Heritage Center News Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center at Kutztown University 610-683-1589 . www.kutztown.edu/pgchc Issue 60 Fall 2014 _____________ Contents Herb Club Workshop............... 1 Heemet Fescht Gallery..................... 2 News from the Guild....................... 3 From the Library.................... 4 A New Collection of Pottery................ 5 Folk Art Murals in the Sharadin Farmhouse.............. 6 PA Dutch Calendar Order Form............ 7 Membership Form........................ 7 Herb Club Garden Workshop Hosted by Dr. William Woys Weaver and Owen S. Taylor by: Amanda Lynn McCoy-Richardson Director of the Keystone Center for Regional Foodways, William Woys Weaver, Ph.D., and Owen S. Taylor, Roughwood Seed Collection Manager, hosted a workshop on August 6th in the Heritage Center’s Kitchen Garden. 30 members of the ladies-only Herb Club attended the lecture and workshop. The group learned about the history of kitchen gardens from the Medieval period through today even touching upon the idea of the rooftop garden. Also discussed were seed-types, seed saving practices, and what can and cannot grow together in a garden. Dr. Weaver also presented a Kitchen Garden Lecture at Heemet Fescht on Sept. 27 at 1 p.m. in the Freyberger One Room Schoolhouse. A book-signing followed the talk. More Garden Workshop images are available on the Pennslvania German Cultural Heritage Center’s page on Facebook. News from the Guild by: Patricia Oxenford The Reading-Berks Chapter, PA Guild of Craftsmen Many thanks to our friends in the Reading-Berks Guild of Craftsmen who demonstrate their arts in the Guild Log Cabin at our yearly events. The Reading-Berks Chapter Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen is celebrating their 70th anniversary this year as well as its 65th Annual Holiday Show. It is the longest running craft show in the area. The dates were the last weekend of October (a week earlier than usual), Saturday, October 25, 2014 from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and Sunday, October 26, 2014 from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Denise Wilz, Wilz Pottery Ethan Nealon, Ethan’s Woodcrafting Hunter Yoder, The Hex Factory Kutztown University Biology Department Dan Aruta, Hand-hewn Log Cabins Kutztown University’s O’Pake Field House (312 Trexler Avenue - South Campus Drive - and Baldy Street, Kutztown, PA 19530) was the site of the show, with plenty of free parking and it is also handicap accessible. The first 65 people through the admission door on both Saturday and Sunday morning received a free gift. Hourly door prizes were drawn every hour on the hour for a $10.00 gift certificate to the lucky winner to be used towards your purchase with any of our artisans. Among the many traditional and contemporary artists were furniture, pottery, tin, scherenschnitte, German paper folded stars, theorems, jewelry, photography, folk art, dried floral art, clothing, decoy carvings, just to name a few crafts. We also had the Student Gallery featuring Kutztown University students displaying and selling their wares as well as students from GoggleWorks. Barrel Rides by The Old Time Plow Boys Club, Inc. In honor of our 65th anniversary show we had some of our local retired members returning to showcase and sell their work. There was also a special exhibition of work created by some of our members who are no longer actively producing their craft, along with an exhibition of work from our archives that has been created by members who have passed away. Cookie Crazed This was a great place to begin holiday shopping for the 2014 holiday season. Guests were able to shop leisurely among our artisans in the comfort of the indoors, enjoy the music provided by the Acoustic Road Show and take time out for lunch or light refreshments prepared by Dori Martin Caterers. Make Your Own Music Tent, provided by The Acoustic Roadshow. Heemet Fescht 2014 We want to thank all those who participated in Heemet Fescht this year - without your help, this event would not have been such a great success! 2 Raymond Oxenford is the tinsmith at every PGCHC event, this image is from the 2014 Heemet Fescht. Patricia Oxenford also demonstrates at every one of our events, this image is her demonstration of feather tree making at the 2013 Easter on the Farm. Last, but not least we held two days of silent auction items created by the late W. Eugene Burkhart, Jr. Each day featured a different selection of items that were offered to the highest bidder of each item. We can’t forget to mention the raffle table, which was laden with wonderful treasures created and donated by our members. Guests could purchase your raffle tickets and place your “lucky” tickets in the respective box with each item. Heemet Fescht on September 27, 2014 saw more visitors and vendors in attendance than any Heemet Fescht in recent years! Approximately 1,000 people came to visit for this day of Fall fun - and we had had over 75 volunteers, vendors, and demonstrators on-site. Doctor Kelly’s ‘Cure it All’ Medicine Show Matthew Vardjan, Jr. demonstrating paper star folding at Heemet Fescht 2013. We hope everyone had a great time at the 65th Annual Show! Hope to see you at Christmas on the Farm on December 6. More images are available on our Facebook page! Heritage Center News Issue 60 Louise Hutchings demonstrates Fraktur at the 2014 Heemet Fescht. 3 A New Resource for Pennsylvania Researchers Save the Date! by: Lucy Kern Ancestry can be accomplished by registering online at no cost through http://www.portal. state.pa.us/. Out of state residents need a subscription to Ancestry to access these records. However, many libraries and research centers Rep. Matt Baker (standing, center) joined Gov. Tom Corbett (sitting, center), Sen. Bob Robbins (sitting, left) and others for the public bill signing Senate Bill 361 provide free access into law, which will provide public access to birth and death records of Pennsylvania citizens after a specified period of time. to Ancestry. After -- Image & caption courtesy www.pahousegop.com. three years, the records will be Good news for genealogical moved to the Pennsylvania State researchers! Archives website where they will be free to all. Vital Records Law Senate Bill 361 was signed into law on 15 December 2011, went into effect on 13 February 2012, and was changed in April of this year to allow birth certificates over 105 years old and death certificates more than 50 years old become open records. Courtesy of the Pennsylvania State Archives through Ancestry.com, Pennsylvania death certificates for the years 1906 to 1944 are now online. Death certificates for the years 1945 to 1963 are expected to be available in November of this year. Birth certificates from 1906 are expected to be online in March 2015. According to People for Better Pennsylvania Historical Access (PaHR-Access), Pennsylvania residents (and only Pennsylvania residents) have free access to this database online through Ancestry. Death certificates are effective tools. They provide a wealth of information about an individual — date and place of birth, date of death, place of death, age at death, date and place of burial, undertaker, physician attending the individual, cause of death, marital status, occupation, name of parents, birthplace of parents, and the name and signature of the informant, that is, the person who provided personal information. One should be advised that the information given by an informant is true “to the best” of his or her knowledge and may have to be verified using other sources. Those of you interested in genealogical research will find this new resource useful. 4 Heritage Center News December 6, 2014 10a.m.-4p.m. Christmas on the Farm March 28, 2015 10a.m. - 4p.m. Easter on the Farm March 28-29, 2015 The Reading-Berks Guild of Craftsmen’s Spring Juried Craft Show at O’Pake Field House April 25-26, 2015 Old Time Plow Boys Club Spring Plowing Show May 02, 2015 Pennsylvania Chapter, Palatines to America (PALAM) Conference at the Academic Forum Over the past four months, more than 300 pieces of late nineteenthcentury Pennsylvania redware were donated to the Heritage Center by Charles and Carolyn Nippert of Sanatoga, Pennsylvania. In 1896 the pottery works was turned over to his son, Charles W. Bach the younger, who operated the business until about 1905. After that time, the business began to focus more on greenhouse plants and cut flowers. Charles Nippert is the greatgreat-grandson of Charles W. Bach, a mid-19th Century German immigrant from Stuttgart, who in 1875, opened the City of Allentown’s first pottery works. Bach came from a long line of German redware potters, and the Allentown Pottery Works produced utilitarian, horticultural, and decorative wares in keeping with the redware traditions in Germany and Pennsylvania. June 27 - July 05, 2015 Kutztown Folk Festival at the Kutztown Fairgrounds July 27-31, 2015 Kid’s Camp Charles Bach was not Pennsylvania Dutch, but instead a German American, having arrived in the late 19th century from an urban German population, rather than from the pre-industrial, primarily 18th century immigrant population that formed the rural Pennsylvania Dutch culture. Despite this cultural difference, Charles blended seamlessly into the thriving urban environment of Allentown, and was renowned for his skill and industry, both in pottery, and also as a florist who August 08-09, 2015 Old Time Plow Boys Club Summer Plowing Show September 11-12, 2015 Genealogy Conference & Bus Tour Conference held at the Academic Forum Issue kept greenhouses, and produced decorative vases, pots, and urns. by: Patrick Donmoyer September 26, 2015 10a.m. - 4p.m. Heemet Fescht Free access for Pennsylvania residents who do not have a subscription to The Nippert Family Collection 60 Later, his daughter Florence ran the business until it closed in the 1950’s. Following the close of the flower shop located at 413-419 N. Penn Street, the entire contents of the pottery show room were carefully placed in storage by the great-grandson of Charles Bach, Charles Nippert Sr., in whose name the donation to the Heritage Center was dedicated. Highlights from the NippertBach donation include a wide variety of decorative floral vessels, especially those of a particular late 19th century fashion, which were made to look like knotted trees on their outer surfaces. Utilitarian objects, such as ingenious redware chicken waterers produced in diverse forms, are among some of the most striking. Culinary vessels, including plates, pitchers, dishes, and cake molds are now on display in the kitchen of the Sharadin Farmhouse. Decorative statues were also included in the Bach repertoire, such as a series of redware bulldogs, one of which is lifelike and intended as a silent ‘guardian’ of the front door, while three other bulldogs are jars, with removable heads that serve as lids. One of the most spectacular portions of the collection is a Christmas putz – miniature architectural pieces used as holiday decorations, which could be illuminated with candles. The putz, along with many other pieces, decorative and utilitarian, will be on display at Christmas on the Farm this December. We encourage all of our members to attend the event and appreciate the generous donation of the legacy of the BachNipperty Family and the Allentown Pottery works. Christmas in Kutztown Downtown Kutztown, 12p.m. - 6p.m. . Greet Santa at Pop’s Malt Shoppe . Horse-Drawn Wagon Rides . Craft & Christmas Vendors . Santa’s Workshop . Free Ornament Workshop . Tree Lighting at Historical Society at 5:30p.m. Register for Breakfast with Santa at KU, call Kutztown University Foundation at 610683-4110 Kutztown Community Partnership www.keepinitkutztown.com . 484-646-9069 ______ Christmas on the Farm 22 Luckenbill Rd, Kutztown, 10a.m. - 4p.m. . Cookie & Cider Sale by the Bonfire . Blacksmith & Hearth Cooking Demonstrations . Wagon & Barrel Rides . Craft & Food Vendors . PA Dutch Folklife Traditions . Kid’s Activities & Petting Zoo . Christmas Tree Sale . Free Admission Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center at Kutztown University www.kutztown.edu/pgchc . 610-683-1589 5 The Ernst Hartenfeld Wildlife Murals by: Patrick Donmoyer In the winter and early spring of 2013, the Heritage Center staff, as well as a team of volunteers and interns, began the process of installing four late 19th century murals in the back portion of the dining room of the Sharadin farmhouse. These murals comprise only a third of a series of twelve folk art paintings that were donated by Mary and Bob Sodaitis in the fall of 2008. Painted directly onto the wooden walls of an historic home, these paintings were removed from their original location in Weisenberg Township. The house was built for the family of the Reverend Johannes Helfrich of Weisenberg Township, an influential Pennsylvania Dutchman who was the co-founder of the first homeopathic medical school in the United States, in Allentown. Due to the expansion of industrial zoning in Weisenberg Township along Interstate Route 78, the house was slated for demolition, but not before the paintings were painstakingly removed from the house by the Sodaitis family and a work crew. Mary Sodaitis distinctly remembers growing up in the house, where the entire kitchen and closed-in back porch were lined with murals painted by the hand of Ernst Hartenfeld, a late 19th-century immigrant who arrived in Philadelphia in 1885. Hartenfeld was an itinerant painter, who took up residence at hotels and boarding houses in order to exchange his artwork for lodging and food. sometime in the late 1920’s or early 30’s in Emmaus where he lived at the time. Application & Renewal Form Membership & Hiwwe wie Driwwe Although none of the Heritage Center’s Hartenfeld murals are signed, his distinctive style and subject matter is easily identifiable. A stag, a family of raccoons, a snowy owl, and a pair of falcons are featured in the four murals installed in the Sharadin farm house. Name(s):_______________________ _____________________________ Address: _______________________ _____________________________ Phone: ________________________ Email:_________________________ ☐ I would like to receive E-News. Please select one ☐ Person $25 Individual ☐ Familye $50 Family More murals are slated to be installed in the Sharadin farmhouse dining room in the near future, including images of geese, deer, squirrels, song birds, and other local wildlife. ☐Hunnert Daaler Helfer $100 Hundred Dollar Helper ☐ Gross Helfer $101-$499 Big Helper These paintings are a spectacular addition to the steadily growing collection of folk art in the Sharadin farmhouse. ☐Hoch Gewwe Glieder $500-1000+ Top Giver ☐ Leweszeit Glieder $2,500 + Lifetime Member _______________ Hiwwe wie Driwwe: Order Form: 2015 PA Dutch Calendar Name:_______________________________________________________ Ship To Address: _______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ Phone: ______________________________________________________ Although Hartenfeld appears on several decades of the US census as a laborer and as a worker in a cement mill, he is listed once as a “landscape painter.” Little is known of Hartenfeld’s life, although he was rumored to have suffered a fall down a staircase that resulted in his death 6 Membership Categories: The mural with the stylized image of the stag in particular has been used to positively identify the work based on another Hartenfeld painting recently obtained by the Heritage Center which depicts the very same stag, dated 1915. Heritage Center News Email:_______________________________________________________ Please send _______ Calendars at $15 each (Price Includes $3 Shipping/Handling). If you would prefer to pick-up your calendar, they are $12 each. Please make checks payable to Kutztown University. Total Amount Enclosed: ____________ Check number ______________ Cut out and mail this form to the PGCHC/Attention PA Dutch Calendar 22 Luckenbill Road, Kutztown PA 19530 Issue 60 the world’s only Pennsylvania German dialect newspaper. Please select one ☐ I am a member (or have just applied) and would like to receive a 2-year subscription (4 issues) to Hiwwe wie Driwwe for the discounted, members-only price of $10. ☐ I am a non-member, and I wish to receive a 2-year subscription (4 Issues) to Hiwwe wie Driwwe for $12. Payment Method: ☐ Cash ☐ Check number ________ Made Payable to Kutztown University Total Amount $______________ *Please mail to PGCHC Attn: Membership 22 Luckenbill Rd, Kutztown, PA 19530 Call 610-683-1589 for more information. 7 Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center at Kutztown University 22 Luckenbill Rd, Kutztown PA 19530 Phone: 610.683.1589 Web: www.kutztown.edu/pgchc 4511080200 610-683-1589 www.kutztown.edu/pgchc December 06, 2014 10a.m. - 4 p.m. s ChristonmtheaFarm