Churchtown is a small town with a large history. Little more than a mile long, Churchtown is home to many old stone mansions that date back to it's iron-making past. As small as it is, Churchtown is the largest village in Caernarvon Township completely surrounded by a sea of rich farmland in the Conestoga Creek Valley, an area also known as "the Garden Spot of Lancaster County". Sprawling the countryside of Churchtown you'll find Amish and Mennonite farms, a treasure trove of antique shops, bed and breakfast inns and historic homes that celebrate its unique and rich history.

Churchtown's first inhabitants were Welsh immigrants. Soon a large population of German settlers also flocked to the area in the 1780s, drawn by the Conestoga Valley's fertile land and similiar landscaping to the Palatinate region of Europe from where these settlers came. It is widely thought that Churchtown was named for its "prevalence of churches". Actually the town got its name from the Bangor Episcopal Church that once owned the town. The Bangor congregation, one of the Church of England's oldest, dates back to the 1720s. The church leased parcels of land to early settlers to provide itself with a regular income and Churchtown began to take shape.

Like so many quaint towns and villages that still thrive today, Churchtown began as a stop along a main road that ran through Lancaster County. Early inns, specialty shops and a general store lined the main thoroughfare hoping to provide travelers with food, lodging, repairs and supplies. During this time blacksmiths, harness makers and other tradesmen made a good living catering to travelers who were just passing through. Though Churchtown has made it to the 21st century, it still looks very much like the mid-19th century town it was when iron furnaces and forges dominated its economy. These forges processed pig iron brought in from the nearby iron furnaces. Even before the Revolutionary War, iron was wrought or hammered into implements, tools and other wares for household use at these forges.

The closure of the iron forges in the 1860s impacted the village greatly. Churchtown only continued to survive by serving the needs of the local agricultural community made up primarily of Amish and Mennonite farmers that settled there. While Churchtown once was home to those who worked in the forges and iron mines, it also boasted a business community of shoemakers, hat makers, saddlers, potters, and cabinet and wagon makers (mostly operated in residents' homes or out buildings). Churchtown's economy also was invigorated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries when Churchtown emerged as a resort community catering to travelers from New York seeking an escape from city life.

Today, taverns setup along route 23 continue to tend to the needs of weary travelers in search of a good meal and a place to sleep. In fact a few of the early inns and businesses have been transformed into bed and breakfast inns and antique shops that serve the needs of tourists seeking an escape from the hustle and bustle of city life. Many of the early homes still line the street, built from fieldstone and brick, building materials that were readily available to Churchtowns first settlers. Some of the early log homes still exist today as well, though most are covered with siding.

The pace may be slow. The town may be quiet. But with easy access to Reading and the Pennsylvania Turnpike, Churchtown still thrives today, much as it did in the early days, by serving the needs of travelers and catering to the rich farms that surround it.