SMETHPORT — Eight seats are still available for the McKean County Historical Society’s spring bus trip April 17-20 to historic Philadelphia, Valley Forge and several stops in neighboring Delaware.
The bus will leave the Smethport Fire Hall promptly at 8 a.m. April 17. Arrangements have been made with the fire department for a parking area.
A stop is slated for lunch at noon in Harrisburg at the Hershey Road Family Restaurant. Later that day, a shopping trip is planned at the King of Prussia Mall where there are also many restaurants.
“Few cities in America are as important in our nation’s history as Philadelphia,” said Rob Orrison, one of the guides for the trip.
Philadelphia was known in colonial times as the “Athens of America” because of its rich cultural life. Due to William Penn’s liberal principles and the freedom of expression that prevailed, the Quaker province developed a conspicuous variety in its intellectual and educational institutions and interests.
Philadelphia was the nation’s capital during the Revolution, except when the British threat caused the capital to be moved successfully to Baltimore, Lancaster and York.
The movement to defend American rights grew into the movement for independence in the meetings of the Continental Congress at Carpenter’s Hall and Independence Hall.
“We will visit several places that relate to the founding of our nation,” Orrison noted. “We will walk in the footsteps of Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and of course, George Washington. Our first day will include visits to the iconic Liberty Bell, Independence Hall where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were adopted, the new Museum of the American Revolution that opened earlier this year, and no trip to Philly would be complete without a a Sonny’s Philly Cheesesteak.”
The second day’s schedule includes visits to Valley Forge, Gen. Washington’s winter headquarters in 1777-78. It was there that Baron von Steuben, a Prussian nobleman and soldier of fortune trained the American forces into a professional fighting force.
Lunch is planned at thee Black Powder Tavern. Since 1746, this building that houses the tavern has been a stopover for stagecoaches carrying passengers westward and a secret meeting place for Washington, Marquis de Lafayette and other leaders of the American Revolution,
In the afternoon, the group travels to Wilmington, Del., with scheduled visits at the Hagley Museum, a 235-acre non-profit attraction on the banks of the Brandywine River and site of the E.I. DuPont gunpowder facilities dating back to 1802, the DuPont Mansion and a walk through their Renaissance revival gardens.
On the return trip through the Amish countryside, Flo Carter, historical society treasurer, said the group plans to visit the Farmers Market in Bird-in-Hand and a enjoy a traditional meal at Good ’n Plenty in Smoketown.
The cost for double occupancy motel accommodations is $475 per person, and this includes, bus fare, tickets, lunches and breakfasts. The cost per person for single accommodations is $550. Final payments are due February 16, 2018.
For additional information or to make reservations for the trip,. contact Carter at the Old Jail Museum in Smethport at 814-887-5142. as soon as possible.
