The Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center is a research center and museum dedicated to Pennsylvania German folk culture and history. This interactive museum, located on the historic Sharadin Farmstead, offers a variety of cultural experiences for all eager students to explore.
Visit the library collection to learn more about the long and special history of German culture in Pennsylvania, engage with the historically preserved buildings surrounding the area, experience the exhibitions and the nearby world-class research center, or even attend lectures on subjects like Pennsylvania Dutch. Students eager to get hands-on with Pennsylvania German history can explore pristinely preserved buildings such as the 1870s Freyberger Schoolhouse, the 1814 Stone Farmhouse, the Corrigan Log Cabin, and other historical landmarks. The heritage center even offers tours for people who want to experience folklife and history firsthand.
Visiting the Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center can support crucial historic and cultural programming at Kutztown University while enhancing students’ education in historical facts and knowledge.
Learn more about the Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center.
Discover how your visit can support the center’s dedication to folk research and German heritage preservation through these unique facts and opportunities.
• Guided Tour: Experience a guided tour of the open-air folklife museum to learn about the Heritage Center’s historic sites. Let a professional museum guide take students on a must-see adventure across the center. See traditional schoolhouse textbooks in the Freyberger Schoolhouse, get hands-on with traditional arts and crafts, and view the galleries and exhibits showcasing historical life.
• Heritage Center Library: Learn about eighteenth and nineteenth-century immigration to Pennsylvania through the center’s extensive library collection. The collection includes church, cemetery, and immigration documents, tax records, and even will extracts. Dive deeper to discover local family histories and archived work dedicated to preserving Pennsylvania Dutch culture and folklore.
• Collections Highlights: Housed within the center lies a large collection of cultural materials that shed light on the rich history of the people. Key highlights include furniture maker John Flory’s decorated blanket chest, an elaborately carved mid-nineteenth-century wooden paddle, embroidered towels featuring names and dates, and more.
• Heritage Center Publication: On top of exhibits, the Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center regularly publishes research on Pennsylvania German folklife and culture. The annual publication series showcases key historical information aimed at language preservation and presenting the legacy of these historic people.
• Unique Events: Be on the lookout for special events such as Pennsylvania German Day, a day filled with musical and performance arts that demonstrate the culture in action. Other events include Heemet Fescht, a harvest celebration that highlights folklife through pumpkin painting, arts and crafts, hayrides, and more. Events bring Pennsylvania German heritage to life, so be on the lookout for new and exciting experiences!
Educational group visits are available by reservation. Because programs are customized for each group, teachers are encouraged to contact the Heritage Center to discuss grade level, curriculum objectives, scheduling, and available tour options.
