The 2021 Town Tours and Village Walks program will be presented again this summer with the theme "Journeying Toward Freedom."

This year's program will kick off on Thursday, June 17, with a virtual ceremony and Juneteenth Commemoration starting at 5 p.m., followed by optional in-person walking tours at 6:45 p.m. at the Chester County History Center, 225 N. High St., West Chester.

Like last year, the virtual programs will occur "Live at 5" on Thursday evenings throughout June, July and August. However, this year will bring back the program's original walking tour component on a limited basis.

Through the 2021 Town Tours and Village Walks program, individuals can learn about the founding principles, Chester County's abolitionists and freedom seekers and the sites in Chester County that were intrinsic to the nation's history from the Quaker values of tolerance and necessary civil disobedience to the boundary dispute with Maryland and the drawing of the Mason-Dixon Line.

The kickoff event on June 17 will highlight William Kashatus, respected Underground Railroad historian and author of "William Still: The Underground Railroad and the Angel at Philadelphia." Signed books will be available at the History Center, and walking tours will begin after the program at 6:45 p.m.

Additional programs will include the following: June 24 (virtual) - Walking in Harriet Tubman's Footsteps; July 1 (virtual and in person) - Abolitionists and the Eusebius and Sarah Barnard House in Pocopson, with self-guided tours to follow on Saturday and Sunday, July 3 and 4; July 15 (virtual) - Parker Sisters Kidnapping and Rescue; July 22 (virtual) - The Lewis-Fussell Family Story; Aug. 12 (virtual) - Post-Civil War and the Road to Recovery; and Aug. 19 (in person) - touring the history of the Welsh Baptist Historic District and Mason-Dixon Line with additional tours to follow on Saturday, Aug. 21.

The Town Tours and Village Walks program is made possible through a partnership between the Chester County Board of Commissioners, Chester County Planning Commission, Chester County History Center, Chester County Historic Preservation Network, Chester County Conference and Visitors Bureau and many volunteers.

In addition to this year's Town Tours and Village Walks program, Kennett Square's Voices Underground has prepared a diverse list of Juneteenth events. Details can be found at http://www.vuproject.org/juneteenth.

For more information about the 2021 Town Tours and Village Walks program and to register for the events, visit https://chescoplanning.org/HisResources/TownTours.cfm.