PROGRAMS 201
3Meetings are held at 7:30 P.M. at the Ephrata Public Library, 550 S. Reading Road, Ephrata unless otherwise stated. Open free to the public.
(In case of inclement weather, Society programs will follow the Ephrata School District closing schedule.)
May 22, Travels with Hannes Eby
Researcher and writer Denise Witwer Lahr spent a decade meticulously documenting almost nine hundred relatives, friends, and acquaintances that Hannes Eby listed in his death and burial record, 1806 to 1845. She will give a Powerpoint presentation on her findings-including a land swindle, an economic panic, a real estate bubble, a hanging, accidental deaths, show towels, fraktur, nameplates, and countless details of all that living then entailed in today
s Warwick, Penn, Elizabeth, and Clay Townships. Eby's precision in identifying relationships, geography, and occupations demonstrates the interaction of diverse religious, secular, and industrial communities in a unique rural area. (This meeting will convene at Eicher Arts Center, Ephrata Park, Ephrata, PA)
June 26, Annual Picnic
Details of the year's members-only picnic at the Reamstown Park, highlighting the Reamstown Historical Society Library and archives and the town, will appear in the newsletter and by mail.
July 24, Field Trip
This year's field trip will feature both the Alexander Schaeffer Farmhouse and the Thomas R. Brendle Museum and Archives of Schaefferstown, Pennsylvania. The two story limestone farmhouse (ca.1770) is a remarkable example of the European tradition of combining industrial and domestic uses in one building. The Brendle museum contains a wide variety of artifacts on Schaefferstown area everyday life in the nineteenth centuries. Admission fee is $4.00 payable individually upon arrival at the farmhouse at 7:00 pm.
August 28, Ingenious Early American Tools
Barry and Elaine Navarre will display their collection of craft tools, homestead items, crop and animal handling tools, lighting, kitchenware, and fireplace tools. They will describe the needs for these tools, all of which come from the eighteenth through the twentieth centuries, and demonstrate their uses to make lives a bit easier in coping with the daily chores.
September 25, No meeting
Join us on the front lawn of the Society's headquarters to view the Ephrata Fair parade and enjoy hot dogs at the Society's food stand.
October 23, Pennsylvania German Patchwork Pillowcases and Other Small Treasures
Quilt artist Ann Hermes, who has studied antique and vintage fabrics will give an illustrated lecture on the colorful quilting heritage of the Pennsylvania Germans with a focus on pieced and appliqué pillowcases, rarely found outside southeastern Pennsylvania. She will also share treasures from her personal collection, which dates from 1829 to 1900, and includes other small items such as potholders, doll quilts, and privy bags.
November 27, No Meeting Happy Thanksgiving!
December 25, No Meeting Merry Christmas!