Chambersburg Launches Campaign for Brown and Douglass Statue

The "Learn & Explore Weekend: Road to Freedom," scheduled for October 3-4, serves as the kickoff for this ambitious project. The event features living history portrayals by Nathan Richardson and Doug Dobbs, who will step into the roles of Douglass and Brown to recount the era’s abolitionist struggle. The weekend program includes a guided bus tour on Saturday covering local Underground Railroad sites, the Mary Ritner Boarding House, and cemeteries linked to the United States Colored Troops.

On Sunday, the focus shifts to a "Tea & Talk" event at the Franklin County 11/30 Visitors Center, modeled after Frederick Douglass' own speaking tours in Europe. Beyond the educational programming, the bureau aims to establish a formal "Road to Freedom Trail" that traces the timeline from Pennsylvania’s 1847 Abolition of Slavery Act to the ratification of the 15th Amendment in 1870. According to executive director Janet Pollard, the initiative seeks to extend the county’s 250th-anniversary celebration by highlighting this critical chapter in the American pursuit of liberty. Proceeds from the weekend, which offers both fixed-price and donation-based ticketing, will go directly toward the statue's $200,000 goal.