The Historic Clark's Ferry Tavern in Duncannon

Duncannon is one of those sleepy little river towns along the mighty banks of the Susquehanna River. The town is located in Perry County Pennsylvania, just outside of the Harrisburg metropolitan area. You can get there in less than a 20 minute drive from the capitol city.

The Historic Clarks Ferry Tavern is the oldest structure still standing in town and was built in 1790, making it 200+ years old. A few years ago the building was going to be demolished until the borough purchased it and decided to renovate it. At one point in time, someone had turned the old tavern into a multi-unit apartment building. Now that it is being refurbished, it will be changed back to it's original design.

The Tavern is steep in history and during the early years it served as a stage coach stop, inn for tired and hungry travelers, the town's post office and eventually it served as a Civil War recruiting office. Back in the early 1900's...travelers would check into the inn while waiting to cross the Susquehanna River. A ferry used to carry these travelers from Clarks Ferry over to Peters Mountain and vice versa.

Duncannon has other significance too! If you're a hiker and enjoy hiking the Appalachian Trail which stretches from Maine down to Georgia for a total of 2,180 miles, the town is the halfway point. The town used to be a transportation mecca with the Duncannon Train Station and Clarks Ferry.

Like most little American towns there is not much to see and do in Duncannon. I certainly wouldn't plan a vacation to visit but if you are nearby or passing through...it is definitely worth the stop. You can find a few additional posts here on my blog about some other historical places to see in the area or things to do while visiting.

Looking for information on the historic Clark's Ferry Bridge? If so, we have that information right here on the blog too! You can see old photos, new photos and get some of the historical information about the bridge by visiting that particular post.

Note: You can enlarge each image in this post by clicking on it. It will open up in a new window so you can see the details more closely.