Join curator Candace Perry for an exploration of how the introduction of Lager beer to Philadelphia around 1840 influenced saloon culture and was a major contributing factor to the rise of the temperance movement of the 1800s. Candace will intertwine her research on he great-great grandmother, Miriam Hitchcock Cole, a 19th century suffragette and temperance advocate, with the colorful history of saloons and how they inspired a crusade that would eventually bring about Prohibition in the United States.

In this lecture, Pastor Nick Pence will explore some recent applications of Open AI in translating the Corpus Schwenckfeldianorum and explore how this technology can assist in studies of historic and genealogical interest. If you have documents which need translation, bring them along and we can work on how to shape our results.

At one time, cigar making was more than a hobby for one’s own enjoyment. This short-lived industry provided work for thousands of people in many small-town communities and was a large part of their local economy. Here is an opportunity to learn about some of the local cigar factories—where they were and what happened to them. This program in free thanks to the Friends Local History Fund, but reservations must be made by Friday, July 18 by emailing info@schwenkfeder.org or calling 215-679-3103.

Let us visit the Ocean quilt exhibit, from the Carrefour European Quilt Show, for inspiration as we create our own ocean themed masterpieces.

Program is free of charge, though we ask that you pre-register to ensure enough supplies. Contact Meredith at 215-679-3103 or meredith@schwenkfelder.org.

Fun for all ages. Younger children may need the assistance of their parent or guardian.

Come join us for a fun workshop—making a posy pincushion based on an antique design! Charlotte copied a wool pincushion in our collection that dates to the late 19th–early 20th century and was found in Berks County. You will need to have at least advanced beginner sewing skills to participate. We will provide all supplies including your choice of wool, thread, and if you want, a button for your posy center.

More than a century before the township one-room-schools came into being, there were sincere efforts by most all fledgling congregations to provide the basics of reading, writing, and math for their children. Bob Wood will discuss how early church schools stood in the shadow of every church and community pay schools dotted the landscape.

Scott Reagan, folk musician and Schwenkfelder descendant, and the German fold band Pälzer Krischer will perform PA Dutch fold music as well as some songs in Palatine German dialect, which is closely related to PA Dutch. 

Doors open at 4:30pm; program runs form 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM. Admission fee $3/person. Register by June 22

Folk Art nature crafts, drawing & painting using stencils and your imagination!

Program is free of charge, though we ask that you pre-register to ensure enough supplies. Contact Meredith at 215-679-3103 or meredith@schwenkfelder.org.

Fun for all ages. Younger children may need the assistance of their parent or guardian.

We join with our partners at the Lehigh Valley Passport to History to bring special events this last weekend of June. On Saturday enjoy a Seasonal Saturday Program and on Sunday special music.

2025 will be the 13th year of the all day, free celebration of music, at over twenty locations throughout the Upper Perkiomen Valley!

Make Music Upper Perk is always free and open to the public

For the past three hundred years, the Pennsylvania Dutch in SE Pennsylvania have maintained a unique cultural identity, to some extent preserving the dialect, but even more importantly, their food! Alice Wolfgang will showcase more than 60 historic recipes in order to help you eat up the past!

The Penn Dry Goods Market is a textile-focused antiques and vintage show with dealers hailing from Pennsylvania and other locations on the east coast. Our dealers are among the best in antique textiles, offering samplers and other needlework, quilts, coverlets and woven objects, linens, yardage, sewing smalls, sewing tools and equipment, buttons, baskets, and general Americana. Visitors will find treasures from across the country and around the globe at a variety of prices!

The Penn Dry Goods Market is a textile-focused antiques and vintage show with dealers hailing from Pennsylvania and other locations on the east coast. Our dealers are among the best in antique textiles, offering samplers and other needlework, quilts, coverlets and woven objects, linens, yardage, sewing smalls, sewing tools and equipment, buttons, baskets, and general Americana. Visitors will find treasures from across the country and around the globe at a variety of prices!

Class participants will create floral or bird fraktur paintings based on designs of early works from Pennsylvania. A technique for antiquing the paper as well as basic watercolor skills will be taught. Supplies will be provided; however, participants are free to bring their own tube or palette watercolor paints, a variety of smaller brush sizes, and a fine-tip waterproof black or brown liner marker.

Research Associate Emma Hartman discusses her ongoing research to document the lives of free and enslaved African Americans who lived and worked in the Perkiomen Valley during the time around the American Revolution.

Program in-person or via Zoom. Register by emailing info@schwenkfelder.org or calling 215-679-3103. FREE

George Slater, Vice-president of the Perkiomen Railroad historical Society, will join us to discuss that railroad. While here, check out the model train exhibit Next Stop Pennsburg!

Admission is free thanks to the Friends Local History Program Fund.

The gallery talk, lead by Susan Feller, is an opportunity to hear why the exhibit was curated and to learn the personal stories incorporated into each work.

Rug hooking is considered a domestic craft within the fine art field. Contemporary artists break that bias and have been juried into exhibits because of the attention to design elements which evoke emotional reactions. Feller will field questions and reactions from the audience adding to these stories. We expect one or more of the artists to be at the talk also.

Join us Saturday, March 15 at the Grand Theater for a free showing of The Fries Rebellion. Doors will open at 12:15pm. The film will begin at 1:00pm. Concessions will be available.

Anna Maria Jung (1744-1819) or Mountain Mary is perhaps the most celebrated woman in the history of the Pennsylvania Dutch, and legends of her life and deeds embody the spirit of the region’s folk culture even two centuries after her death. Patrick Donmoyer, director of the Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center, will share her story.

Program in-person or via Zoom. Register by emailing info@schwenkfelder.org or calling 215-679-3103. FREE

Scherenschnitte: What it is and how to make it.

Program is free of charge, though we ask that you pre-register to ensure enough supplies. Contact Meredith at 215-679-3103 or meredith@schwenkfelder.org.

Fun for all ages. Younger children may need the assistance of their parent or guardian.

The 1758 Peter Wentz Farmstead served as headquarters for General George Washington and his military “family” in October of 1777. The Farmstead’s curator Scott Houting will share how staff have increasingly developed their interpretation of this event as new historical documentation has emerged.

Program in-person or via Zoom. Register by emailing info@schwenkfelder.org or calling 215-679-3103. FREE