Intercourse, Pennsylvania: Come for the Sign, Stay for the Shoofly Pie

Let's address the elephant in the buggy: yes, you are going to take a photo with the sign. Everyone does. The sign is also the reason the town has had to deal with thieves for years, because the sign posts for the town are frequently targeted by thieves thanks to the unusual name. Nothing says "wholesome Amish country" like a sign-theft ring.

Welcome to Intercourse, Pennsylvania, a tiny Lancaster County village with a big giggle and a surprisingly deep history.

How Did Intercourse, PA Get Its Name? (Spoiler: Nobody Knows)

Before it was Intercourse, the town had a far more reasonable name. Formerly known as "Cross Keys," the village was founded in 1754, and the name was changed to "Intercourse" in 1814. The Cross Keys name came from a tavern. Like many towns, Intercourse got its start from a tavern near the intersection of two major highways, built of logs in 1754 and later rebuilt with brick. A pub started the town, which is the most relatable origin story in Pennsylvania.

As for why the name changed, much speculation went into the origin, but none of the claims have been validated. The three leading theories:

• The racetrack theory: An old race track existed just east of town along the Old Philadelphia Pike, and its entrance was known as "Entercourse."
• The crossroads theory: Two major roads met here, and that junction was the "intercourse" of the roads. Today those are Routes 340 and 772.
• The 1800s-English theory: The word would have referred to fellowship, social interaction and friendship, a big part of an agricultural village's culture.

So the town is named after either a horse track, a traffic intersection, or being neighborly. All three are more innocent than your group chat.

Kitchen Kettle Village: Where Jam Is a Personality

The roast cards say the most exciting thing in town is watching jelly get canned. They're not wrong, but they undersell it. Kitchen Kettle Village started in 1954 when Pat Burnley began a home-canning business. That's the most Pennsylvania Dutch startup story possible: no venture capital, just a kitchen and a dream of relish.

Today the village has a winery, a pretzel shop, fudge, and a calendar of festivals. On the fall schedule are a Pink Party Celebration and Yummie's Breakfast Boo Bash on October 31st. If you want to stay overnight, the inn's tagline is basically a dare: "When the village closes, the place is yours!"

Check the hours before you go. The village is open Mon-Fri 9am-5pm and Sat 9am-6pm, and it's closed Sundays. One reviewer put it bluntly: all shops and most of Lancaster are closed on Sunday, even non-Amish-owned businesses. The roast's "nothing open past 8 PM" jab is generous. Plan on being done before dinner.

Horse Thieves, Hollywood, and Other Local Lore

For a village with such a small footprint, Intercourse has a lot of stories.

The Horse Thief Association. The Intercourse Association of Lancaster County, for the Recovery of Stolen Horses and Other Stolen Properties, and Detection of Thieves, formed in 1836 and wasn't disbanded until 1999. That's 163 years of vigilance, which makes the modern sign thieves look like amateurs. Membership was a bargain too: annual dues were low, insuring members the safe return of stolen livestock.

The name-change petitions. Around 1890, unsuccessful petitions circulated to change the name back to "Cross Keys" or to "Smokerville." Smokerville lost to Intercourse, which tells you how bad the alternatives were. Later, Eros Publishers, a pornography business, was turned down in its effort to use the town's name. Even the town's own name had its limits.

Hollywood. The movie Witness was filmed in Intercourse and the surrounding area, and For Richer or Poorer was set there and filmed in Lancaster County too. So if you want the Harrison Ford version of Amish country, this is it.

The Verdict: Is Intercourse, PA Worth the Drive?

Yes, with realistic expectations. You're getting a walkable village at the junction of Routes 340 and 772, surrounded by Amish farms, with enough shoofly pie, pretzels, and quilts to put you in a pleasant carb coma. Wikipedia notes that Intercourse and Blue Ball are often named in lists of "delightfully-named towns" in Pennsylvania, so you can make it a double-header.

Come on a weekday or Saturday, bring cash for the fudge, take your sign selfie, and resist the urge to steal the sign. The town has been dealing with thieves since 1836, and it will notice.

Think we were too nice? See the full roast on RoastMyTown.com.