PENNSYLVANIA DUTCH

History, Genealogy, Art, and Culture

SITE GUIDE

• Pennsylvania Dutch or Pennsylvania German? Why I call myself a Pennsylvania Dutchman.
• BIEBER GENEALOGY Mostly concerning immigration of the Bieber family from Hirschland, Alsace to America. Includes photo essay on HIRSCHLAND.
• STEFFISBURG and THUN A virtual tour of Steffisburg, Switzerland and the nearby castle town of Thun. Steffisburg is ancestral home of numerous Pennsylvania Dutch families, including Yoder and Zook.
• GALLERY Photos of Pennsylvania Dutch places and things, with an emphasis on Berks County. I'm building this gradually.
• 1899 Berks County Map
• MY ANCESTRY

RESOURCES

If You Visit ...

Weather

• Reading, Pa

Restaurants, Hotels, B&B's

Berks County

• Landis Store Gourmet restaurant in the Oley Hills (Berks County). Highly recommended. Finding Landis Store can be a challenge, though.
• Yellow House Hotel Perfect base to explore the Oley/Amity/Exeter region. I haven't eaten or lodged there myself, however.

York/Adams County

• Bechtel Victorian Mansion Beautiful Victorian B&B in quiet, rural East Berlin. Good base to explore the York and Gettysburg areas.

Auctions

Farmers Markets are locally called auctions. They're a great place to absorb some local flavor. I think the term "auction" dates from the time when a livestock auction was held on market day. Leesport and the Green Dragon still operate livestock auctions, which kids will love. Here are some of my favorite auctions:

• The Green Dragon. Friday 9-9. East of Ephrata. Livestock auction.
• Leesport Farmers Market. Wednesday 7-8. Route 61 in Leesport. Livestock auction.
• Renninger's (Kutztown). Friday 10-7 and Saturday 8-4. Lyons Road South of Kutztown. Numerous antique dealers.
• Zern's Friday 2-10 and Saturday 11-10. Route 73 in Gilbertsville.

Estate sales, with bidding and a real auctioneer, are also common in the Dutch country. They're fun, and you can find some great bargains. Check local papers for information. In Berks County, the East Penn Valley Merchandiser is an excellent source.

Events

• Kutztown PA German Festival Very worthwhile. High quality crafts. Quilts galore ! Large selection of PA Dutch foods.
• Goschenhoppen Festival. Excellent presentations of authentic PA Dutch culture. Highly recommended! August 8-9, 2003, East Greenville, PA.
• Kutztown PA Dutch Folk Festival Direct descendent of the original Kutztown festival. Despite its name, it no longer takes place in Kutztown. I've not visited this festival since it moved.
• Heemet Fescht. Great festival, authentic. Highly recommended. (But from their Website, it appears the festival will not take place in 2003.)

Attractions .. Historical Sites

Berks County

• Hawk Mountain Sanctuary One of Berks County's high points. Great for birding. Internationally recognized for raptor research and preservation.
• Hopewell Furnace An iron foundry from 1771 till 1883, now a National Historic Site. Superb.
• Daniel Boone Homestead The famous pioneer was born here in 1733.
• Crystal Cave Natural wonder near Kutztown.
• Covered Bridges of Berks County (Scroll down to Pennsylvania/Berks County.)

Lancaster County

• Ephrata Cloister fascinates me. This link is maintained by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, which operates the Cloister. It has directions and basic information, such as hours of operation. For more extensive information about the Cloister and its brilliant founder Conrad Beissel (but mingled with a strong dose of anti-Beissel rhetoric) I recommend Ronald J. Gordon's article.
• Landis Valley Museum collects and exhibits Pennsylvania Dutch cultural material. I have not visited yet, but it looks outstanding.
• Covered Bridges of Lancaster County (Scroll down to Pennsylvania/Lancaster County.)

York and Adams Counties

• York County Heritage Trust This fine organization operates a first-class historical museum, the 1741 Plough Tavern, the Fire Museum, and other interesting sites.
• Gettysburg Site of the famous Civil War Battle.

Chester County

• Longwood Gardens Not exactly Dutch, but this former Pierre Dupont estate is one of the premier attractions of southeastern Pennsylvania.
• Brandywine River Museum Also not Dutch, but very worthwhile: Art of N.C. Wyeth, Andrew Wyeth, Jamie Wyeth, and other artists of the Brandywine River school.
• Baldwin's Book Barn If you love books, you'll love the Book Barn.
• Covered Bridges (Scroll down to Chester County.)

Bucks County

• Mercer Museum and Fonthill Unique and eccentric, Mercer Museum is crammed with artifacts of American rural culture, including many PA Dutch items. Fonthill is Mercer's home, a spectacular monument to the tile maker's art.

Historical and Genealogical Links

• Berks Co Genealogical Society
• Berks Co Historical Society
• Pennsylvania German Society.
• Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center.
• Berks County Conservancy
• Berks Co Register of Wills
• Chester Co Historical Society
• PA Vital Statistics Most people who died in PA after 1906 have a death certificate which lists parents' names including the mother's maiden name. (Tip: If your ancestor died before 1906, try to find a sibling who died after 1906.)
• Donna's Berks County page
• US GenWeb PA counties: Berks, Lehigh, Bucks, Montgomery, Chester, Lancaster, Lebanon, York.
• World GenWeb: Germany, Rheinland-Pfalz, Lower Alsace, Switzerland.
• LDS Online Resources: Index Page, Family History Library catalog, Ancestral File, IGI.