Franklin County Visitors Bureau invites the public to explore South Mountain in Stories of the Mountain Tour on April 13, 9 AM to 4:30 PM. South Mountain holds centuries of history and lore. The mountain forests fed the iron ore industry, sheltered escaping enslaved, saw the strife of Civil War and was reborn through Pennsylvania’s conservation movement. Life on the mountain is the story of small communities across America. Visit a general store museum, a site where John Brown taught Sunday school, learn how Pennsylvania led the conservation movement, and hear eerie stories of the silvery lady of Pond Bank.
The tour departs Franklin County 11/30 Visitors Center at 9 AM and begins with a comparison of two Franklin County iron ore works—Caledonia Ironworks and Mont Alto Ironworks. Learn about the ore process, layout of the ironworks, and the people who worked at the furnace. Stop at Preserving Our Heritage Museum, housed in a one-room schoolhouse, and visit a relocated 1930 – 1950 general store. Travel across the South Mountain and see the landscape that gave fresh air and hope to thousands of tuberculosis patients. Visit the new home of the Mont Alto Historical Society. Step back to 1812 and visit the Royer farmhouse at Renfrew Park. Continue up the mountain to Monterey Pass Battlefield where 10,000 Union and Confederate troops fought along the mountain ridge in a blinding thunderstorm during the late hours of July 4 and early hours of July 5, 1863, part of the retreat from Gettysburg.
Single tickets are $50/ person or two tickets for $75. Bring a friend and save! Tour fee includes lunch at Founder’s Grille with a pristine view of South Mountain. Get tickets here.
The Franklin County Visitors Bureau invites all to explore Franklin County PA and enjoy the history, arts, recreation, natural beauty, fresh foods and warm hospitality of communities like Chambersburg, Greencastle, Mercersburg, Shippensburg, and Waynesboro. Franklin County PA is located just north of the Mason Dixon Line and is an easy drive to Washington DC, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh. Discover more. Plan your visit at ExploreFranklinCountyPA.com, by contacting 866.646.8060, or by visiting the Franklin County 11/30 Visitors Center on the square in Chambersburg.
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