Welcome to Chambersburg
Located in a valley next to the Appalachian Mountains, Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, offers residents and visitors alike a recreational haven. Surrounded by Caledonia State Park, a 1,125-acre park, and the 85,000-acre Michaux State Forest, there are plenty of opportunities for fishing, hunting, hiking and more. Plus, Conococheague Creek — a tributary of the Potomac River and noted trout steam — runs right through the center of town.
Chambersburg is within 100 miles of both Baltimore and Washington, D.C. The people of the area maintain a small town feeling, attending school, sporting events and many annual town events like Applefest, Icefest and ChambersFest — a daylong street festival of music, arts and crafts.The surrounding area has a large Amish and Mennonite population. The largest crop is maize, with 579 farms covering 29,916 acres and other crops include wheat and barley.
Visitors can stroll the historic downtown and tour Chambers Fort, the Franklin County Courthouse and the 1818 Old Franklin County Jail, which is believed to have been a stop on the Underground Railroad. Volunteers of the Kittochtinny Historical Society — housed in the restored Old Jail — own the Old Jail as well as the nearby historic John Brown (Mary Ritner) House, where John Brown lived in the summer of 1859 while he planned and secured weapons for his attack on the federal arsenal at Harper’s Ferry. The society’s volunteer docents provide tours and answer questions for thousands of visitors each year.
The Chambersburg Heritage Center celebrates the history of not only Chambersburg but also of Franklin County. It is housed in a renovated 1915 marble bank building, designed by the architectural firm of Furness Evans & Company, on Chambersburg’s Memorial Square in the National Register Historic District. Five thematic areas are explored within the Heritage Center: Frontier History, Architectural History, Civil War History: The Freedom Trail, Civil War History: Invasions and Raids, and Transportation History. Each thematic area also has its own associated driving tour guide.
A picturesque town with many quaint shops, restaurants, annual family festivals and much more, makes Chambersburg a great place to call home or to place high up on your “Must See” list. |
