Three Centuries of Pennsylvania German Life, Preserved and On Display
Step into the permanent collection and you step into the world that Pennsylvania German families built — their homes, their faith, their fields, and their art. These exhibits span the 1700s through the early 1900s, drawing on one of the most significant collections of Pennsylvania German material culture anywhere in the world.
Why Our Collection Stands Apart
Whether you are tracing your own family's roots, exploring regional history for the first time, or deepening a lifelong interest in folk art and material culture, you will find something here that speaks directly to you. The collection is broad enough to reward a first visit and deep enough to bring researchers back again and again. That range — from the casually curious to the seriously scholarly — is exactly what we aim to serve.
On the Ground Floor
Stauffer Schwenkfelder Gallery
The Stauffer Schwenkfelder Gallery exhibits tell the story of the Schwenkfelders, beginning with a brief survey of the life of Caspar Schwenckfeld, through the Schwenkfelder journey to Pennsylvania in the 1730s, to settlement and assimilation as new Americans. The gallery features objects interpreting the domestic and spiritual life of the group, including the collection of 14 paint decorated Schwenkfelder chests that were commonly presented to young Schwenkfelder women and men in the 1700s and 1800s.
Schultz Rural Life Gallery
Designed as visual storage, the Schultz Rural Life Gallery is a visually dazzling exhibit of tools and equipment that were used on local farms from the eighteenth to the mid-twentieth century. By exhibiting collections that had long been in storage, the exhibit preserves and shares the rural objects that were part of a way of life now in the distant past. The centerpiece of the gallery is a 16½ foot, 1825 Conestoga wagon, the vehicle that ruled the roads of Pennsylvania from approximately 1750 to 1850.
To read more about Conestoga Wagons, click here.
On the Lower Level
Walter Emerson Baum Gallery
The SLHC collection of paintings by Walter E. Baum, Schwenkfelder descendant and Pennsylvania impressionist, is exhibited on the lower level. Because of Baum’s connection to Schwenkfelders, many paintings were acquired during his lifetime as well as after, including a self-portrait and wonderful images of significant Schwenkfelder sites in southeastern Pennsylvania.
On the First Floor
The George W. Bockius Gallery
The Philadelphia-born George W. Bockius (1913–1999) captured the local landscape, especially around Sumneytown, in his prolific painting. He painted scenes of the area by painting “en plein air” (outdoors in the landscape) as well as in his studio. He often reimaged views in an earlier time, minus the signs of modern life. His daughter, Susan Bockius, generously has donated a selection of his paintings to the Heritage Center.
Kriebel Rural Entrepreneurship Gallery
The Kriebel Rural Entrepreneurship Gallery is designed around a collection of farm machinery from the late 19th century manufacturers Heebner & Sons of Lansdale and Krauss Brothers of Kraussdale, given to SLHC by the late Sam Kriebel, whose family also sponsored the gallery. Rather than showing the farm machinery in an agricultural context, it is part of a larger group of exhibits that interpret the spirit of invention, innovation, and entrepreneurship in rural southeastern Pennsylvania from the colonial period to the early 1900s. The iron industry, mills, potteries, commercial butchers and dairies, and the ice industry thrived in this region when farmers and others saw the potential prospects of utilizing local natural resources. Also featured in this gallery is an exhibit about the Krauss family, who for several generations created their own opportunities as organ builders, clockmakers, and farm machinery manufacturers using their natural abilities and the timber, water, and other resources in their own backyards.
The 1826 Seipt Family Barn
The largest agricultural artifact at the Heritage Center is an 1826 barn. Moved here from a 35-acre farm on Sumneytown Pike in Montgomery County, this Pennsylvania German barn was probably built around 1826 by Mennonites Jacob and Elizabeth Kulp. In 1926, Schwenkfelder Samuel A. Seipt bought the farm for his son Wilbur and his wife Mabel. The Seipt family owned the barn until donating to the Heritage Center. The barn is open for tours with a guide during open hours.
To learn more about the barn’s move from Towamencin to Pennsburg, watch these videos.
The Barn Comes Down
The Barn Goes Back Up
Library Hallway Exhibit Space
Visit the baseball exhibit to discover the 20th century history of our local teams, with jerseys and equipment and even a 1920s trophy won by the East Greenville Tigers! Or explore the exhibit virtually by clicking on the button below.
Inside the Permanent Collection
The galleries reflect the major threads of Pennsylvania German life: artistic tradition, domestic craft, agricultural work, furniture and household objects, and religious identity. Each area stands on its own — and together they give visitors a complete picture of a community across time.
Fraktur: Pennsylvania German Illuminated Art
Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center holds one of the largest collections of Pennsylvania German fraktur in the world. These hand-lettered, hand-illustrated documents — birth records, baptismal certificates, house blessings, and devotional texts — are among the most distinctive art forms produced in early America. The collection includes examples from the mid-1700s through the 1800s, representing dozens of known and attributed artists working across the region.
Fraktur were not decorative objects made for galleries. They marked the moments that mattered most in a family's life, and they were kept. Seeing them in person — their colors, their script, their detail — is a different experience than any digital reproduction can offer. For visitors with Pennsylvania German ancestry, this gallery is often where the visit becomes personal.
Textiles: Coverlets, Quilts, and Needlework
The textile holdings in the permanent collection reflect the full range of Pennsylvania German domestic craft — from woven coverlets and quilts to samplers, embroidered pieces, and household linens. These objects document not just skill but economy: who made them, what they required, and what they signified within the household.
The coverlet collection is particularly strong, with examples showing the regional weaving traditions that distinguished Pennsylvania German communities from their neighbors. Interpretive displays connect the objects to the women who made them and the households that used them.
Agricultural Life and Farm Equipment
Pennsylvania German farming culture shaped the landscape of southeastern Pennsylvania for two centuries, and the permanent collection documents it in full. Visitors will find hand tools, implements, and equipment from the 1700s through the early 1900s, alongside interpretive material explaining how these communities worked the land and what their agricultural practices looked like season to season.
This portion of the collection connects directly to the reconstructed 1826 Pennsylvania barn on our property. The barn tour extends what the gallery introduces — moving from the objects themselves into the spaces where they were used.
Furniture, Household Objects, and Religious Artifacts
Pennsylvania German craftsmen produced furniture with a visual vocabulary all their own — painted chests, decorated storage pieces, and household objects that carried the same artistic sensibility as fraktur. The permanent collection includes examples of this furniture tradition alongside everyday household objects that place the more formal pieces in context.
The religious artifact holdings reflect the faith traditions that defined Schwenkfelder identity: devotional objects, printed texts, and material evidence of the community's spiritual life from its earliest years in Pennsylvania. For visitors researching Schwenkfelder history specifically, this section of the collection is among the most significant anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Pennsylvania German fraktur, and why is it significant?
Fraktur is a form of hand-lettered, hand-illustrated document produced by Pennsylvania German communities from the mid-1700s through the 1800s. Birth records, baptismal certificates, house blessings, and devotional texts were created in this tradition, combining calligraphy with decorative illustration. Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center holds one of the largest fraktur collections in the world, making it a primary destination for researchers and visitors interested in Pennsylvania German folk art.
Are the artifacts in the permanent exhibits originals?
Yes. The permanent collection is composed of original artifacts — documents, textiles, tools, furniture, and objects — not reproductions. Many pieces date to the 1700s and 1800s and have been preserved as part of the institution's holdings for decades.
How long does it take to see the permanent exhibits?
Most visitors spend between one and two hours in the permanent galleries, depending on their pace and areas of interest. If you plan to explore the barn or spend time in the library and archives, allow additional time. There is no pressure to move quickly — the collection is meant to be explored.
Can I visit the permanent exhibits without a reservation?
General museum admission does not require a reservation. You are welcome to visit during regular hours and explore the permanent collection at your own pace. Guided barn tours and research library appointments are scheduled separately.
Is the permanent collection relevant to visitors who are not Schwenkfelder descendants?
Entirely. The permanent collection documents Pennsylvania German life broadly — agricultural history, folk art traditions, domestic craft, and regional community development across Montgomery, Berks, Lehigh, and Bucks counties. Visitors researching any Pennsylvania German family history, regional history, or American folk art will find the collection directly relevant.
Plan Your Visit to the Permanent Exhibits
The permanent galleries are included with general museum admission. Come with a family name, a county, a question, or simply a curiosity about the people who shaped this region. We will help you find what you are looking for.