The Grodziec Castle Ornaments

It’s the 2011 holiday season and this week we’ve decorated our halls with figures of Father Christmas, boughs of foliage, Christmas trees, and holiday lights. One of our favorite items to display during the holidays are our Polish ornaments. These ornaments are a reflection of our institutional friendship with the Grodziec Castle in Poland, a place where Schwenkfelders were imprisoned in the 17th century. Mr. Zenon Bernacki, the manager of the Grodziec Castle donated the ornaments to us and in turn we can share the European Schwenkfelder story with our visitors.

Our ornaments are a reminder to us of the Schwenkfelder’s experience in Europe and a reflection of the generosity shown to today’s Schwenkfelders when they’ve returned to their homelands to learn about their heritage.

Polish Ornaments on display at the Heritage Center

Both of the ornaments can be found on our library information desk on the first floor. One ornament depicts the Grodziec Castle, formerly called the Groditzberg Castle. The other depicts the coat of arms for the Schwenckfeld family.

The Grodziec Castle Ornament

The Grodziec Castle was a place where those that rebelled against the local authorities were imprisoned in the 17th century. During our Heritage Tour of Schwenkfelder homelands in Europe, SLHC staff members, Schwenkfelder descendents, members of the Schwenkfelder church, and others traveled to remember and learn about the experiences of their Schwenkfelder ancestors at the Grodziec Castle.

Rev. Karen Gallegher of the Schwenkfelder Church,wrote about her experience after visiting the Grodziec castle in 2003:

It was told to us that Schwenkfelders [in the 17th century], and others who refused to attend the Catholic or Lutheran church services, were imprisoned in this castle… It was a very small damp, dark circular room, about six feet in diameter. There was a small slit window and a heavy wooden door with a tiny window – this was the only light in the cell… People were imprisoned there, without food or water, until they agreed to attend one of the two “approved” church services… That cell in Grodziec Castle has stayed with me ever since. Would I have had the kind of faith to stand my ground like that?

The Schwenckfeld Coat of Arms Ornament

The second ornament displays the Schwenckfeld coat of arms. The coat of arms is also seen on the portrait of Caspar Schwenckfeld on display in our gallery, and on many printed portraits of Caspar Schwenckfeld in our collection. The tartar cap featured on the Schwenckfeld coat of arms symbolizes the praiseworthy service of those in the battle of Wahlstatt against the Mongols in 1241.

To learn more about the Schwenkfelders experience in Europe and in America, we encourage you to visit our museum and library. We thank Mr. Zenon Bernacki, the manager of the Grodziec Castle, for donating the ornaments to us so that we can continue share the European Schwenkfelder story with our visitors and information about the Grodziec Castle.

Quote located in “Reflections on a Journey” Ephesians 1:3-14; Psalm 121 (Meditation – Matthew 11:28-30) by Rev. Karen K. Gallagher, delivered at Central Schwenkfelder Church, Lansdale, PA, 2003.

18th C Colonial Bookbinder Christoph Hoffmann

Are you interested in Colonial American bookbinding?
What kind of life did a PA Colonial bookbinder lead?
What were some of the common styles in colonial bookbinding?
Where would a colonial PA bookbinder have learned his trade?

On Wednesday, November 9, as part of our Brown Bag Lecture series, Archivist Hunt Schenkel will answer these questions and share with us images of colonial bookbindings attributed to Schwenkfelder bookbinder Christoph Hoffmann, discoveries about his process written in Hoffmann’s own bookbinding manual, and characteristics of Hoffmann’s bindings found in our collection.

The bound manuscript copy of the 1760 Schwenkfelder hymn collection, bound by Christoph Hoffmann.

Pictured here, the Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center has the manuscript of a 1760 Schwenkfelder hymn collection, bound and scribed by Christoph.

The title page inside the bound manuscript copy of the 1760 Schwenkfelder hymn collection seen above.

Here’s a little background about Christoph Hoffmann:

As with many German immigrants to Pennsylvania in the 1700s, Christoph Hoffman (his English name would be Christopher) became a farmer but his other vocations as a bookbinder, copyist, teacher, and minister left the greatest impact within the Schwenkfelder religious community. As a bookbinder Christoph Hoffmann was involved in many publication projects that helped to sustain the growing Schwenkfelder community in Pennsylvania in the generation following their immigration.

He bound the first printed Schwenkfelder hymnal in 1762 and the 1763 Schwenkfelder catechism. The 1762 Schwenkfelder Gesangbuch, or hymnal, was the first printed Schwenkfelder hymnal used in their community. Prior to this the Schwenkfelders used a hymnal belonging to the Bohemian Brethern religious sect (today the Bohemian Brethern group no longer exists, as they assimilated into the identity of the Moravian Church) in the Czech Republic. The 1763 Schwenkfelder catechism was a compilation of questions, answers, and commentary on Schwenkfelder religion used for study within the Schwenkfelder community. In 1771, Hoffmann was involved in the publication of the Erläuterung known in English as the Vindication of Caspar Schwenckfeld von Ossig, a publication written by the American Schwenkfelders for German clergy in an effort to exonerate their namesake, Caspar Schwenckfeld, in their European homeland. Christopher hand copied many Schwenkfelder books and was noted for his compilations of his father’s work. His father, Balthasar Hoffmann, was one of the earliest Schwenkfelder ministers in America and a Schwenkfelder hymn writer.

Christoph Hoffmann was a Schwenkfelder who immigrated to Pennsylvania in 1734 with his parents from the small town of Berthelsdorf in Germany. Berthelsdorf was the home of Count Ludwig von Zinzendorf, a prominent Moravian leader, who provided the Schwenkfelders a safe haven during the years of their persecution by the Jesuit mission and the Lutheran church. Zinzendorf eventually established the Moravian community in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the 1740s. Born in 1727 Hoffmann came to Pennsylvania at age 7 on the St Andrew as part of the largest Schwenkfelder immigration. He settled in Lower Salford, Montgomery County, PA, and eventually married fellow Schwenkfelder Rosina Drescher.

For more on Christopher Hoffmann, join us for:
Christopher Hoffmann, Schwenkfelder Bookbinder, 12-1pm, November 9, 2011
with Hunt Schenkel, Archivist, Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center
Free and open to the public.

Treasures of the Collection

This Sunday at 2:30 p.m. at the Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center, our Curator of Collections Candace Perry, Archivist Hunt Schenkel, and Associate Director of Research, Allen Viehmeyer will talk about the unique objects, invaluable treasures, and personal favorites in our collection.

Here’s a wonderful opportunity to meet our staff, learn about the history of our museum and library (did you know we date back to the 1890s?), and see collection items not often brought out on public display. We hope you’ll join us on Sunday afternoon.

Here’s a preview:

Allen Viehmeyer, our Associate Director of Research on what he considers to be one of the most significant treasures of the Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center collection:

The title page for the 1733 edition of the two volume Schwenkfelder hymnbook.

As I look over the vast array of surviving books that the Schwenkfelders brought with them to Pennsylvania between 1731 and 1737, two questions cross my mind.
Did they pack anything else; how is it possible to select one as a highlight of the collection?
I’m sure they packed many items in addition to their books, but the books certainly seem to have had priority. There is everything from juvenile copy work to folio volumes of Schwenckfeld’s works. Due to its wonderful calligraphy and excellent state of preservation I believe one of the treasures of the collection is this 1733 copy of the Schwenkfelder hymn collection. This huge two volume work (ca 1200 pages), finished within months of the departure of the main group to Pennsylvania [1734], is truly a treasure piece.

-Allen Viehmeyer, Associate Director of Research

Title page from Christopher Sauer's "Gun Wad" bible, printed in Germantown in 1776.

Hunt Schenkel, Archivist at the Heritage Center, will be speaking on the formation of the collection of the library and archives, from what the Schwenkfelders brought with them in the 1730s to the efforts the late 19th century Schwenkfelders put forth to compile the works of Caspar Schwenckfeld (what is now known as the Corpus Schwenckfeldianorum) that became the foundation for the Schwenkfelder Historical Library. Here is one of his personal favorites of the collection, the Christopher Sauer “Gun wad Bible”, the first printed Bible in America with American made type, printed in Germantown during the American Revolution, 1776. It’s known as the “Gun wad Bible” as it was commonly said British troops used its pages to form gun wads for their muskets.

Reverse glass painting probably painted after a popular print in 1845

Our collection at the Heritage Center is quite diverse as it reflects all parts of Schwenkfelder life from the books the Schwenkfelders read to the needlework textiles women created, to the folk art paintings and drawings the Schwenkfelders made or displayed in their homes. Curator of Collections, Candace Perry, will address the treasures of the Heritage Center’s museum collection. This particular enigmatic portrait of life in the 19th century on left is the only example of a reverse glass painting in the Heritage Center’s collection. This work was owned by the Jesse Bechtel family, made around 1845. It’s a rural scene that depicts a dispute outside of a bar while two women stand behind tables, one with a dice game and the other, with two glasses of brandy and a decanter.

We’ll hope you’ll join us this Sunday October 23rd for highlights of the Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center’s collection.

Treasures of the Collection: personal favorites, highlights, and history of the Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center’s collection begins at 2:30p.m. This program is open to the public. Refreshments are served. First floor, meeting room.

Gallery Activity: Signature Paper Quilt Squares

Our paper quilt in our rear first floor gallery. Visit our exhibition and add your square through October 31, 2011.

From now through the end of this month of October, we invite you to come to the Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center and contribute to our paper quilt square activity in our gallery on the first floor.

Perfect for all ages, our project invites you to contribute a paper quilt square to make a large signature paper quilt. Collectively each square together forms a large quilt. While not a quilt by its traditional definition, this collective project reflects the same sense of community and individuality seen in our 1889 Sampler Signature Quilt in our Christopher Schultz exhibit.

Visit the SLHC and view the original cotton Sampler Signature Quilt on display. The signature quilt will be on display through February 2012.

A Sampler Signature Quilt. A signature quilt is compiled of various quilt blocks, or squares made by many individuals in the community. Each individual block is signed by its creator. This one currently on exhibit was made ca. 1889 by various friends and descendants of Christopher Schultz.

Reflect on the various shapes, patterns, and designs on the quilt. Can you identify the various names sewn on each block that define the quilt as a signature quilt? Walk to the rear section of the first floor gallery, directly behind the Art Gallery. There we’ve supplied square bases and a variety of colored shapes for you to arrange to design your own square. As you create your square, talk about the decisions you made in color and shape selection. Reflect on the diversity of the quilt squares other visitors have added to the signature quilt.

Our paper quilt square project will be on exhibit through October 31, 2011. The Legacy of Christopher Schultz which features the original Signature quilt closes in February 2012.

If you’d like to bring a small group to contribute paper quilt squares as part of our gallery project, contact me, Rebecca Lawrence, at (215) 679-3103 or rebecca@schwenkfelder.com to arrange a date and time to visit the SLHC. Any participants that voluntarily leave their address information on the back of their quilt square will receive it in the mail in early November 2011.

Instructions and materials in our gallery

Highlights & A Special Thanks to our Summer Intern!

This week was Rick Kriebel’s last week with us at the Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center. His daily assistance in our collections area will be greatly missed and we wish him the best of luck as he continues his coursework at Grove City College. His major project this summer was to re-organize portions of our collection storage and catalog objects. Here are a few pictures of Rick at work in our collections storage area. As you’ll see from these pictures, only a limited amount of the museum collection is on display to the public at one time. Enjoy our behind the scenes pictures!

Rick cleans dirt and dust from textiles in the collection.

Rick stands between the chairs he re-organized and cleaned.

Here's an extended view of the storage area Rick re-organized. We're so happy with his work!

Rick arranged all of the chairs on top of a platform with buffering material. This assists in air circulation and acts as a moisture barrier between the storage floor and the objects.

Rick also re-organized this corner of our storage where we keep the cradles in our collection.

Rick's hand is on the right. While he was showing me around collections storage I stopped to ask him about our stove plate collection. These 18th century stove plates depict biblical stories.

We thank Rick for all of his efforts this summer. The Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center is happy to work with college students at any level for volunteer and internship credits. We offer internships year round. Rick worked with our Curator of Collections, Candace Perry. In the past our interns have worked with our Archivist, Hunt Schenkel and our Museum Educator, Rebecca Lawrence. If you are interested in volunteering or interning contact us.

-Rebecca

Christopher Schultz descendant: Jeremiah Schultz

Figure of Christopher Schultz in our permanent Schwenkfelder immigration gallery on the ground floor

This fall the Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center will feature an exhibit about the life and legacy of Christopher Schultz. Christopher Schultz came as an orphan at age 16 to America, and played various significant roles in maintaining the Schwenkfelders cultural identity in America. The exhibit not only shares information about Christopher Schultz’ life but the lives of his descendants.

Jeremiah Schultz's chair

One of Christopher Schultz’s descendants was Jeremiah Schultz. Christopher Schultz was his great-great grandfather. Jeremiah, known as Jerry, was born in 1857 and remained single throughout his life. Due to complications from polio in his early life he was unable to fully use his legs. The wheelchair he used is part of our collection and will be temporarily on view as part of the Christopher Schultz exhibit. Jerry Schultz lived for about 80 years and served as a school teacher and according to various sources enjoyed weaving textiles for various friends and family members. His brother Wesley Schultz was the local Justice of the Peace in the Hereford area and played a significant role in collecting information for the Schwenkfelder Genealogical Record.

Sentiments about Jerry’s life are echoed in the poem What He Took by Millen Brand in Local Lives: Poems About the Pennsylvania Dutch.

“…He lay down with his chest against the rail and propelled himself by his strong hands. He wore gloves and went faster than a man could walk. He would go sometimes as far as ten miles, and could get up a hard hill. But that is all past now, his days of traveling are past. Though kept, the chariot of those years weathers now on the porch. He sits with twilight behind his head, and as he talks, his voice is muffled by his untended beard…” (Brand 1975, 49)

The wheelchair Jerry used is part of our collection and will be temporarily on view as part of the Christopher Schultz exhibit. Christopher Schultz, first floor art gallery, opens August 21, 2011 and runs through February 19, 2012.

-Richard Kriebel

Brand, Millen. Local Lives: Poems about the Pennsylvania Dutch New York: Clarkson N Potter, Inc. 1975. Pgs. 49-50.

An Intern’s Discovery- When A Bench is not Just an Ordinary Bench.

It tells a story.

There are some collection objects I find difficult to catalog. Simple objects, such as a simple wooden bench can be difficult to catalog. On the cataloging forms I complete to describe the object, I found myself with a lack of words to describe the bench. I got my paper, and tape measure ready. My description would have to be greater than simply “Wooden Bench”, as there are many benches in the collection. My job as a cataloger is to assess its condition. Describe its history. Are there unique marks or renderings that distinguish it from other benches in the collection?

Here I turn the bench over to look at additional markings.

First, I assessed its condition. I looked at the top of the bench for stains, cracks, mold, and other markings. I found these marks.

Markings of two parallel lines and an x mark the bench. Other marking include a W and two lines that form a cross.

As I found the markings I imagined a child sitting on the bench carving the marks as they listened to a mundane lecture by their schoolmaster.

I continued to make notes about the markings on the bench and continued the condition assessment by looking on the underside of the bench. I was surprised to find a few sentences in German. These sentences described the bench’s history! The description said it was used in a schoolhouse from 1828-1869.

The German script tells us in short sentences of the object's history. The image we provide here makes it understandably difficult to read.

The bench served the function of supporting coffins during funerals at the old Schwenkfelder meetinghouse at Salford. After that the bench went to Central Schwenkfelder Church. The church may have decided not to wish to use the bench in its old capacity and the board of trustees of the Schwenkfelder Church gave it to the Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center.

The tag belonging to the bench supplies additional information about the object's history.

This was much more than an old, elongated, ordinary wooden seat; this bench had a story.

This image from the Genealogical Record of the Schwenkfelders, plate 118, shows the bench in use.

-Rick Kriebel, Collections Intern 2011

Great Stuff with Candace Perry

Curator Candace Perry talks about a marble track in the collection, part of a new video series we’re calling Great Stuff. We’ll record short highlights of our collection and post them on our blog and YouTube channel.
Watch it. Tell us what you think. Leave comments and add suggestions on what highlights you’d like to see.

The Towamencin Meetinghouse

Our intern Rick Kriebel recently visited the Schwenkfelder Towamencin cemetery. Here he reflects on the history of the Towamencin meetinghouse. Visit the SLHC to see the pulpit now on view in our gallery from the Schwenkfelder meetinghouse once at this location and access resources for your genealogical research.

The memorial listing the original 18th century Schwenkfelder immigrants interred at Towamencin. Additional markers can be found at the other Schwenkfelder meetinghouse/cemetery locations.

As a distinct religious group, the Schwenkfelders maintained their own cemeteries ever since they immigrated to America. These cemeteries are still privately owned by the various Schwenkfelder churches, even after the church buildings moved on to different locations. One of these is located in Towamencin, near the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Some of the original Schwenkfelder immigrants are interred there, and subsequent generations of Schwenkfelders and Schwenkfelder relatives have used it up to this present time.

View of cemetery gravemarkers at Towamencin

George Drescher was one of the original Schwenkfelders that came to America between 1731-1737. His name is on the memorial stone. All Schwenkfelder immigrants were assigned numbers. The number E-64 coincides with the Schwenkfelder Genealogical Records kept in the SLHC's library and archives.

Another marker shows the change in Meetinghouse architecture over time.

The cemetery land was originally used for a school house that was built in the 1760s, about 30 years after the Schwenkfelders first arrived in Pennsylvania. In 1793, the schoolhouse was replaced by a meeting house (a building used for worship services). There would be two more meeting houses there until 1966, at which point the Schwenkfelders had a new church in the area. In 1948, construction began on Central Schwenkfelder Church located on Valley Forge Road. This new building replaced the one at Towamencin, which held its last service on May 27, 1951. Ever mindful of their heritage, the Schwenkfelders not only have gravestones for their departed, but memorials to both the original immigrants who settled in the area, and to the meeting houses that once stood at this location.

The Towamencin Cemetery is located near Valley Forge Road and the PA Turnpike in Towamencin Township in Montgomery County and is property of the Central Schwenkfelder Church.

-Rick Kriebel

It’s a SIGN you’re going in the right direction. Wayfinding.

There are small brown signs that say Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center in our neighborhood. Perhaps you’ve noticed them but we know the brown signs are hard to find. (Perhaps you never even noticed them at all.) Here’s the good news! We have new signs.

These older small brown signs are barely seen in the neighborhood.

Thanks to the support of many donors, there are large directional signs scattered throughout Pennsburg! They are designed to help you find your way to the Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center once you’ve entered the neighborhood. If you visit us, be sure to tell our staff members that you found your way by spotting our large green library signs!