PA German Cultural Heritage Center HistoryThe Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center at Kutztown University is a place, a museum, and a year-round program. The Center represents the commitment of Kutztown University to the preservation of Pennsylvania German ("Pennsylvania Dutch") history, folkore, and traditions. It is part of the University's educational and cultural program.
The place is located on a 30-acre 19th century farmstead with a stone farm house, barn, and smaller buildings which have been authentically restored, a one-room schoolhouse, circa 1870, and the library, which contains genealogical, historical and cultural information.
The Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage is in the process of creating a log village. Presently, there are two log houses one named the Zimmerman log home has been reconstructed and the other named the Corrigan log home is almost completed. Both log home were carefully disassembled and carefully reconstructed on site, and additional structures could include a country store, a log church, etc.
The museum is a collection of more than 10,000 artifacts representing Pennsylvania German rural life in 19th - and early 20th - centuries, and extensive genealogical records of several thousand Pennsylvania German families dating to the mid-1700s.
The program is a year-round series of events celebrating Pennsylvania German culture and traditions - music, children's programs, classes in the Pennsylvania Dutch dialect, talks and demonstrations on topics such as home life, foods, and crafts. The one-room school experience is reenacted in the 125-year old Freyberger School.
Hours of Operation
Monday - Friday10:00am - 12:00pm
1:00pm - 4:00pm
The Heritage Center will be closed over the Winter Holiday Break.
We will closed at the end of business on
December 15th, 2006 and will reopen on January 2, 2007.
Tours by Appointment
Contact us at (610)683-1589 or heritage@kutztown.edu
Updated: 12-12-06