The Chester County History Center is bringing back its "Plagues and Pestilence" walking tour on Wednesday, Oct. 14, guiding residents through West Chester's grim disease history for $16 a ticket.
The 90- to 100-minute tour departs at 5:30 p.m. from the History Center at 225 North High St. and covers about 1.5 miles of borough sidewalks. It runs rain or shine.
According to the History Center's event listing, the tour explores how cholera, typhoid, diphtheria, rabies and smallpox swept through West Chester in the early 1800s. The borough billed itself as "an elegant and healthful place" at the time, but outbreaks terrified families, especially those with small children.
Early treatments were brutal. The tour covers bloodletting, blistering and mercury dosing, all standard tools in the borough's medical arsenal before modern science caught up.
The walk also examines how disease changed burial practices and how West Chester's doctors and scientists fought to protect the community.
This year's route and disease lineup differ slightly from the 2025 edition of the tour.
Group sizes are small, and the History Center warns that tour times are likely to sell out. Chester County History Center members receive a 20 percent discount. Ticket fees are nonrefundable.
The History Center advises parental discretion, noting the subject matter may not suit younger audiences. Attendees should arrive 10 minutes early to check in. Service dogs are welcome; pets are not.
Tickets and details are available at mycchc.org or by calling 610-692-4800.
Coming up at the Chester County History Center
- Saturday, Oct. 17: "Chilling West Chester: A Dark History Walking Tour" explores crime and disaster in the borough. Tickets are $20 per person. Details at mycchc.org.
