History Just Got a Lot More Fun!

I'd been debating whether or not to volunteer at LancasterHistory.org as a tour guide.  I hesitated because American history is really not a subject in which I have deep knowledge.  I have a lot of training and experience in art and art history, but knew this would be a steep learning curve.  I worried about sustaining interest.

There was a volunteer information meeting when LancasterHistory.org opened its new exhibit galleries and I was intrigued with the beautiful display, so I later met with Barry Rauhauser, the Stauffer Curator & Director of History on the Web, to get more information on the volunteer guide program.  I think I was probably expecting a dry, chronological, date-filled tour.  Instead, Barry circled the gallery and told  stories.  Intriguing stories, sad stories, funny stories.  I was hooked and signed on!  Working through the objects in the days that followed, I also had the good fortune also to ask Wendell Zercher, Curator, many questions and hear more stories.

Stories spark the imagination and bring objects to life, and make us want to know more.  While doing tours at the recent auction of the historically-significant Stiegel-Coleman House at the Elizabeth Furnace Plantation, I quickly realized what drew people's attention more than anything that week was the dramatic and tragic story of the Coleman sisters!  The visitors would gasp, and raise their hands to their mouths in astonishment, and connect emotionally with the two heroines of the story.

This is just my long way to tell you that if you love a good story, and want to learn more about how the people, places, and events of Lancaster County have informed the history of Pennsylvania and the United States, head on over to the Historical Society.  History just got a lot more fun!

Some of the stories you'll hear:

What did this Philadelphia woman do, after her husband left her widowed with four children to raise?

What is this object?  And what happened when its maker accidentally arrived in Lancaster, PA, instead of his intended destination of Lancaster, NY?

This cabinetmaker did WHAT when the Groff clock pendulum was hitting the sides of this rare corner-cabinet-tall clock?

How does a Portuguese coin connect an upstanding Lancastrian with Benedict Arnold?

Find out the answers and spend an entertaining moment touring the new galleries at the Historical Society, at 230 N President Avenue, right next to Wheatland.

Oh, and if you feel like I left you hanging about the dramatic story of the Coleman sisters, here's a clue: ask a tour guide or one of the curators when you're looking at the  Stiegel Stove Plate from Elizabeth Furnace!

Colonial Road Trip

A few months ago, I stumbled upon a painting of the early days of the Pennsylvania Turnpike that stopped me in my tracks.  The painting is a fascinating glimpse into the way settlers and goods moved over the Pennsylvania countryside in colonial times.  On a recent car trip from Lancaster to Philadelphia on a Friday evening, my husband and I were bemoaning the fact that it took us almost three hours.  That's unusual.  The trip normally takes half that time, but it made me wonder about how long this trip would've taken in colonial times.

In the mid-1700's, a series of rough roads connected Philadelphia to the rich farmland in what is now Lancaster County.    The Conestoga wagon, manufactured in the Conestoga Valley near Lancaster, was the primary vehicle used to transport settlers, produce, whiskey, beer, butter, cheese, corn, flour, etc. back and forth between Lancaster and Philadelphia.  These early roads were often in terrible condition, full of large holes, ruts, and mud.

In 1791, the Commonwealth approved a state-wide transportation plan, a 62-mile (beginning at 34th St. in Philadelphia and ending at the Susquehanna River in Columbia, Pa) roadway made of broken limestone and gravel.  The toll road was named the Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike.  It was completed in 1795 at the cost of $450,000, and had 13 tollgates.  The tolls varied, being as high as 50 cents for larger wagons and coaches.

( Conestoga Wagon on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, Thomas Birch, 1816
Shelburne Museum, Shelburne, VT)

The image above is a painting by Thomas Birch, and English-born American painter more well-known for his maritime paintings.  Take a look at how our PA Turnpike looked in 1816.  The painting is called Conestoga Wagon on the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

What's going on in the image?
What time of year might this be?  What do you see that makes you say that?
What kind of day is it?  How would dry weather affect the riders' experience?
Describe the countryside.
Does the countryside seem familiar to those of you who live here in Lancaster County?

Also along the road were taverns to provide lodging, food, and water for the travelers and horses.  Here is an image of the Spread EagleTavern, fourteen miles from Philadelphia, by Carl Rakeman, from the Federal Highway Administration's website, www.fhwa.dot.gov.

At every mile, there was also a mile marker (you can see one in the image above).  This helped the travelers know where they were and also kept the tollgate operators honest!  Imagine how excited I was when last week, while driving along on Route 30, I noticed one of these granite stones incised with the number of miles to Philadelphia and to Lancaster!  It is just past the major intersection at Gap, on the north side in front of a large stone house.

The trip from Philadelphia to Lancaster often took up to three to four days, and was considered THE standout highway of the thirteen original states!   The Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike was eventually replaced by the canals, and then the railroads, in the late 1800's, and the turnpike we know today was built in large part by the WPA after the Depression.

Below is a print of a stock certificate of the Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike Company, showing the Conestoga Wagon and a toll house, from the website, www.certificatecollector.com

Stepping Back in Time

I haven't been in Lancaster a very long time, but I'm fortunate to have a friend with very deep ancestral roots in the county who shares interesting, out-of-the-way places that I would not be aware of.  Kathy gives tours at the Mascot Roller Mills and Ressler Family Home at 443 W. Newport Road, Ronks PA. and kindly gave some friends and I a great tour.

The mill, which was built in the 1730's, and the 1855 Ressler Home which is on the same property, have been preserved and are run by the Ressler Mill Foundation which was established by siblings Anna, Franklin and William Ressler in order to ensure that the mill and homestead would provide a slice of life of 230 years of flour milling and also of rural life in Lancaster County to future generations.  Three generations of the Ressler family served the community of Mascot.

The mill and house are nestled into the Amish countryside along Mill Creek where you can picnic and also enjoy the bird sanctuary.  Stepping into the mill, house and garden will transport you to another time.  Anna, Franklin and William Ressler requested that everything in the house remain just as it was when the were living there, so one gets a very good sense for the traditions and way of life of years gone by in rural Lancaster County.

The guides offer two separate tours...one for the mill and one for the house.  Kathy, as well as the other guides there, will give you a rich and informative slice of country life!

Admission is free.  For more information, visit their website at www.resslermill.com.  This is definitely on my must-see list for out-of-town visitors!

Colonial Neighbors

Two years ago while doing some research for a tour I was giving of the Paint, Pattern and People exhibit at Winterthur, I came across information about the Hans Herr House, which is just a few miles from where I live.  I've been curious about it, and today I finally ventured over to take a tour of the original 1719 house, as well as the newly-built replication of a Native American longhouse.

The Hans Herr House is the oldest home in Lancaster County.  European Mennonites from Switzerland were the first to settle permanently in this area, arriving in 1710 after spending their first winter in the Philadelphia area.  As part of Penn's great peaceful experiment, previously-persecuted settlers were attracted by religious freedom and the area's natural resources.

Visiting the house gives you a glimpse into what life was like in Lancaster County in the 1700's.  Eighty percent of the house is original.  It's made of local sandstone, and the steep, slanting roof gives away its Swiss influence (steep roofs would allow snow to slide off the house).  A large central chimney provided radiant heat for the entire house.

Volunteers guide you through the house and offer insights about daily life such as how meals were prepared in the large fireplace,  precious medicines and seeds stored in locked cabinets, a room that served as a meetinghouse, and very steep, narrow stairs leading to the bedrooms (family members had to descend the stairs like you would a ladder!)  A highlight inside the house was seeing the beautifully-crafted travel trunk brought to America by Hans Herr and his family.   There are very few of these in existence (since they were settling permanently, the immigrants often used the wood for other purposes, and also some of the ship captains would "lose" them along the voyage!)

My favorite story was the night the Herrs woke up to a distinct scent in the house.  It was the dead of winter, and they investigated only to find several Native Americans sleeping in their kitchen to stay warm!  Eastern Woodland Native Americans were peace-loving much like their Swiss and German neighbors, which brings me to the next part of the tour.

Over the last few years, Native Americans and the Hans Herr House organization have collaborated on building a replica of a dwelling of the Eastern Woodland people.  It measures sixty-two feet long and twenty feet wide, is made of tree sapling and covered with tree bark.

It would have housed several families, and the interior has been outfitted with many objects, tools, and jewelry, as well as animal skins and furs that would have been used.  Half of the interior holds objects that would have been common before contact with Europeans, and the other half with objects that would have been made, acquired or bartered with settlers.  It's a really fascinating look into the daily life of the matriarchal society that inhabited Lancaster County long before European settlers arrived.

I enjoyed my tour.  I learned a lot, and loved how the tours of the house and the longhouse are both very hands-on, with demonstrations along the way.   For more information on the tours, directions, and the many events at the Hans Herr House and the Lancaster Longhouse, to to www.hansherr.org.

By the way, the Grand Opening of the Longhouse is scheduled for this Saturday, May 18, 10 - 4.  There will be Native American artisans there to demonstrate skills and crafts (flint, snapping, Native games, pottery, hide preparation, etc), and teach about daily life in the Native home.  See you there!

What's Your "Third Place?"

One of my thoughtful, much-missed friends from Minnesota, Carreen,  often speaks about our "third place", the place other than our home or our workplace that we go to regularly.  It may be the place we go to get work done, or meet neighbors, or grab a coffee with friends, or even make new friends.  We may go there to complete a project on our laptops away from the distractions of home or work.   Often, what we're really seeking is to connect with our community, or to be recognized.

One of my "third places" is the little tea house that is in our neighborhood.  Once a week, whoever is around gathers there for an hour or two and we get to know who our neighbors are.  I've gotten to know some wonderful and interesting women that I otherwise would never see.  We share information, but mostly obsess about Downton Abbey!

Another is my husband's and my favorite restaurant.  We have a standing reservation every couple of weeks normally.  It's a small restaurant with an attentive and friendly staff.  It's a distinct kind of comfort to walk into a place where they know your name, they know your dietary restrictions and take care of that without being asked.  We got to know the staff a little better a few weeks ago when they came to our house for dinner.   We'd enjoyed so many amazing meals there, it was time for us to wait on them.  It turned out to be a fun evening, and so interesting to find out more about each one of them.  A little intimidating to find out that most of them were graduates of culinary schools!  One is a published novelist, one an artist.   That night, two of our guest's significant others made me aware of what I think is a great "third place".

The Baker's Table in Lancaster is just such a community gathering place.  It's in the block of buildings that used to be the Lancaster Cork Works in the 19th century but that is now known as Urban Place,  at 480 New Holland Ave, Lancaster.  It's tucked into the corner of two buildings and is actually in Building 6, on the first floor.  It is a large but comfortable and warm space, a mix of old and new.

There's a large communal table in the center, and also smaller tables if you're there to get some work done.  The table is made of old wooden beams that were in the former factory.  Mixed in throughout the room are antique baking tools, old scales, and a great assortment of gift items.  Great cookbooks, accessories for entertaining, greeting cards, wooden cutting boards and rolling pins.  The room is flanked on one side by windows looking into the baking area.

The Baker's Table serves organic Blue Bottle Coffee, from a Brooklyn-based coffee roaster, and 

brews each customer's cup of coffee individually.  They serve croissants, eclairs, tortes, cookies, and the wildly-popular Lancaster favorite, whoopie pies.  All the baked goods are made right there.  The Bakers's Table also serves lunch, and is available for business and/or celebration events.

I'll be meeting friends there for coffee.  If you're looking for a drop-in kind of place with great vibe, grab a seat at the Baker's Table.  Tell Daniela, one of  the pastry chefs, and Janelle in front of the house, that I sent you!  What are some of your "third places"?

To read more about "third places", check out my friend's blog at www.cpheegard.blogspot.com.

Any Day Now!

Spring has been very slow in arriving in our part of the world this year.  Winter hung on just a little too long, and other than one or two days of spring-like temperatures to tease us, the unfolding of all the lushness and green, and the great sigh of relaxing into warmth, has eluded us so far.  The trees are poised but hesitant.

But there are the little harbingers out there if you're willing to look.  Last week my friend and I drove to an Amish farm to buy pansies.  Every year I say I won't plant them because it's soon too hot for them and they need to be replaced.  But, every year I'm charmed by their wonderful yellows and blues and purples and sure enough, I have a tray of them on my front porch.   I love the johnny-jump-ups for their cheerful little faces.  My daughter used to plant them with her dad, when she was a toddler in her denim overalls, needing two pudgy hands to wield her trowel.  In they'd go right next to her dad's vegetable garden.

The Amish children at the farm told me about the little twin goats that had been born this year...they didn't look alike...one brown...one black.  The frisky little black one was entertaining us as he leaped over and over again,  straight up onto the other animals' backs!

Today we are still in our warm jackets, but here in my neighborhood is a trail through woods along a creek that is full of brave little trailblazers heeding no mind to the temperatures and just doing their best to delight us with color and hope for the season to come!

Even the poor, lowly and usually-maligned dandelion looks great this time of the year!

From Cairo to Lancaster

Winter is hanging on and not letting go of its grip here in Lancaster, so it was wonderful to see the visual treat that was Quilt Week last week, with multiple quilt shows scattered throughout Lancaster County. I'm not a quilter but appreciate the workmanship and artistry, and especially this time of year, the vibrant colors and patterns.

At the Lancaster Spring Quilt Show: A Show in Amish Country, at the Host Resort:

Among the highlights for me was the lovely collection of signature quilts, some dating from the 1800's, exhibited by quilt curator Sue Reich.  These historic quilts feature names that are stitched or written onto quilts, representing farewells, welcomes, charitable endeavors, or sentiments of love.

Also at this particular show were joyful quilts based on the artwork of children.  Images can be seen on www.onceinarabbitmoon.com.

At the larger AQS Quilt Show downtown at the Convention Center, there were three floors of traditional quilts and art quilts.  My friends and I are always so inspired that we always leave the show determined to learn how to quilt.  Maybe this will be the year!

I was especially awe-struck this year by the TentMakers of Cairo.  Tent making is an ancient tradition in Egypt whereby large tents are constructed of heavy canvas, then lined on the inside with needle-turned, hand-appliqued, elaborate designs.  When the sun would shine over the tents, the inside gave off the effect of stained glass.  Today, the tent makers in Cairo (there is a street, Charah El Khiamiah, of about 40 shops of tent maker artists) are having to compete with machine-made and printed wall hangings.  Two of these artists, Hosam Hanofy and Tarek Abdelhay, were on hand last week at the AQS Quilt Show to demonstrate their technique, which they learned from their grandfathers and are now teaching to their young children.  More often than not, the panels are now used as wall hangings instead of tents.

To establish a pattern, a square piece of fabric is folded multiple times, then after drawing the design onto the folded paper, the tentmaker pokes holes through the paper with a needle.  The paper is unfolded, placed over the background cloth, and dusted with talc.  The dots are then connected and the design is the basis for the appliqué.  Pieces of colorful cloth are cut and applied, then needle stitched onto the background, creating a beautiful, ornate symmetric designs.  For more free-flowing designs, the tentmakers just improvise as they go.  It could take up to three or four months to complete a wall hanging, in spite of the amazing speed with which they sew.

Hopefully, teaming up with organizations such as AQS will help to revive interest in the tent makers' wall hangings and permit them to continue their rich cultural tradition while supporting their families.
Anyone interested in purchasing Tarek and/or Hosam's wall hangings can go to www.americanquilter.com/books.

Thank you to Bonnie Browning, AQS, for granting permission to publish my images from the show.