by Janet Pollard | Apr 10, 2018 | History
Franklin County is proud to be named for Benjamin Franklin, American founding father, writer, printer, diplomat, activist, and scientist. But, to date, proof of a visit from Mr. Franklin to the county has not been found. Yet, besides the name, there is a connection...
by Janet Pollard | Apr 9, 2018 | History
James Smith, who was born in Mercersburg, another frontier settlement in Franklin County, was captured in 1755, at age eighteen, as he was building the Braddock Road. Smith was taken captive by Caughnawaga Indians and was adopted by the tribe to replace a fallen...
by Janet Pollard | Apr 6, 2018 | History
Approaching Letterkenny Chapel, the bell tower, the quoin- brickwork, and the curved arches draws the eye because it is a different. It is not typical for the Cumberland Valley. With a second look, it is easy to see the Italian inspiration in the design, but how and...
by Janet Pollard | Apr 4, 2018 | History
Yes, it will be the name of the Franklin County Visitors Bureau’s new home–the 11/30 Visitors Center. But long before the visitors bureau took up residence at the crossroads of downtown Chambersburg, 11/30 was where Molly Pitcher Highway meets the Lincoln...
by Janet Pollard | Apr 3, 2018 | History
In 1764, Franklin County PA was the frontier of colonial America, inhabited by Scots-Irish, German, Irish, and Welsh immigrants and remained the hunting grounds of Native American tribes, in particular the Lenni Lenape, known also as the Delaware. The unrest along the...
by Janet Pollard | Apr 2, 2018 | History
If the walls of the Franklin County Old Jail could talk, the Franklin County Visitors Bureau is sure it would want to hear the stories. Located at 175 East King Street in Chambersburg PA, the Old Jail celebrates 200 years in 2018. Built in 1818 as Franklin County’s...