Pennsylvania's Most Historic Towns

Pennsylvania's historic towns span the colonial era, the Industrial Revolution, Civil War, and Amish settlement — no other state has as dense a concentration of American historical significance.

Philadelphia
The birthplace of American democracy — Independence Hall (1732, where the Declaration and Constitution were adopted), the Liberty Bell, Carpenters' Hall (First Continental Congress, 1774), Congress Hall, the First Bank of the United States (1797), the Second Bank (1824), Elfreth's Alley (the oldest continuously inhabited residential street in the US, occupied since 1702), Christ Church (where Benjamin Franklin is buried), and the Eastern State Penitentiary (1829 — the world's first true penitentiary, designed by architect John Haviland). Philadelphia is America's preeminent colonial history city.

Gettysburg
The most visited Civil War site in the US — 1,400 monuments in a 6,000-acre park. The Gettysburg Address was delivered November 19, 1863, at the dedication of the National Cemetery. The Eisenhower National Historic Site (Eisenhower's retirement farm) is adjacent. The town's hotel and inn scene is excellent.

Lancaster
The Amish heartland — the oldest publicly operated farmers' market in the US (Central Market, operating continuously since 1730), the heritage of the Pennsylvania Dutch culture (German-speaking settlers, not Dutch), the Fulton Theatre (one of the oldest theatres in the US still in continuous operation), and the heritage of Lancaster as the colonial frontier city.

Bethlehem
A Moravian church settlement (1741) with the finest preserved 18th-century religious community buildings in the US — the Gemeinhaus (community house, 1741), the God's Acre cemetery, and the Sisters House. Now also known for the Bethlehem Steel plant (1857–1995) — the No. 2 blast furnace is preserved as an industrial monument; SteelStacks arts campus occupies the former plant.

Washington Crossing
On the Delaware River — the site of Washington's Christmas night crossing of the Delaware (December 25–26, 1776) before the Battle of Trenton. Washington Crossing Historic Park preserves the Durham boats and the village from which the Continental Army embarked.