Tours for 13 Colonies". Six events and one armchair tour have already taken place, and there are six more events and two armchair tours happening now through October. The events have seen great turnouts with attendees exploring Chester County's places, people, and events that molded and defined the complex tapestry of history that shaped our nation!
The annual program kicked off on April 30 at the historic Chester County Courthouse in West Chester, where participants learned about West Chester's roots with the Turk's Head Inn, the establishment as the county seat, the creation of the borough, and more. The kickoff coincided with a separate celebratory event — a special bell unveiling through Bells Across PA, as well as a Dare to Declare reading of the Declaration of Independence. Together, these events created a memorable evening on this monumental year. A musical performance accompanied the festivities, led by The Lenape Brass.
The season continued in May with an armchair tour on the important role Pennsylvania ironmasters and furnaces played in supplying George Washington's troops during the American Revolution. The next event headed to Spring City to explore the borough's industrial history and its connections to the Schuylkill River and Schuylkill Canal.
Later in May, the tours featured Hibernia Mansion, celebrating America's 250th anniversary by highlighting Hibernia's textile collection and exploring the connections between history, artistry, craftsmanship, and tradition.
June brought three more opportunities to discover Chester County's history. A walking tour of Malvern highlighted the contributions of Black residents and women who helped shape the borough, while a tour of historic Barnard Station in Pocopson Township explored the abolitionist efforts of the Barnard family, the Underground Railroad, and the township's 19th-century history.
Most recently, participants gathered at the Old Caln Meetinghouse to commemorate its 300th anniversary. The tour explored the history of the landmark, which has stood since 1726 and served generations of Chester County Quakers.
There's still plenty more to explore during the second half of the 2026 Town Tours & Village Walks season! Upcoming tours and armchair tours include: the Radley Run Mansion House (7/16), An armchair tour, When the Declaration of Independence was News by Dr. Emily Sneff (7/23); Primitive Hall, Ancestral Home of the Pennock Family (8/6); Historic Yellow Springs (8/20), A self-driving tour of Oxford's Dickey Family History (9/17), the Mill at Anselma (9/24), Kennett Square — A hotbed of Social Reform (10/1), Coatesville's Thomas Vickers Family (10/8); and finally, this year's extended Town Tours and Village Walks program will conclude with an armchair tour at Historic Yellow Springs on herbal medicine and the Revolutionary War (10/15).
Thank you to the many municipalities, historical organizations, community partners, volunteers, tour guides, and participants who have helped make the first half of the 2026 season a success. We look forward to continuing to explore Chester County's history throughout the rest of the season!