Strasburg

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The most historic town in Pennsylvania Dutch Country… was actually

founded by a Frenchman.

In the late 1600’s the area around present day Strasburg was visited

by French fur traders, then eventually settled by Swiss Mennonites and

Huguenots from the Alsace region of France. Strasbourg was the

cathedral city of that Alsace region. Some of the original log houses

from the 18th century still remain. Strasburg prospered due to the

volume of traffic along the Old Conestoga Road (Route 741 today)

between Philadelphia and Lancaster. However, that traffic subsided 

around 1795 with the opening of the Lancaster Turnpike.

The borough of Strasburg was established in 1816. In 1832 the Strasburg Rail Road was chartered to connect both freight and passenger service from Strasburg to the rest of the national rail system. This rail road is Pennsylvania’s oldest continually chartered public utility.

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As the Amish populated the area in the early 1700s, farms were established in the beautiful countryside surrounding Strasburg. Today, many Amish farmers continue to work their land in much the same way as their ancestors did centuries ago.

Today, Strasburg is a tourist center with railroad attractions, theatrical productions, restaurants and shops.