Campbelltown, located in South Londonderry Township in western Lebanon County, was established in 1759. It’s only now, however, that it’s gained signs welcoming people into the village of around 5,000 people.
Thanks to the work of the nonprofit Campbelltown Community Alliance, new signs welcoming traffic into the community have been installed by the side of Route 322 at either end of the village.
At a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Dec. 3, members of the CCA, as well as representatives of local business and government, celebrated the occasion and detailed how the two-year project came to fruition.
“The signs are beautiful and a warm welcome into the village of Campbelltown for residents and visitors,” said CCA president Jennifer Bushta. Bushta explained that the design of the signs was developed with the help of a diverse committee of residents.
The signs feature a representation of Trolley No. 22, one of the last cars of the local trolley system to roll through Campbelltown on a route between Lebanon, Hershey, and other stops in the countryside. The trolleys stopped running nearly 75 years ago, in late December 1946, when buses began to take over the transportation infrastructure.
Read More: Before World War II, trolley cars were the best way to get around Lebanon city
Bushta thanked fellow CCA board members Laura Leonard, Jamie Miller, Stefanie Fogg, and Karla Trout for their dedication and work towards the project, as well as the landowners of the signs’ locations, the South Londonderry government, the Friends of Hershey Trolley, and numerous others. Those in attendance included County Commissioners Bill Ames and Jo Ellen Litz, 101st District state Rep. Frank Ryan, 48th District Senator Chris Gebhard, Tom Gerhard and Anthony Siwell of 9th District state Rep. Dan Meuser’s office, and Jennifer Kuzo of Visit Lebanon Valley, who also made brief comments on the success of the project.
The western sign’s exact location is along the south side of Route 322, just past Thistledown Drive when heading east and across the highway from the Maguire’s Ford East car dealership.
The CCA was formed in 2019, according to Bushta. The organization describes its purpose as “neighbors working together to revitalize Campbelltown through connectivity, safety, and beauty.”
More information about the CCA can be found on its website and Facebook page. The organization also hosts monthly meetings at the South Londonderry Township building, with the next meeting on Dec. 8 at 6:30 p.m.
“The signs are only the beginning of what CCA has planned for the village,” added Bushta. “We want to make our community proud and Lebanon County proud to have us.”
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