Towanda is hardly the first place people think of in connection with the French Revolution, but between 1793 and 1803, a group of French refugees established a settlement at what is now the French Azilium Historic Site. Rumor has it that Marie Antoinette was even slated to settle in Towanda. Incorporated in 1828, Towanda gets its name from Native Americans who considered the land a beautiful place to bury their dead. Towanda started as a lumber town, and several of its buildings from the early 1800s still stand; many are listed on the National Register of Historic Buildings. Visitors can take in the history, fish in Stephen Foster Lake, sightsee and shop in the historic downtown, or check out Knapp's Covered Bridge, said to be the highest in Pennsylvania.
