Dillsburg Adds Two Historic Markers to York County's Civil War Trails Program

In May 2024, Dills Tavern and the Maple Shade Barn were added to the multi-state Civil War Trails program. This positions Dillsburg as a perfect place for travelers from New York and the New England region to begin exploring Civil War Trails. Additionally, the increased visitation will be heightened since the two new stories are related to the Battle of Gettysburg which is popular internationally.

With the addition of these new sites in Dillsburg, the Civil War Trails program now offers over 1,500 sites across six states. Each site is actively marketed by a coalition of state, regional, and municipal tourism partners which means that while the signs might relay an educational story the program’s goals are focused on sustainable economic development.  According to Civil War Trails research, visitors to historic sites are interested in hiking, cycling, and paddling, live music, arts, craft beverages and historic downtowns. This ‘pairing’ works well for the team at the Northern York County Historical and Preservation Society (NYCHAPS) who operates both sites.

Doug Riley, President of the NYCHAPS Board of Directors, was thrilled. “We are excited to join the Civil War Trails program. We look forward to attracting new visitors and introducing them to the Historic Dills Tavern site, the new Eichelberger Distillery and the historic significance of the Maple Shade Barn.” The project resulted from a partnership between the Historical Society, Civil War Trails, Inc. and Explore York. Explore York’s tourism grant program provided the funding needed to create and install the signs and Explore York’s continued membership with the Civil War Trails program will enable the partners to market the site to visitors.

For more information, request a visitor guide at www.Yorkpa.org or call 717-852-9675. To find out more about Civil War Trails visit www.civilwartrails.org. Be sure to snap a #signselfie and post it with #civilwartrails @exploreyorkpa.