These Small Pennsylvania Towns Are Celebrating Big Birthdays in 2025
Whether you live there or are planning to visit, 2025 promises to be a banner year for anniversaries and events in Pennsylvania. In addition to celebrating major historical events that played a role in American Independence, the best of the state’s small towns are also working hard to provide unique happenings to celebrate important landmarks in their histories.
As a lead-up to 2026, when Pennsylvania takes center stage during the nation’s 250th anniversary celebrations, many of these towns will participate in the state-wide Bells Across PA program (launched by America250PA). Beginning in mid-2025, this art-focused undertaking will see full-scale fiberglass Liberty Bells installed in all 67 counties across the state. It’s a fitting tribute that touches most of these small towns in the Keystone State as they celebrate their own big birthdays in 2025.
Hannastown
Reconstructed cabins as they appeared when the town was destroyed in 1782. By JERRYE AND ROY KLOTZ MD
Westmoreland County’s commemoration of its pivotal role in the country’s struggle for independence continues throughout much of 2025. The focus is very much on the 250th anniversary of the famous Hanna’s Town Resolves, a bold declaration of discontent with British rule that occurred in 1775. Much of the action takes place at Historic Hannas Town, a reconstruction of the original outpost from 1773 that served as a safe haven for early settlers. Located in the village of Hannastown just a 45-minute drive east of Pittsburgh, it also served as a center of law and government.
The Hanna’s Town Resolves led to the town’s becoming a major recruitment hub for the Continental Army, with countless men arriving to take up arms against the British for the duration of the Revolutionary War. Today, the reconstructed site offers fascinating hour-long guided tours (included with the modest $10 admission), as well as blacksmith demonstrations and frontier-family weekends interpreting settler life.
You can also catch a traveling exhibit entitled Westmoreland 250: Our Story in 25 Objects at various venues throughout the county. Highlights include period artifacts as well as a rare early copy of the Resolves. The county seat is now in Greensburg, an easy 10-minute drive the south of Hannastown. Here’ll you find the Westmoreland County Courthouse and one of the America250PA bells will be available to view.
Blairsville
Chartered in 1825 as a stop on the Conemaugh River, Blairsville is devoting the entire year to commemorating its 200th birthday. The bicentennial celebrations promise to keep visitors and locals busy with an array of fun events throughout 2025, including rotating exhibits and displays of artefacts at the Blairsville Historical Society Museum on East Campbell Street. The 1909 former home the museum is set is worth exploring, too, and features the original kitchen, bedrooms, and a gift shop.
In conjunction with the Blairsville Bicentennial celebrations, the Historical Society is partnering with Saints Simon & Jude Church and plans to conduct tours of their artworks and unique stained-glass windows. The event takes place on June 8th, with just three tours available (space is limited to connect with the Historical Society to reserve your space). Walking-tours that trace surviving locks of the Pennsylvania Main Line Canal and the stone piers of the 1864 railroad bridge are also planned. A commemorative Bicentennial book has also been published.
Leechburg
North side of 100 block of Market Street, Leechburg, PA
Incorporated in 1850 as an iron-production hub on the Kiskiminetas River (the Kiski to locals) approximately 35 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, Leechburg has big plans to mark its 175th anniversary. On June 8, a series of walks and runs mark the opening of Leechburg Towpath Trail. This mile-long canal-side trail passes through Riverfront Park and joins a longer path connecting Leechburg to the communities of Schenley and Gilpin. You can learn more about the Pennsylvania Main Line Canal at the Leechburg Area Museum and Historical Society.
Official commemorative events to celebrate Leechburg’s Dodransbicentennial Anniversary Celebration (that’s Latin for 175th birthday!) include a week’s worth of fun throughout the town from June 8 to June14. Celebrations kick off with a grand opening ceremony at the Leechburg Volunteer Fire Company (VFC) Grounds on Canal Street, tours of area churches, and other family-fun events. Other highlights include historical talks and presentations, live jazz at the Riverfront Park Gazebo, town tours, fishing demonstrations and contests (the river’s known for its catfish population), quirky duck races, art shows, and food trucks.
For those who don’t mind getting a little wet, the “Anything That Floats Race” along the Kiskiminetas River is always a hoot. Another must-do is the anniversary themed car show, Cruising into the Future, on June 13. A parade is also scheduled along Market Street, and the event wraps up with closing ceremonies at Veterans Memorial Field on June 14. While in town, check out the town’s 600 foot long Hyde Park Footbridge, one of the longest pedestrian-only suspension bridges in Pennsylvania.
Gettysburg
In addition to being famous for its part in the American Civil War, Gettysburg also has an important role to play in the country’s celebrations of the end of World War 2. From September 19 to 21, the town’s Eisenhower National Historic Site commemorates the 80th anniversary of the conclusion of the war at its annual World War II Weekend. Living-history camps will interpret Victory in Europe Day (V-E Day) with authentic period street scenes, while demonstrations of Sherman tank maintenance will reveal the hard work needed to keep these iconic war machines running.
Other highlights include the chance to chat with park rangers hosting special Five-Star Conversations about the former president’s peacetime diplomacy, complemented by artifact pop-ups featuring route-planning maps that Eisenhower carried with him all the way to Germany. A family zone lets children decode simple ciphers and use stamp ration books, underscoring the home-front’s role in logistics during the final-year of the war.
Timed tours of Eisenhower’s 1950s ranch residence are also a must and reveal how Mamie Eisenhower (Eisenhower’s wife and later First Lady) balanced Secret Service protocols with White House hospitality. A traveling Liberty Bell replica will also be on hand for guests to view during the vent, too. Best of all, attendance is free, and shuttle buses will depart the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum & Visitor Center every 15 minutes.
Strasburg
Another important chapter of the nation’s history is being celebrated in Strasburg, home of the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania. This iconic attraction turns 50 in 20205 and will be celebrating with a series of fun events throughout the year. Highlights include themed rides aboard iconic steam locomotives like the 123-year-old PRR No. 7002, kids programs, and virtual tours of classic trains.
The attraction’s sister property, the Strasburg Rail Road, is another must-see. Founded in 1832 and is one of the world’s oldest still-operating railroad companies, this heritage railroad is also one of the state’s oldest state-owned utilities.
The Final Word
Pennsylvania’s 2025 anniversary roster offers a superb opportunity to get out and experience the Commonwealth’s fascinating past. From Blairsville’s bicentennial fun to the living-history on display in Hannastown, each of these must-attend celebrations reminds us that a nation’s history can be shaped by small communities. Find out more about the best things to do to do in the year leading up to America’s Semiquincentennial with these small Pennsylvania towns that are celebrating big birthdays in 2025.
