Wooden nickels promote, celebrate Lebanon County’s rich history & heritage

Never in her wildest dreams did Jen Kuzo think the county’s wooden nickels promoting the upcoming 250th anniversary of the nation’s birth would be a hot commodity. 

“I had an email from a gentleman in Washington state saying, ‘I heard about the nickel trail. Can you mail me some nickels?’ And I’m like, ‘If you make a donation to the 250 (committee), I’ll mail you some nickels,’” recalled Kuzo. “He did it, he made a $25 donation to the 250 committee and I mailed him a set of five nickels. He was originally from Lebanon County and he said he reads LebTown, read your article, and he said he’d really like to have those nickels.”

The fervor over the wooden nickels that were created to celebrate “250 years (1776-2026) in the Valley!” has been palatable, according to Kuzo, past president & CEO of Visit Lebanon Valley. 

Kuzo, who retired from her position at the local tourism agency near the end of 2025, created the nickels in partnership with the Lebanon County250 Committee, which is coordinating the local celebration throughout the year. She previously noted the program was designed to help “showcase our rich heritage, diverse voices, and the people who make this community special, past and present.” 

Tokens from the Lebanon County Wooden Token History Trail can be collected at 12 locations throughout the Lebanon Valley. The nickels feature a steel foundry, railroad, pretzels, mining, and an American flag – all important symbols to Lebanon Countians – on the front and the words “America250 PA Lebanon County” on the back. 

From South Carolina to Philadelphia and beyond, word about the nickels has spread and they’re being sought by folks near and far, noted Kuzo.

“I had a lady come in and she was getting an extra set for her cousin in South Carolina because her cousin grew up in this area,” added Kuzo. “I even had a gentleman from Philadelphia call me and say what a great idea it was and they wanted to do something like that in the Philadelphia area.” 

VLV’s wooden nickel trail is really popular locally with young and old alike.

“People are doing it and giving them as gifts. They’re doing it with their children. They’re doing it with their neighbors. They’re doing it with their office mates. It’s endearing, right?“ Kuzo said.  “They’re having fun with it, and doing it with other people because it’s something fun to do and it’s totally local.”

The nickels were, in fact, being sought before Kuzo had an opportunity to distribute them and in advance of the trail’s official launch date last fall.

“It took off before it even started. I didn’t even get a chance to get around to all the locations with the nickels, and it had already taken off,” Kuzo said. “I’m dropping it off at one location, and people are starting it, and I’m like, ‘It didn’t start yet.’ And they’re already starting the trail.” 

That’s exactly what happened at Seltzer’s Smokehouse Meats Retail Store in Palmyra, according to general manager Samantha Cureton. She said co-worker Rachel Moyer worked with Kuzo on their participation.

“Rachel said, ‘Oh, this sounds really good,’ and then when she told us all of us, we were like, ‘That’s a very cool idea and people will love it,’” Cureton said. “And people have. There’s people who just come here for the wooden axe (the symbol on the mining token). They follow it (the trail) around. You’d be surprised how many of them came and were adamant about getting it.”

Each participating sponsor has an index card with information that’s distributed with each nickel so visitors know the other locations, their addresses and operating hours. There’s a mix of local businesses like the Lebanon Farmers Market, public places like Annville and Myerstown libraries, and several historic locations, including the Isaac Meyer Homestead and Cornwall Iron Furnace, that are home to the wooden nickels. 

Lydia Jones, museum educator at Cornwall Iron Furnace, said it was a no-brainer for the historic site to be involved in this initiative.

“We’re really excited about the 250 ’cause we have a really strong connection with the Revolution and it’s a great way to kind of bring people into the site. We’ve had a lot of people come in who haven’t either come in in a while or who’d never come in before,” Jones said. “So it was kind of a really good way to kind of reach out to other people who might not necessarily be here.”

The furnace is forever linked to the American Revolution, she added.

“When the furnace was operating in the 18th century during the American Revolution, the Continental Congress was having iron furnaces make cannon shot and shell for the war effort,” Jones said. “We also made shot, shell and salt pans.”

Cornwall Iron Furnace made 42 cannons, 41 of which were delivered to the Continental Navy, she said. The 42nd cannon didn’t cast properly and was never test fired; it’s now on display at the visitor center.

The initial reaction to the wooden nickels was so crazy that the first 5,000 were barely released when Kuzo found herself ordering an additional 5,000.

“By incorporating the fun part of the nickel trail with history, it’s incorporating fun into learning. And it’s helping people engage in the history of the Lebanon Valley,” Kuzo said. “I had a lady come in with four little kids. And they all wanted a nickel.”

There’s historic significance to wooden nickels both nationally and locally, according to Kuzo and Jones. 

They are believed to date back to as far as the 1880s, but definitely came into use during the Great Depression in the 1930s to help local economies and, in some cases, serve as temporary currency when banks failed.

“There’s history behind the wooden nickel. It was used in old times. ‘Don’t let anybody give you any wooden nickels,’” Kuzo said about the time-honored phrase used as a warning to practice caution in financial dealings.

Wooden nickels were also used over the years by Chambers of Commerce, banks, and businesses to promote events or, as in the case of the nation’s 250th anniversary, for specific celebrations.

“I haven’t had a lot of personal experience with wooden nickels, but they did wooden nickels for the (American) bicentennial, which a lot of people remember. A lot of people were kids then, now they’re adults and so they’re bringing their kids,” Jones said. “So that’s been really cool to see, ’cause like the adults will come in and be like, ‘I collected the bicentennial wooden nickels and now I’m getting the semiquincentennial (nickel) and I brought my kids, which are like the same age I was when I started my wooden nickels.’ So that’s been really cool.”

The 250th wooden nickels pay tribute to Lebanon County in other ways, too.  An internet search revealed wooden nickels for sale on eBay that were made for the Jonestown (1761-1961) and Myerstown (1768-1968) bicentennial celebrations. Each is listed separately for sale at between $3.50 and $4. 

“I believe that was Visit Lebanon Valley’s idea when they were putting the wooden nickel program together,” Jones said. “To kind of harken back to that bicentennial to remember it and other stuff, which I think is just really cool to kind of put the semiquincentennial into part of this longer (local) tradition.”

The wooden nickels, for Kuzo, are also an educational tool. 

“I think it’s going a long way in helping because people are excited about it and the more we can get people excited about it, the more people will understand our nation’s past and how it’s involved in our nation’s future,” she said.