The Franklin County Visitors Bureau will host its Learn and Explore Weekend: Road to Freedom on Oct. 3 and Oct. 4, 2026. The weekend event features living history portrayals of Frederick Douglass and John Brown by Nathan Richardson and Doug Dobbs in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania.
The event marks the official launch of a fundraising campaign to build a John Brown and Frederick Douglass statue in Chambersburg. Estimated at $200,000, the statue will serve as an anchor for the planned Franklin County Road to Freedom Trail, which covers local abolitionist history from 1847 through 1870.
A guided Freedom Bus Tour runs on Saturday, Oct. 3, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., visiting the Mary Ritner Boarding House, the John Cook capture site, Wertz Farm, and United States Colored Troops cemeteries. On Sunday, Oct. 4, the program continues with a Tea and Talk event about Frederick Douglass from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Franklin County 11/30 Visitors Center.
All proceeds from the weekend go directly toward the statue fund. Registration options are available on Eventbrite through fixed-price tickets or voluntary donations.
The Franklin County Visitors Bureau organizes community tourism initiatives and historical programming across the county. Executive Director Janet Pollard leads the bureau’s ongoing efforts to highlight local history.
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