What Is The PA German Cultural Heritage Center?
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What Is The PA German Cultural Heritage Center?

We all know it exists, but have you visited yet?

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What Is The PA German Cultural  Heritage Center?
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On the outskirts of Kutztown University’s campus, students can find a series of old buildings creaking with stories about the Pennsylvania German way of life. Although there are a few organizations on campus that help out at the heritage center, this place doesn’t draw much attention to itself; instead it’s something like a hidden gem. A schoolhouse, barn, library, workshop, house, and fields make up the PA German Cultural Heritage Center’s property. Each building was restored to resemble its authenticity, some more than others. Most of the artifacts were donated to the center in hopes of preserving history for many more years to come.

It’s become harder to plan a trip over to the center and see history unfold through these artifacts due to recent budget cuts. The cultural center has suffered and become short staffed as a result. In an effort to plan a tour at the center, people must schedule an appointment at least a day in advance so the center has time to find a tour guide. Local schools have field trips to the cultural center so kids can learn more about the area they live in and who their ancestors may have been. In some scenarios the tour can be interactive as well as informational, and according to my tour guide, “young kids love to ring the schoolhouse bell.”

The Freyberger schoolhouse is a large brick building with a handful of windows and one main room. The kids were piled into one room and ranged from the equivalent to our modern day grades, 1 through 8. Desks were organized as benches and the young children sat in the front, while the older kids paid attention to the teacher from the back of the room. Considering there would be a lot of kids to take care of, often times the older kids looked out for the younger children and even helped teach some lessons.

The schoolhouse didn’t always belong to Kutztown University; it was operational into the 1950’s, and in 1991 the Freyberger School was moved onto campus and made into an educational museum. Occasionally, there are classes still taught in the one room schoolhouse that are a part of Kutztown’s Pennsylvania German Studies Program. The PA German dialect class is the only collegiate course offered in the eastern United States. My tour guide recalled several incidents where people visited the heritage center just to walk around their old school house and reminisce.

In some instances, kids stopped going to school around 7th grade so they could help their families on the farm, as my tour guide said. These children walked home after school to help plow the fields, or tend to the livestock. Today, the fields and crop are taken care of by a group of plowboys. Any of the produce that they sell, benefits the heritage center in some monetary form. If people weren’t in the fields, they were inside the home cooking, sewing, or cleaning.

The stone building across from the school is known as the Sharadin farmhouse, which is the same family the Sharadin arts building is named after. Inside, there were rich and colorful blue hues against white walls. The paint was called “milk blue” because of the process it went through. There was a specific type of mold that occurred from spoiled milk and after a long process, it was turned into a form of paint. The house was decorated with bulldog statues because in that era, people believed these were guardians. Aside from the statues, there were animal paintings in several of the bedrooms and the wake room.

The farmhouse is one of the few buildings that went through a decent amount of remodeling in its time. In the early days, the kitchen was outside and only had an awning to shade the women. Now, the kitchen was built into the home with four walls around it and a roof above. A large “walk in” oven was on display as well as the different meals PA German women were accustomed to making.

There is one downstairs bedroom where the eldest couple slept, which most of the time was the grandparents. Upstairs was the master bedroom for the parents, and a small bedroom for smaller children through the parent’s room. Other bedrooms typically housed the teenagers and other workers on the farm. During the old days, even the small crawlspace into the attic was converted to a bedroom for some workers. Today, the belsnickel sometimes hides in the crawlspace and jumps out to add humor and excitement during the Christmas on the Farm event hosted by the heritage center.

Throughout the farmhouse, there are bed sheets, bookcases, clothing, and different artifacts to show what real life was like in that era. There were several old pianos in the house, along with wrinkled, aged by brown hues and cloth like paper books scattered in the house. The tour guide showed me an old loom in the house that a Kutztown University alum restored, piece by piece. Considering there isn’t much property, the loom stays in the house, although it usually would be found in a workshop, similar to the one near the barn.

According to the tour guide, the workshop was known for Wagonhurst tin smithing. The workshop is still used today, mainly for demonstrations during special events. When taking a step inside, a wall of tools that could have easily been mistaken for torture devices instantly greets people. According to records, the original owner of the smithing workshop specialized in roofing and tin repairs.

Some records regarding the center’s property, and artifacts can be found in their local library, along with records about PA German heritage. Most of the library’s information includes some impressive and hard to find genealogy records. It’s a small cabin sized building with a decent amount of books. The library isn’t always open to the public, only until 12pm, while the librarian is still around.

Even though the center offers a lot of interesting historical recreations, most students overlook the heritage center. These people don’t bother visiting throughout their years as a Kutztown student. Tours are free for students, however some special events the heritage center hosts have small entry fees.

There’s more this center offers throughout the year. During the summer, the center offers a kid’s camp from ages 6-14 where they learn about the PA German culture, and historical crafts. Although this camp isn’t free, it does work to enrich the lives of younger children. Around the second week in August, there is an Old Time Plow Boys Summer Plowing Show. There are vendors, food, music, and tractor demonstrations during this event.

Heemet Fescht is one of the center’s largest events of the year. It’s usually held late in September and people come out to celebrate the annual harvest with craftsmen, artisans, folk life demonstrations, and kids activities like hay rides and crafts. A tinsmith and his wife come to show people the workshop in action, while women make old fashioned PA German food in the refinished kitchen. Many people seem to enjoy this event because it’s a free celebration, and there are a lot of fun activities to see and do.

Despite what little attention the PA German Cultural Heritage Center receives, it’s still an important part to the Kutztown community. Students and residents alike can immerse themselves into history and truly appreciate what possible roots they may have. This gem may be rough around the edges, but it can still sparkle for a crowd.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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