Located in rural south-central Pennsylvania, the Conococheague Institute is preserving regional history of the colonial and early national periods. Their website describes themselves as a “hands on regional learning center.” The historic site features year-round special events such as weapons demonstrations, brewing, spinning, cooking, sewing, medicine and more.  

The site has several trails that traverse the landscape, passing by historic buildings and crossing streams, fields, and woods. Well-written historical markers discuss colonial-era flora and fauna, daily life for settlers, and the lives of area Native Americans, specifically the Leni Lenape (Delaware) and Shawnee. A walker is rewarded by finding an early cemetery in the woods along the farthest trail.

German, Irish, and Scotch-Irish families settled the Appalachian frontier in the 1700s, each group bringing unique traditions. Programs at the Institute highlight the architecture, religion, cooking, and farming practices of these ethnic groups. The historic landscape includes two historic houses, several outbuildings, and gardens. The Institute also has a research library focused on area history and genealogy.

One of the site’s more unique programs are internships for local high school students, allowing them to learn traditional skills, experience life in the eighteenth century, and gain valuable research and public speaking skills and in the field of public history. 

The area was not directly impacted by the Revolution, but at a place like this you can experience everyday life for those whose fathers, brothers, husbands, and sons were participating in the conflict, as well as learn about the perspectives of the Leni Lenape and Shawnee. For more information visit their website at www.cimig.org.