I've passed through Intercourse several times before our July visit, and the town's name fueled my curiosity. Here's what I found online pertaining to the town's name origin.
Formerly known as "Cross Keys" from a noted old tavern, this village was founded in 1754. Much speculation exists concerning the origin of the name of this little country village. There are several explanations, but none really can be substantiated. The first centers around an old race track which existed on the Old Philadelphia Pike, there is a long stretch of race course, and was known as "Entercourse". It is believed that "Entercourse" gradually evolved into "Intercourse" which became the name of the town in 1814.
Another theory concerns two famous roads that crossed here. The Old King's highway from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh (now the Old Philadelphia Pike) ran east and west through the center of the town. The road from Wilmington to Erie intersected in the middle. The joining of these two roads is claimed by some to be the basis for the town "Cross Keys" or eventually "Intercourse".
A final idea comes from the use of language during the early days of the Village. The word "intercourse" was commonly used to describe the "fellowship" and "social interaction and support" shared in the community of faith, which was much a part of a rural village like this one.
No matter how Intercourse got its interesting name, it is a town full of delightful treasures and friendly shopkeepers, nestled amongst scenic Amish farmland. (Source: http://www.intercoursevillage.com/town.php)
one of the signs that greeted me when we drove into town
no traffic guarantees for a lovely, smooth ride
grazing horses
lovely farm houses
it's like a sea of lovely placed homes and farms
it must be lovely to live here, i thought
typical farm houses
corn fields seem to be everywhere
here's an Amish buggy ride using a light signal
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Below are signs from the specialty shops you can find around town:
any favorites? i love "sassy spoon" because it has a certain ring to it.
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Thank goodness it's Friday!
Such a gorgeous little town... I wish I had time to do a weekend trip. I'd spend all my time at the "Book Shoppe!"
ReplyDelete@ Amy, It's a lovely town, and I'd love to go back. I would spend a lot of time at the "Book Shoppe" too.
ReplyDeletewhat a lovely pastoral setting. i could see movies being made here. so serene. are the locals friendly, or are they tourist savvy?
ReplyDeleteI lived very close to Intercourse (and neighboring town Bird-In-Hand) for most of my life. I loved it! It's mainly an Amish town and most of those businesses are owned by the AMish. Some of them people even live in and just have one room they sell out of. It's worth the trip!
ReplyDeleteThe Sassy Spoon is cute! The farm photos reminded me of Facebook's Farm Town game. But I don't miss playing it, anyway. Haha.
ReplyDeletekayni, it looks and sounds like my type of town!!!
ReplyDeletewhat a beautiful town! i love quaint little places like that. thanks for the pretty pictures :)
ReplyDeleteAwww there is a certain appealing quaintness to the town with an interesting name. Very nice! =)
ReplyDeleteHow I look forward to live the Amish life! Simple and traditional living in a lovely community... Thanks for the tour =)
ReplyDeleteIt looks like a quiet and lovely town. I agree, Sassy Spoon is cute.
ReplyDeletei love the pepper lane.. because of the "free sample". lol
ReplyDeleteWhat lovely photos Kayni! :) I love the Girls Day Out sign because it's pink. ;)
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