The historic town of Bird-in-Hand started as a Quaker settlement in 1715. When the King's Highway (now known as Rte 340) was being constructed in 1734 between Lancaster and Philadelphia, William McNabb built the first permanent inn in the area to serve the workers. The inn is still in operation today as Bird-in-Hand Village Inn & Suites. In the 1800s the Gibbons house on the west end of town was a stop on the Underground Railroad, seeing over 1,000 slaves to freedom. Noted songwriter E.O. Lyte (Row, Row, Row Your Boat, Jolly Old St. Nicholas) called Bird-in-Hand home. Today, the town of Bird-in-Hand is a location that is close to everything that the region has to offer: sightseeing throughout the Amish community and culture, authentic dining, theater, antiquing, outlet shopping, mud sales and more.
