America is poised to celebrate its 250th birthday on July 4, 2026, and Franklin County PA is getting ready for the big celebration by launching a website dedicated to celebrating Franklin County, PA: www.America250PAFranklinCounty.com. The site remembers the chapters of American history that played out across Franklin County PA, highlights celebratory events, and invites the public to get involved. Pennsylvania’s statewide commemoration is promising to be E.P.I.C.—to educate, to preserve, to innovate, and to celebrate. Franklin County is ready to take the challenge as one of PA’s 67 counites and promises an EPIC commemoration.
America250PAFranklinCounty.com is set up as a gateway:
- to educate the public about the amazing place Franklin County PA is,
- to bring attention to important county sites preserved by past generations for future generations,
- to highlight innovators and leaders of Franklin County in the Franklin County Hall of Fame,
- to celebrate with a parade, community tours, and more than 20-months of events throughout Franklin County.
A special part of America250PA is the Liberty Tree Project. A Liberty Tree is slated for planting in each county of Pennsylvania. Sponsored by the Pennsylvania Freemasons, the Liberty Tree remembers the great elm, which was a symbol of freedom to colonists as well as a meeting place in the days leading up to the Revolutionary War. The America250PA Liberty Trees represent the spirited supporters of freedom and their gathering together to bring independence. Franklin County planted and dedicated an America250PA Liberty Tree at Fort Chambers Park in downtown Chambersburg on October 17, 2023.
Upcoming projects of the Franklin County America 250 PA Committee include “Pay Tribute: Stories of Franklin County” to save residents’ stories in their own voices to share during the celebration and beyond. Personal history is the foundation of local, state, and national history. Another Committee project invites Franklin County residents to design the America250PA Franklin County t-shirt.
Franklin County’s commemoration is striving to bring a fresh perspective and a renewed appreciation to the contributions of Franklin County to the Commonwealth and America. Learn more; explore www.America250PAFranklinCounty.com; join the 250th commemoration.