Written by Forrest Moyer on April 12, 2017
Taking a break from immigrant family stories, this week we’re featuring a new acquisition related to the Easter holiday.
You may be familiar with the elaborate scratch-decorated eggs of the Lithuanian tradition; but did you know Pennsylvania Germans had a similar practice of scratch decoration? You can see many examples in a chapter on this topic in Alfred Shoemaker’s book Eastertide in Pennsylvania (1960). Often decorated eggs were made as presentation pieces or gifts from one friend to another at Easter.
This
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Written by Forrest Moyer on April 5, 2017
This series of posts highlights families descended from 18th-century Mennonite immigrants to eastern Pennsylvania, in connection with the MHC’s exhibit Opportunity & Conscience: Mennonite Immigration to Pennsylvania, on display through March 31, 2018. The stories reflect the enrichment brought to communities over centuries by the descendants of immigrants.
There are two Mennonite Bean families, one descended from John Bean (Johannes Biehn), immigrant of 1709 who settled in Worcester Township, Montgomery County; and the other from John Bean who immigrated thirty years
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Written by Forrest Moyer on March 31, 2017
A new exhibit entitled Opportunity and Conscience: Mennonite Immigration to Pennsylvania opens at the Mennonite Heritage Center tomorrow, Saturday, April 1, and will be on display through March 31, 2018. Hours are 10am-5pm Tuesday through Friday, and Saturday 10am-2pm. Admission is a suggested $5.00 donation. There is handicap access, and special tours can be scheduled.
ALSO, don’t miss your chance at a ticket (only 23 left!) to our special Heritage Banquet on April 28, where recent immigrants will share their stories,
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Written by Forrest Moyer on March 22, 2017
This is the first in a series of posts highlighting families descended from 18th-century Mennonite immigrants to eastern Pennsylvania, in connection with a new exhibit opening April 1, 2017 at the Mennonite Heritage Center, entitled Opportunity & Conscience: Mennonite Immigration to Pennsylvania.
The exhibit will commemorate the 300th anniversary of the arrival in 1717 of the first large group of Mennonite settlers to Pennsylvania, and will include recent immigrant stories as well. Look for photos of the exhibit installation next week
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Written by Steve Diehl on March 15, 2017
On Friday evening, April 28 at 6:30 p.m. we will hold our Heritage Banquet as a limited-seating dinner at the Heritage Center. Recent immigrants will share their stories, faith, and food, alongside of “Frederick Alderfer” an 18th century immigrant who will revive and present his story in our new exhibit. Tickets are $117 and funds raised will benefit the work of the Heritage Center and the communities of our visiting friends.
To reserve up to two (2) tickets, please CLICK HERE.
With
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Written by Forrest Moyer on March 8, 2017
In 1976, MHEP Newsletter editor Joyce Munro interviewed John C. Wenger about his memories of writing the book History of the Mennonites of the Franconia Conference in 1936. It’s fascinating to read about the process of creating this substantial book that is still in 2017 the best source for information on some aspects of Franconia Mennonite history, including ministers who have served in the conference. The book is available for purchase at the Mennonite Heritage Center.
We’re forty years too late
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Written by Forrest Moyer on March 1, 2017
A recent addition to the Mennonite Heritage Center collections is a post card photo of the Mennonite Home for the Aged at Frederick, Montgomery County, circa 1905. Notice the American flag flying prominently from the cupola. In the early 20th century, before the World Wars, churches of the Eastern District Conference often displayed flags. The post card is a gift of MHC Trustee Emeritus Ray K. Hacker. The catalog record can be viewed here.
It joins other images in the Frederick
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Written by Steve Diehl on February 22, 2017
We were glad to have the Souderton Charter School 7th graders visit us again today. Such a polite and inquisitive group! Here’s what our school field trips look like in the winter months:
After an introduction to the Center and finding out what students already know (this group had been well-prepared with recent study of Pennsylvania history and settlements), students are split into groups and rotate between three activity stations–Fraktur, Artifacts, and a Work and Hope scavenger hunt.
Paula Slemmer
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Written by Sarah Heffner on February 15, 2017
Spring (and gardening) is just around the corner! For those who enjoy gardening, perusing seed catalogs during the cold winter months brings the anticipation of another gardening season. Planning a garden and choosing which varieties to plant is always a hopeful exercise. I tend to overlook that I don’t always keep the weeds from predominating my garden by midsummer or that voles ruin my sweet potato harvest on a regular basis. One of these years, I will have a beautifully
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Written by Forrest Moyer on February 8, 2017
Souderton Mennonite Meetinghouse, circa 1910
Another article from the first year of the MHEP Newsletter features entries from the diary of William S. Hemsing (1866-1940) about his experiences at Souderton Mennonite Church. The full diary, subtitled An Intimate Look at Souderton, Pennsylvania, was published by Union National Bank in 1987 and is available to purchase in the Mennonite Heritage Center library for $8.00.
William Souder Hemsing, later to be Burgess of Souderton, was a teenage teller in the Union National Bank of
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