What’s a Heritage Resource?

Heritage Resources are not just monuments to the past. They're living, breathing places that tell fascinating stories about an area deeply rooted in tradition. There are three types of Heritage Resources in the program:

After visiting any of the program's officially designated places, you'll leave with a better understanding of the county's history and culture.

Every Heritage Resource meets the program's strict guidelines for authenticity and quality. Wherever you see the Lancaster County Heritage logo, you can be assured that you are getting an accurate picture of local heritage. Once the guidelines and criteria are met, the resource displays an official Lancaster County Heritage banner - a patchwork/quilt design that may be displayed at the site.

The idea is to try to make sites engage the visitor, and to tell a story in a meaningful way that "connects" the visitor. An example of this is Lancaster County's "Underground Railroad Trail to Freedom" program and tour. The "Underground Railroad" tour focuses on some 17 sites throughout the region including Lancaster, Chester, Bucks, and Philadelphia Counties. One of the sites on the route, the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, has had interpretive presentations of an "interactive journey" to the times of the Underground Railroad of the nineteenth century. Another recent Heritage program is the "Freedom of Religion" walking tour for downtown Lancaster.


Heritage Themes and Tours

Since its inception, Lancaster County's Heritage Tourism program has created maps, brochures, a detailed internet site, and other informational packages to help both visitors and residents find the "county's historic and cultural treasures". This program has an inventory of over 100 "Heritage Resources," a variety of maps and guides, and several driving tours. The Heritage Sites include museums, churches, banks, mansions, a birthplace site, a railroad station, a marketplace, an art gallery, and a historical society, to name a few.

In addition to the general but informative "Explorer's Map & Guide," the Planning Commission and the Pennsylvania Dutch Convention and Visitor’s Bureau have produced a variety of detailed maps focused on specific cultural and/or historic themes. Some examples of these themes are evident in some of this program's tours: "River Towns and Roadside Stops," a tour that is concentrated in the western side of the county, and "Country Crossroads," a tour that "...will take you through Lancaster County's historic and scenic agricultural heartland." These tours focus on areas on both sides of U.S. Route 30 and are bounded by Strasburg on the south and Bird-in-Hand and Intercourse on the north.


New Plans in the Works

The Lancaster-York Heritage Region Management Action Plan is a plan for a two-county program that includes Lancaster and York Counties. The plan was only recently completed, but it laid out an organizational structure for both counties to share common resources. Tourism is a major component, and the schemes include interpretive panels along the Susquehanna River corridor, and maps to guide visitors on walking, canoeing, bicycling, and auto touring trips. Among other things, an "agri-tourism" program would be created that would include a guide to help users locate fresh produce stands, wineries, breweries, orchards, and the like.

A strategic tourism development plan is being developed to further organize and extend the benefits of tourism in the county. Local business in the tourist sector can collectively – and individually – prosper as a result. But businesses are not the only ones to benefit. Because the plan will address the setting in which tourism takes place, and because recommendations of the plan will result in the enhancements to the quality of the tourist experience, local residents will also benefit. What tourists find attractive in an area are often the same features or characteristics that draw residents to an area. So it’s really about enhancing the quality of life for residents of Lancaster County. To stay informed on the progress of this tourism plan, check back in on the County Planning Commission’s website in the coming months.

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