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Conococheague Institute

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Conococheague Institute

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Where history, nature, and community meet! Explore 18th-century life at the Conococheague Institute located at 12995 Bain Rd, Mercersburg, PA 17236.
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11/02/2026

We're excited to be heading back to the Benjamin Banneker Historical Park & Museum this Saturday for their annual birthday celebrations honoring one of Maryland's most remarkable historical figures!

It's one of our furthest travels for outreach, but we had a fantastic time at last year's event, meeting hundreds of visitors, and we're delighted to have been invited back to be part of the celebrations once again!

This year, Matthew will be exploring the science and practice of medicine during the 18th century. From surgical instruments and medical treatments to the realities of healthcare in the colonial era, we'll be looking at how people understood the human body, illness, and healing in a time of remarkable scientific discovery. It's a particularly fitting subject for an event celebrating Banneker, whose extraordinary curiosity, self-taught scientific knowledge, and contributions to astronomy, mathematics, and American history continue to inspire us today.

Born on November 9, 1731, Banneker grew up on a 100 acre to***co farm owned by his parents, a formerly enslaved man and the daughter of a mixed race couple along the Patapsco River in the area now known as Oella. Banneker was largely self taught and developed a deep fascination with science and the natural world. Banneker frequently spoke out against slavery and racial injustice, even writing to Thomas Jefferson to challenge him to live up to the ideals of equality and liberty.

Last year brought together an incredible range of presenters, historic crafts, music, demonstrations, and activities, all celebrating Banneker's remarkable life and legacy. We're looking forward to another wonderful day of history, discovery, and conversation!

If you're in the area, come say hello, explore the history, and discover what 18th century medicine was really like!

Benjamin Banneker Historical Park and Museum 300 Oella Avenue, Catonsville, MD 21228 This Saturday, 10 AM - 4 PM

11/01/2026

Happy Sunday from the Conococheague Institute, and a slower morning as we look back on yesterday's Revolutionary Homestead activities!

Shippensburg University intern Shane Billings spent the day sharing the technology and tactics behind the muskets of the American Revolution. Armed with a British musket (and wearing an American r***e frock!), Shane explored the importance of the hunting shirt during the Revolution. George Washington himself encouraged their use when uniforms weren't available, observing that they were "justly supposed to carry no small terror to the enemy, who think every such person a complete marksman." Not a bad reputation to have on the battlefield!

Meanwhile, there was something rather delicious happening behind the scenes. After an absolutely packed October, Matthew treated the team to a hot lunch of homemade steak and ale pies and Cornish pasties. A small thank you for a month that saw us welcome around 1,000 students through our education bookings, host our big annual harvest event, and keep up with an exceptionally busy period of gifts and grants. And yes, they were every bit as good as they sound!

A little history, a little good food, and a chance to appreciate what a tremendous amount our team has accomplished together. Not a bad way to spend a Saturday at CI.

10/31/2026

Have a safe and happy Halloween! Our team had an incredible day welcoming families to share some spooky turnip lore, enjoy trick or treating, and show off some fun animal costumes! More tomorrow on some of the other historic activities!

10/31/2026

Happy Halloween! Looking for something fun to do with the family today? Come and join us at the Conococheague Institute for a FREE day of Halloween fun, spooky stories and living history!

We've got pumpkins to carve, turnips to hollow out, musket firings to witness, trick-or-treating around our historic buildings, costumed goats to meet, and plenty of Halloween treats for the kids!

And, of course, our team will be out in full 18th-century attire, ready to welcome you for a little historical Halloween mischief!

Bring the kids, bring your costumes, bring your friends, and come make some Halloween memories with us!

TODAY, 10am - 4pm, Conococheague Institute 12995 Bain Road, Mercersburg, PA, 17236, FREE admission and FREE activities!

No need to book, just come along and join the fun! We can't wait to see you!

10/30/2026

Fancy a bit of history this Saturday? Our team has spent the last month welcoming school groups every day, and they've decided it's time for a little relaxing Halloween fun! So, we're opening up the Revolutionary Homestead programs for a special day of spooky history, pumpkins, and family fun.

Come and join us this Saturday, 10am–4pm, completely FREE!

Discover the history of Jack O'Lanterns and the tale of Stingy Jack, try your hand at carving pumpkins, gourds, and even turnips, and take your creation home with you, witness blackpowder musket firings, bring the kids trick-or-treating around our historic area, where there'll be FREE candy and goodies, meet our goats in costume and grab a fun family photo (come dressed yourself!), and explore the historic homestead with our full team dressed in their usual 18th-century attire. It's always a costume day for us!

It's a little Halloween mischief with a healthy dose of history, and we'd love to see you there!

Conococheague Institute
Saturday, 10am–4pm
FREE admission and activities!

Swing by, bring the family, and celebrate Halloween with us on the frontier!

10/29/2026

Thank you again for this generous contribution! We're incredibly grateful to Lennox Feel The Love for the system, and to the talented, community oriented team at Premier HVAC Services for the installation and this fun video!

The Lennox Feel the Love program has made a lasting impact at the Conococheague Institute, and it's wonderful to see that this is an annual initiative. Please share this with anyone you know who could benefit in the future!

10/29/2026

What an exciting two months we've had consulting with Mercersburg Academy as the Stony Batter Players as they brought Sheridan’s 1775 'The Rivals' comedy to life.

After everyone's hard work it was an absolute pleasure and honor to share an exhibit of material culture connected to the play at the performances, and it gave us an opportunity to showcase some of our fancier artifacts! An officer's sword, gentlemans wig, lace and bobbins and more!

And for the young performers who signed up to volunteer at CI immediately following their busy weekend? We decided that it was time for them to unwind! We welcomed the cast to CI for some archery, tomahawk throwing, and, of course, well earned goat snuggling.

Seeing the cast take their final bow was a wonderful way to wrap up this collaboration. Congratulations to the entire cast and crew on a fantastic production, and thank you for letting CI play a part in bringing the world of Georgian Bath to life!

10/28/2026

Some people are just born to tell a story, and our latest 1776 Spotlight is a perfect example! It's the special presenter interview you've all been waiting for, with Drew Shuptar-Rayvis.

Drew has been presenting Algonkian living history now for several years at CI, and travels the country as a renowned speaker, researcher, and Pocomoke Nation Cultural Ambassador. We're honored to host him in our events. In this video, he shares what first drew him into living history, offers advice to others exploring their own cultural heritage, reveals his favorite Revolutionary War figure, and more.

The best part? This entire four minute interview needed absolutely NO editing! Drew is such a confident, fluid, engaging speaker, and we think you'll enjoy hearing his perspective as much as we did.

A huge thank you to Drew for the inspirational work he does in the community, and Americana Corner and Middletown Valley Bank for sponsoring our 1776 Spotlight series and helping us share the stories and people that bring America's founding era to life.

10/27/2026

Team Spotlight: Tom McQuaid

We've got another two weeks of daily education bookings here at CI before the fall season starts to slow down, and we couldn't accomplish any of it without our team!

Our 30 acres are open to the public daily, with historic buildings, gardens, woodland trails, meadows, and vistas to explore. Keeping it all looking its best is no small task, and our Historic Site Grounds and Maintenance Technician, Tom McQuaid, is the man making it happen!

From keeping the grounds tidy and the trails accessible to maintaining those picture perfect views across the property, Tom works hard behind the scenes to ensure our visitors can enjoy everything CI has to offer. With school groups arriving daily and visitors exploring the grounds throughout the week, there's always something that needs doing, and Tom's flexibility is greatly appreciated.

So, while our educators are busy bringing the 18th century to life for hundreds of students, spare a thought for the work that goes into keeping the historic setting around them looking its best!

A huge thank you to Tom for all he does to care for CI's historic landscape. Next time you're visiting, take a moment to enjoy the views, there's a lot of work behind them!

10/26/2026

A new romance is brewing at CI! A big thank you to new farm partners, Katy and Dylan of Haywire Hills, who have just delivered a very important new arrival: a Nigerian Dwarf breeding buck named Boots²!

Yes, Boots Squared. They already had a Boots in the family, so naturally, the next one needed an upgrade. Boots is a relatively small fellow, albeit with some impressively large horns, and he's a rather sweet chap. But we do have a small warning for visitors over the next two months…

Bucks smell. A LOT.

During breeding season, male goats have some rather unconventional ideas about personal hygiene and attracting the ladies. They urinate on themselves (including their beards and faces) to spread their scent. It's perfectly normal goat behaviour, but it does mean that we don't recommend petting Boots on the face!

Boots has joined Juniper and Carmella in a separate breeding pasture, and they are bonding really well (even being nicer to each other too), and if all goes well, we're hoping for Nigerian Dwarf kids in late March!

The rest of our herd remains in its usual pasture, where all our educational programs will continue as normal. We wouldn't want to interrupt the romance, after all!

Our growing animal husbandry programme helps us teach visitors about the essential role livestock played in 18th century farm life, from providing goat milk and sheep's wool to the daily responsibilities of caring for animals. Our goats and sheep are a much loved part of bringing that history to life for thousands of schoolchildren and families each year.

If you'd like to support this work, please consider making a donation to our Animal Husbandry Initiative. We'll add links to become a goat giver or sheep supporter in the comments!

Your donation can go twice as far! Thanks to the generosity of the Stauffer family, donations are being matched dollar for dollar up to $50,000 through the end of the year. We're currently at $25,000, halfway to our goal!

Help us care for our animals, grow our educational programs, and keep the stories of our agricultural past alive for future generations.

And if you visit Boots, do say hello. Just perhaps not too close to his face

Address

12995 Bain Road
Mercersburg, PA
17236

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 8pm
Tuesday	7am - 9pm
Wednesday	7am - 5pm
Thursday	7am - 5pm
Friday	7am - 5pm
Saturday	7am - 8pm
Sunday	7am - 8pm

Telephone

+17173282800

Website

http://cimlg.org/

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