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!