Calendar
Brown Bag: Odd and EVEN Offal Pennsylvania German Foods
For the past three hundred years, the Pennsylvania Dutch in SE Pennsylvania have maintained a unique cultural identity, to some extent preserving the dialect, but even more importantly, their food! Alice Wolfgang will showcase more than 60 historic recipes in order to help you eat up the past!
Make Music Upper Perk
2025 will be the 13th year of the all day, free celebration of music, at over twenty locations throughout the Upper Perkiomen Valley!
Make Music Upper Perk is always free and open to the public
Pottstown Area Artists Guild 2025 Juried Fine Art Show Reception & Awards Ceremony
Reception & Awards Ceremony with artist talks, live music & refreshments
Passport to History Weekend
We join with our partners at the Lehigh Valley Passport to History to bring special events this last weekend of June. On Saturday enjoy a Seasonal Saturday Program and on Sunday special music.
Seasonal Saturday - Folk Art Nature Art
Folk Art nature crafts, drawing & painting using stencils and your imagination!
Program is free of charge, though we ask that you pre-register to ensure enough supplies. Contact Meredith at 215-679-3103 or meredith@schwenkfelder.org.
Fun for all ages. Younger children may need the assistance of their parent or guardian.
German Folk Music - Scott Reagan and Pälzer Krischer
Scott Reagan, folk musician and Schwenkfelder descendant, and the German fold band Pälzer Krischer will perform PA Dutch fold music as well as some songs in Palatine German dialect, which is closely related to PA Dutch.
Arrive by 4:30pm; program runs form 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM. Admission fee $3/person. Register by June 22
Brown Bag: Very Old Schools: Local Education 1720-1850
More than a century before the township one-room-schools came into being, there were sincere efforts by most all fledgling congregations to provide the basics of reading, writing, and math for their children. Bob Wood will discuss how early church schools stood in the shadow of every church and community pay schools dotted the landscape.
Posey Pincushion Workshop
Come join us for a fun workshop—making a posy pincushion based on an antique design! Charlotte copied a wool pincushion in our collection that dates to the late 19th–early 20th century and was found in Berks County. You will need to have at least advanced beginner sewing skills to participate. We will provide all supplies including your choice of wool, thread, and if you want, a button for your posy center.
Seasonal Saturday - Sea Glass trinket box mosaics
Let us visit the Ocean quilt exhibit, from the Carrefour European Quilt Show, for inspiration as we create our own ocean themed masterpieces.
Program is free of charge, though we ask that you pre-register to ensure enough supplies. Contact Meredith at 215-679-3103 or meredith@schwenkfelder.org.
Fun for all ages. Younger children may need the assistance of their parent or guardian.
Cigar Making in Our Local Community
At one time, cigar making was more than a hobby for one’s own enjoyment. This short-lived industry provided work for thousands of people in many small-town communities and was a large part of their local economy. Here is an opportunity to learn about some of the local cigar factories—where they were and what happened to them. This program in free thanks to the Friends Local History Fund, but reservations must be made by Friday, July 18 by emailing info@schwenkfeder.org or calling 215-679-3103.
Brown Bag: From Fred Grater to ChatGPT: The Utilization of Artificial Intelligence in Translation and Modernization
In this lecture, Pastor Nick Pence will explore some recent applications of Open AI in translating the Corpus Schwenckfeldianorum and explore how this technology can assist in studies of historic and genealogical interest. If you have documents which need translation, bring them along and we can work on how to shape our results.
Brown Bag: We Are Not Here for the Beer: Lager Beer, Saloons, and the Temperance Movement
Join curator Candace Perry for an exploration of how the introduction of Lager beer to Philadelphia around 1840 influenced saloon culture and was a major contributing factor to the rise of the temperance movement of the 1800s. Candace will intertwine her research on he great-great grandmother, Miriam Hitchcock Cole, a 19th century suffragette and temperance advocate, with the colorful history of saloons and how they inspired a crusade that would eventually bring about Prohibition in the United States.
Redware Sgraffito Plate Workshop
This workshop focuses on the sgraffito technique used by 18th and 19th century Pennsylvania German potters to make expressive designs in their folk art pottery. Sgraffito means to “scratch,” and workshop participants will draw and scratch a design on a redware plate. No experience required. Participants may chose plate size but limit of 3 plates as time permits. All the sgraffito tools and books for ideas are provided.
Workshop fee of $60, Materials fee of $38 for a 7” plate or $50 for a 10” plate.
Registration deadline is September 12.
Hands-On Heritage: Orgelkids PA Organ Making Workshop
Free of charge but please register by calling 215-679-3103 or emailing Meredith Reinhart at meredith@schwenkfelder.org.
Penn Dry Goods Market
The Penn Dry Goods Market is a textile-focused antiques and vintage show with dealers hailing from Pennsylvania and other locations on the east coast. Our dealers are among the best in antique textiles, offering samplers and other needlework, quilts, coverlets and woven objects, linens, yardage, sewing smalls, sewing tools and equipment, buttons, baskets, and general Americana. Visitors will find treasures from across the country and around the globe at a variety of prices!
Penn Dry Goods Market
The Penn Dry Goods Market is a textile-focused antiques and vintage show with dealers hailing from Pennsylvania and other locations on the east coast. Our dealers are among the best in antique textiles, offering samplers and other needlework, quilts, coverlets and woven objects, linens, yardage, sewing smalls, sewing tools and equipment, buttons, baskets, and general Americana. Visitors will find treasures from across the country and around the globe at a variety of prices!
Fraktur Workshop for Adults with Ruth Williams
Class participants will create floral or bird fraktur paintings based on designs of early works from Pennsylvania. A technique for antiquing the paper as well as basic watercolor skills will be taught. Supplies will be provided; however, participants are free to bring their own tube or palette watercolor paints, a variety of smaller brush sizes, and a fine-tip waterproof black or brown liner marker.
Brown Bag: Researching Demographics of the Perkiomen Valley, 1730-1830
Research Associate Emma Hartman discusses her ongoing research to document the lives of free and enslaved African Americans who lived and worked in the Perkiomen Valley during the time around the American Revolution.
Program in-person or via Zoom. Register by emailing info@schwenkfelder.org or calling 215-679-3103. FREE
The Perkiomen Railroad
George Slater, Vice-president of the Perkiomen Railroad historical Society, will join us to discuss that railroad. While here, check out the model train exhibit Next Stop Pennsburg!
Admission is free thanks to the Friends Local History Program Fund.
Gallery Talk: Stories are Made, Loop by Loop with Susan Feller
The gallery talk, lead by Susan Feller, is an opportunity to hear why the exhibit was curated and to learn the personal stories incorporated into each work.
Rug hooking is considered a domestic craft within the fine art field. Contemporary artists break that bias and have been juried into exhibits because of the attention to design elements which evoke emotional reactions. Feller will field questions and reactions from the audience adding to these stories. We expect one or more of the artists to be at the talk also.
Passport to History Weekend
With the change in seasons, it’s time to visit the Heritage Center! This weekend our 1826 Seipt Family Barn reopens for tours. All tours are free but guided. You can ask when you arrive or arrange a tour time ahead by emailing info@schwenkfelder.org or calling 215-679-3103. Next Stop Pennsburg!, an exhibit of model trains, is in its last weeks on view. Come on Friday, the 21st, and Sunday, the 23rd when model train expert Mark Lehmann will be here to answer your questions. Kid-friendly scavenger hunts and art activities available for both barn and trains. Admission free.
The Fries Rebellion at the Grand Theater
Join us Saturday, March 15 at the Grand Theater for a free showing of The Fries Rebellion. Doors will open at 12:15pm. The film will begin at 1:00pm. Concessions will be available.
Brown Bag: Mountain Mary: Sainted Healer of the Oley Valley
Anna Maria Jung (1744-1819) or Mountain Mary is perhaps the most celebrated woman in the history of the Pennsylvania Dutch, and legends of her life and deeds embody the spirit of the region’s folk culture even two centuries after her death. Patrick Donmoyer, director of the Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center, will share her story.
Program in-person or via Zoom. Register by emailing info@schwenkfelder.org or calling 215-679-3103. FREE
Seasonal Saturdays: Spring has Sprung
Spring has Sprung!: Let’s create flowers using different media & supplies. Bring your creativity!
Program is free of charge, though we ask that you pre-register to ensure enough supplies. Contact Meredith at 215-679-3103 or meredith@schwenkfelder.org.
Fun for all ages. Younger children may need the assistance of their parent or guardian.
Seasonal Saturday - Scherenschnitte & Snowflakes
Scherenschnitte: What it is and how to make it.
Program is free of charge, though we ask that you pre-register to ensure enough supplies. Contact Meredith at 215-679-3103 or meredith@schwenkfelder.org.
Fun for all ages. Younger children may need the assistance of their parent or guardian.
Brown Bag: Washington Stays at Peter Wentz
The 1758 Peter Wentz Farmstead served as headquarters for General George Washington and his military “family” in October of 1777. The Farmstead’s curator Scott Houting will share how staff have increasingly developed their interpretation of this event as new historical documentation has emerged.
Program in-person or via Zoom. Register by emailing info@schwenkfelder.org or calling 215-679-3103. FREE
School of Christ
Why Pray? Hiddens Gems for Devotional Life from Schwenckfeld & Early Schwenkfelders
Annual Grundsau Lodsch fer Yunge
Enjoy your time with representative from our local Groundhog Lodges while celebrating the Pennsylvania German language & traditions by learning dialect phrases as well as sampling crafts, games, and snacks. Help our Grundsau predict the weather forecast for the spring!
Program is free of charge, though we ask that you pre-register to ensure enough supplies. Please contact Meredith at 215-679-3103 or meredith@schwenkfelder.org.
Fun for all ages. Younger children may need the assistance of their parent or grandparent.
Tea & Textiles with Caroline
Our latest installment of Tea & Textiles with Caroline is a series of textile programs via Zoom. This year’s theme is Rock, Paper, Scissors. Register here.
Brown Bag: Researching an Old House
Old house detective Jeff Marshall shows us how to trace the genealogy of an old house. He will explain the process from deed research to how to use secondary stories to build a house’s history.
Program in-person or via Zoom. Register by emailing info@schwenkfelder.org or calling 215-679-3103. FREE
Closed
Museum and library will be closed December 23 - January 7 for holidays and annual cleaning
Closed
Museum and library will be closed December 23 - January 7 for holidays and annual cleaning
Brown Bag: It's a Fabulous Fifties Christmas!
Join Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center Curator Candace Perry for a sparkling nostalgic trip to the fun, food, and festivities of the 1950s holiday season.
Program in-person or via Zoom. Register by emailing info@schwenkfelder.org or calling 215-679-3103. FREE
Make & Take crafts - Christmas ornaments
Homemade gifts are the best, right? Join us for a festive time of crafting while listening to holiday tunes.
Program is free of charge, though we ask that you pre-register to ensure enough supplies. Contact Meredith at 215-679-3103 or meredith@schwenkfelder.org.
Fun for all ages. Younger children may need the assistance of their parent or guardian.
Make & Take crafts - Christmas ornaments
Homemade gifts are the best, right? Join us for a festive time of crafting while listening to holiday tunes.
Program is free of charge, though we ask that you pre-register to ensure enough supplies. Contact Meredith at 215-679-3103 or meredith@schwenkfelder.org.
Fun for all ages. Younger children may need the assistance of their parent or guardian.
Workshop for Families: Organ Making Workshop
We are thrilled to host Orgelkids PA again. They first joined us for Make Music Upper Perk to introduce us to pipe organ making. Now they return for a more elaborate program. What is Orgelkids? Orgelkids is a real, portable pipe organ that you build and play. In less than an hour, you assemble almost 200 individual pieces into a beautiful instrument, then make beautiful music.
Brown Bag: Schwenckfeld 101
The Schwenkfeders were named after a lesser-known Protestant reformer who lived in the first half of the 1500s: Caspar Schwenckfeld von Ossig. Who was he? What were some of his basic teachings which the early Schwenkfelders appreciated? Rev. David Luz, Executive Director Emeritus of the Heritage Center, will answer these and many other questions.
Program in-person or via Zoom. Register by emailing info@schwenkfelder.org or calling 215-679-3103. FREE
Bauman’s Apple Butter - Presentation by Harvey Bauman
Program is available in-person or via Zoom. Register by emailing info@schwenkfelder.org or calling 215-679-3103