Dr. Silas Chamberlin - The Past and Future of Trails in Pennsylvania—and Beyond

Historian and trails advocate Silas Chamberlin will discuss the evolution of the trail-building community, from its origins in the early nineteenth century to present, and lessons we can learn from this rich history.  Drawing from research in his new book, On the Trail: A History of American Hiking (Yale University Press, 2016), he will show how the methods of building trails, the motives for building the trails, and the people building trails have all changed dramatically over the last two centuries.  Using Pennsylvania trail projects as examples, Chamberlin will suggest that these changes in the trails community have led to exponential growth in trail construction but also led to unexpected opposition to new trails.  For the trail builder, the hiker, the cyclist, or the history buff, this talk offers a fresh perspective on one of our simplest pieces of infrastructure—the trail.

Bio:  Silas Chamberlin is a historian of hiking and trails and author of On the Trail: A History of American Hiking (Yale University Press, 2016).  Silas spent nearly a decade researching hiking clubs throughout Pennsylvania and the country and has worked professionally to advance trail projects across the state, including the 130-mile Schuylkill River Trail and the 165-mile D&L Trail.  He holds a PhD in environmental history from Lehigh University, and his trail advocacy and research has received awards from the International Trails Symposium and the Association for Environmental Studies & Sciences.  Currently, Silas works as CEO of Downtown Inc, an economic development organization focused on promoting investment in historic York, PA.