The Historic Preservation Trust of Lancaster County has partnered with the Historical Society of the Cocalico Valley to create a LANCASTER COUNTY BARN TOUR. The tour is an ongoing, self-guided, exterior-only, driving tour of the beautiful historic barns of Lancaster County. With assistance from local historical societies throughout the county, local government entities, and private citizens, many barns with historical/architectural/cultural significance have been identified for inclusion on the tour.

The LANCASTER COUNTY BARN TOUR will highlight some of the finest examples of historically and architecturally significant barns throughout Lancaster County and will include a beautiful, full color, keepsake tour book that you can purchase and use as a guide to view the exterior of the barns on your own. The 8 ½" x 11” tour book will include both historic and current photos of approximately 50 barns along with a detailed description of their significance to our history. In addition, the book will provide a Lancaster County map pinpointing the barn locations and will facilitate the SELF-GUIDED tour throughout our beautiful county. The BARN TOUR is being promoted as a “timeless” event. Using the tour book, you will be able to take the tour (at your leisure) over many weeks, months, or years. Barn interiors will not be open to the public. Most of these barns are “working” buildings located on private property. We will explicitly state in the Tour Book that you do not have access to private property. All barns chosen for the tour are easily viewed from a public roadway. A few notable exceptions are those listed as public museums, restaurants, or an Environmental Center.

Our tour launch day is October 21, 2023 from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. at the Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum. The event will feature guest speakers, tour book sales, sponsor book pick-ups, and light refreshments. If you are unable to attend the launch, the tour books will be available to purchase online on our website (hptrust.org) and in person at various locations across the County.

We have been seeking sponsorships from corporations and local businesses in the area to sponsor the tour. Based on the level of sponsorship, the company’s name, logo, and ads will be featured in the tour book. Patrons can also purchase $100 sponsorships and have their name(s) printed in the tour book.

We have also added a unique sponsorship opportunity called, “Deep Roots Lancaster County Farmers.” If your family has ‘deep roots’ in farm ownership and/or farming in Lancaster County, you can purchase an ad that may include a family crest, logo, photo, and/or a brief history. The 4 ½” x 5.5” ad is available to purchase for $500. A smaller ad is available for $250. The ads will be featured in a special section of the tour book under the heading of “Deep Roots”.

Below is an example of a Deep Roots ad:

You can find out more about purchasing a Deep Roots ad by contacting Elaine Bowman at eb7243@dejazzd.com or calling 717-333-9651.

To learn more about the tour and the sponsorship opportunities, please visit www.hptrust.org The deadline for sponsorships is August 25, 2023. For questions about the tour or to purchase a sponsorship, please email Elaine Bowman at eb7243@dejazzd.com or Angela Stewart at stewarts@ptd.net, or call 717-291-5861.