Life in Landis Valley

Pillow, Pins, and Patience: Landis Valley Craftsperson Marian Blouch's Bobbin Lace Creations

2011-10-19T13:40:00.008-04:00

When viewing the delicate strips of bobbin lace produced by craftsperson and guide Marian Blouch (right), it is easy to see how they were once reserved for the nobility. This type of lace, created by weaving threads from individual bobbins in a pattern along a pillow, once enjoyed prestige so high that it was often smuggled around Europe.

The craft grew up as a cottage industry in Europe in the late 15th to early 16th centuries, employing men, women and children in its production. It can be made from cotton, linen, silk, wool, or even precious metals such as gold and silver. According to Emily Jackson in her book, History of Handmade Lace, its heyday was during the 16th through eighteenth centuries, when lace was worn by nobles around the waist and neck in various ways—from high and stiff collars of Elizabethan times (below), to low and draping collars of the seventeenth century, to neck cravats popular during the time of the American Revolution—and also bordered articles in the home.

The industry employed thousands of artisans until machines, first invented around 1818 in France, slowly replaced them as the technology to manufacture fine lace improved. Hand-made lace competed by becoming more and more complicated. Because new machines that could reproduce these designs kept pace with the lace-makers abilities to adapt, though, hand-made lace became unprofitable on a massive scale. By the end of the 19th century, the trade that had once been the cornerstone of many European cities and towns was reduced to a hobby.

Today, lace is taught by books and by masters in organizations such as the International Old Lacers Incorporated, of which Marion belongs. Marion herself was taught by a Danish instructor and has passed on her knowledge to her children and to past Summer Institute classes. She once taught a pastor over the phone, too. In the 35 years that she has devoted her time to bobbin lace making, the craft has taken her all around the United States and Europe. Together with other masters, she learns and passes on this treasured skill.

You, too, can learn bobbin lacemaking during Marian’s Winter Institute class. The bobbin lace class meets on Saturday and Sunday, February 18 & 19, 2012. Saturday’s class runs from 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM and Sunday’s class starts at 1:00 PM and lasts until 4:30 PM. Cost for Landis Valley Associates members is $152 and the cost for non-members is $160. Materials fees will be extra. For more information, either visit the calendar on our website, http://www.landisvalleymuseum.org/, or call Museum Educator Tim Essig at 717-569-5783.

Irene and Lee Pack a One-Two Punch

2011-09-07T18:18:00.008-04:00

Although we didn’t see many hurricanes in my time, Landis Valley has weathered each one that has come along, including the latest one: Irene. The huge storm that walloped the Eastern Coast of the United States and left thousands without power and inundated low-lying streets left the buildings of Landis Valley relatively unscathed. The trees, though, took a beating.

Kyle Hake and George Weston of the Maintenance Department reported that three large trees came down: a locust behind the one-room school house, a pine behind the hotel, and a smaller, decorative tree next to the log. One also came down on the neighboring Hands-on House’s property. “It took me and George two and a half full days to clean up all the debris,” Kyle said. “We were lucky. Last hurricane, the tree next to the Brick [House] fell on the roof. But that was addressed right away.”

The trunks and limbs, deemed useless for burning in the bake ovens around the museum, were tossed into a large pile in the pasture behind the schoolhouse.

According to Farm Manager Joe Schott, the animals and the plants carrying precious heirloom seeds weathered far better. “The corn was blown over but the seed stock is fine. It was mature enough to harvest anyway. The plants are fine,” he said.

So much for Irene.

But, while the ground was able to soak up the hurricane’s torrential rains, downpours today subjected Landis Valley to another form of damage from the leftovers of Tropical Storm Lee: flooding. The pictures below tell a story of Hay’s Creek, which runs along the side of the Collections Gallery. In my time, there was a hay field, formerly owned by the Landis’s who occupied the Isaac Landis House, in what is now the parking lot. In these pictures, one can see that the pipes running beneath both the parking lot and Landis Valley Road are not designed to carry the copious amounts of water draining from the surrounding countryside. The water backs up and overflows, pooling up to two feet in some places. Our fearless leader, Jim Lewars, and Maintenance Manager Will Morrow braved the flood in the Kubota in the pictures below. Floods like this don’t happen often, but when they do it is quite spectacular.

Gaining Appreciation Through Experience

2011-07-22T13:15:00.009-04:00

As part of our original vision for Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum, or “Landis Valley Barn Museum,” as we once called it, visitors can often see tools used to do the chores commonly done by Pennsylvania Germans around our home, as well as the art created and games played in leisure time. Washboards, yokes and buckets, scherenschnitte, clothing irons, and fraktur all have a place in the collection. Visitors are not to touch them, though. Just look, possibly smell, and quietly imagine the lives revolving around these artifacts.

Nowadays, washing machines have replaced the women who scrubbed at the boards all day. No longer do children have to use a yoke to carry water-filled buckets around their necks, for the electric well pump has delivered them from this chore. Mattresses are not only bought—versus homemade—but they are filled with springs, foam, and/or cotton, not straw. Books, like the ones by Laura Ingalls Wilder or my father’s own diary, can give one an intimate glimpse of the actual people who labored to get these chores done, but a sentence, a photograph (such as the one above, which I took at my grandfather's (George Diller) house in the 1880s), and the artifact itself still lend a sense of detachment to the task itself. It was done many years ago…

There are some days during the year when these artifacts star in an interactive experience, Hands-On History Days, when the past imprints itself onto the memory and our visitors come away with a renewed appreciation for the modern way of life. On August 2, from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m., Landis Valley invites all of our visitors, not just the children, to get your hands dirty and wash linens on a washboard, carry water on a yoke, fill a mattress, help with the quilting and the ironing, and still have time to take lessons at the one-room schoolhouse. Those who get their chores done can pass some leisure time playing games like Hoop and Stick or Grace, taking a wagon ride, or quietly indulging in the creation of keepsakes like fraktur and scherenschnitte.

Hands-On History Days are an homage to where we are today by dealing a firm dose of the labors and pleasures of yesterday. Look at the artifacts with an impartiality begotten by modern society now, then study them after your chores are done with an appreciation of the hard work it took to wash clothes, stuff a mattress, or create a beautiful fraktur. Then relax and let the horses carry you on a leisurely wagon ride around my beautiful home.

Upcoming Hands-On History Days:

Tuesday, August 2

Thursday, September 22

Thursday, October 13

Thursday, October 27

Thursday, November 10

The day begins at 10 a.m. and lasts until 3 p.m. The cost is $10 for anyone (and we mean any and all visitors) ages 6 and older. Children 5 and younger are free.

Recent Events:

Civil War Day was a huge success, with coverage on Fox43. Here is a clip featuring our own Tom Martin being interviewed by Melanie Gardner.

The Food and Spirits Festival featured celebrity chefs Fabio Viviani and Rocky Fino, as well as chefs and representatives from local restaurants, breweries, wineries and more. All in all, it was a great experience, with pleasant weather and great food and beverage all around. The event introduced this beautiful place to local residents who had never heard of it before and to chefs who viewed it as a unique venue for a tasting festival. We welcome them all with relish.

Civil War Camp to Decend on Landis Valley

2011-06-20T11:16:00.004-04:00

They seemed like foreigners to those whose open spaces were shared by Union soldiers during the War Between the States. Men and women in their normal linen and hemp in shades of brown had to make way for men dressed in dark blue with yellow trims as they marched along our streets. Some of us sympathized with them and what they stood for, but others of us could see the viewpoint of the Southern cause as well.

They could be rowdy at times, but for the most part, they remained cloistered together on the edges of town. The only times that those of my parents' generation were disturbed by them were when they performed musket drills on the edge of town. The pops and booms brought the war uncomfortably close, though, thankfully, it never actually came to Landis Valley.

Food had to be rationed, so infantrymen didn't feast at the tavern every night. Instead, soldiers relied on hardtack and salted meats to keep them going, sometimes getting raisins and figs to stave off scurvy. They looked forward to stopping at verdant villages like ours so that they could replenish their supplies and tend to their wounded. This stressed the resources normally abundant here, but the scarred land healed once the soldiers were gone.

Landis Valley memorializes the sacrifices of both soldiers and civilians every year during its Civil War Day, giving visitors a unique perspective on a much-romanticized time in American History. It is held this year on Saturday, July 9. Visitors can join our resident historical interpreters as they work amidst bayonet and cavalry drills, musket firing demonstrations, and meal preparations. You can also tour the military camp or take a wagon ride around the site. Children and adults who want to participate can also join a musket drill. My brother, George, would have liked that.

Admission is $12 for adults; $10 for seniors; $8 for children 3-11; and children 2 & under are free. For more information on this event, call the Visitor Center at 717-569-0401 or visit our website at www.landisvalleymuseum.org.

They Came To Learn From The Masters

2011-06-20T10:19:00.002-04:00

Students from all over the USA and Canada flocked to Landis Valley last week for the 55th Annual Summer Institute for Rural Life. For four days, the valley was a-buzz as students learned how to make a moonshine still, a leather fire basket, herbal medicines, an iron trivet, wall hangings in both scherenschnitte (paper cutting) and fraktur (PA German calligraphy), a basket, a tin chandelier, carved wood figures, and bread and pies—lots and lots of bread and pies. Others learned to drive wagons and to keep dairy cows happily producing lots of milk. Still others went off-site to learn about the historic Oley Valley or to tour beautiful gardens, mills, or houses and barns normally not shown to the public.

“We learned how to maintain the fire. Also shaping, riveting, and welding,” said Vinny, a blacksmithing student from nearby in Lancaster. Beside him were rested a trivet and camp fork, made at the portable forge across the lane from the blacksmith shop. He learns the craft plied by my ancestor, Jacob Landis Sr., whose blacksmith shop once stood at about the same spot that the current one stands today.

Further along, in the bright yellow Isaac Landis House, was the scherenschnitte class, where students sat at long tables strewn with pieces of paper, scissors, and memories. Many of them have come back repeatedly, such as Nina, of Bensalem, PA. She’s been coming for ten years to practice her craft and to re-learn the patience it takes to keep it up. “We had a good class on scherenschnitte. We learned a lot, made good friends, had excellent teaching, and, as always, it was good to come back to institute to meet—or re-meet—people that we’ve met in the past and become friends with,” she said.

There are some skills that cannot be learned from a book and need the careful supervision of a master. He looks over your shoulder, checks your work, and tells you how to salvage a project that would have been scrapped had you tried to learn on your own. She teaches you techniques that may be more efficient than you had previously learned, and then shows you how to display your piece. They provide the backup and patience that builds confidence. And all the while, they are passing down skills once common in my time here.

“I come back here for peace, every year,” says Lynn, a tinsmithing student from Horsham, PA. “And I achieve it.”

Next up for Landis Valley is the Tinsmith Convergence on Friday and Saturday, June 24 & 25. Tinsmiths and copper-smiths will demonstrate their trade and will exchange ideas and techniques at this gathering of masters. Anyone interested in these two crafts is welcome to come. Registration and admission information is on Landis Valley’s website, www.landisvalleymuseum.org, or go to www.tintinkers.org. You can also contact Timothy Essig at 717-569-5783 for more information.

Plants Reign Supreme at Herb and Garden Faire

2011-05-18T17:32:00.005-04:00

While spring is normally a time of gradual awakening, the Valley suddenly burst into life on May 6, the first day of the 24th Annual Herb and Garden Faire. What started as a small sale of excess plants by the Heirloom Seed Project has turned into the second-largest event here at Landis Valley, with roughly 80 vendors and thousands of visitors. One exciting change to this year’s Faire was the food. Not only were fresh crepes and salads featured beside everyone’s favorite chicken corn soup, but fresh ideas for dips, breads, and sweets peppered the landscape. Above the din hovered the smells of pungent herbs and tomatoes mixed with essential oils in soaps and lotions. The animals of the land also played a starring role in sweaters, scarves, paintings and pottery and, of course, wagon rides.

Naturally, the biggest draw was the wealth of plants for sale. Herbs, vegetables, roses, and annual and perennial flowers awaited new homes with eager gardeners. The Heirloom Seed Project, alone, anticipated selling roughly 10,000 plants, most of them tomatoes. As of now, they’ve come close to that number, too, between sales at the Herb Faire and sales from the wagon parked at the museum’s entrance.

It was an orderly chaos of new life condensed and celebrated in two days. Next up for the Valley is the 55th Annual Summer Institute for Rural Life, from June 14-17, where registered students will take trips to explore sites in the regions surrounding Landis Valley and learn many of the skills that were once common during my time here over a century ago. There are still openings for many of the classes and if you, too, would like to learn from the masters, please contact Karen Cunningham at 717-569-0401, extension 216.

Harvest Days Are Here!

2010-10-04T14:47:00.008-04:00

Join in a celebration of Pennsylvania German traditions during Landis Valley Museum's Harvest Days: Oct. 9 & 10th from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

There will be lots of good food, fun and demonstrations. Take a tour of Landis Valley by foot or by horse driven carriages, choose a pumpkin from our pumpkin patch and enjoy living history as our wonderful volunteers demonstrate German traditions. The museum is also open for tours and discussions about the Landis family.

Demonstrations include:

Fraktur
Bobbin Lace
Chair Caning
Pottery
Leatherworking
Blacksmithing
Candle Making
Soap Making
Corn Milling
Plowing
Clockworks
Hearth & Bake Oven Cooking
Apple Butter Boiling
Heirloom Apple Tasting
Natural Dye Demonstrations
Broom Making
Textile Arts
Coopering
Much More!

Admission is $12 for adults, $10 for senior citizens, $8 for youth ages 6 to 11 and children ages 5 and under are free.

Helpful hint: Sign up for a Landis Valley Associates family membership or renew your membership and your admission to Harvest Days is covered! Stop by the membership table before paying admission to Harvest Days.

New Paint for the Erisman House

2010-09-20T10:22:00.015-04:00

Fresh Paint for an Historic Home

Now that the summer heat has finally relinquished its firm hold on Lancaster County, it's time to get some much needed painting done before the cold weather moves in. One of our current projects is repainting the historic Erisman House on the grounds of the Landis Valley Musuem.

Site staff workers Mike and Kyle are busy with the project that requires them to strip away old coats of paint and prepare the wood in a fashion that would deter mold from adhering (a problem with wooden structures, especially aging wood). Next, a linseed oil based paint is applied to the wooden slats. The paint is a traditional base that was once the standard paint used during the 18th and 19th centuries. The advantage of linseed oil based paint is that it lasts longer than Latex paint. The blue paint that is being applied to the window frames and trim is called Prussian Blue -- a color that dates back to 1706.

The Erisman House

The Erisman House was moved to Landis Valley in the 1960s from downtown Lancaster (315 West Orange Street). It was owned since the 1920s by the Erisman family and the last owner, George Erisman, had a business there where he first sold theatrical supplies such as costumes and later repaired dolls (called Erisman's Doll Hospital).

The home is believed to have been built in the late 1700s and it is constructed of logs that are covered with clapboard siding. If you look on the left side of the building (facing the yellow barn) there is a small window where you can see the orginal logs.

Two Great Museums, One Great Deal!

2010-09-10T16:19:00.003-04:00

During the month of September, Hands-on House Children's Museum and Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum are partnering to offer a great opportunity for members to enjoy both venues!

If you are a member of the Hands-on House Children's Museum you will be able to visit Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum for free throughout the month of September 2010. Landis Valley Associate members will be able to enjoy the same priviledge at the Hands-on House. How great is that?

For either museum, you must show your current membership card and a valid driver's license. You are limited to bringing only those people who are listed on your membership with you. Showing your card is only good for admission and not for any other museum benefits. If you don't have a membership to either museum, you may purchase one at one or the other (or both!)

We hope to see you soon!

Sundaes on Sundays in the Month of September

2010-09-10T09:15:00.008-04:00

Don't let the dog days of summer get you down! Come on out and celebrate the end of one long, hot summer with Ice Cream Sundays at the Landis Valley Museum. It's every Sunday during the month of September from noon until 3 p.m. Enjoy lively fiddle music provided by the Lancaster County Folk Music and Fiddlers Society, horse drawn wagon rides and make your own ice cream sundaes for $1. Admission is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors, $8 for children 3 to 11-years-old, children 2-years-old and under are free. Landis Valley Associate members are free. See you on Sundays!

The Bountiful Tomato Season

2010-08-29T13:54:00.008-04:00

Tomatos are plentiful this season thanks to long, hot days and drenching late summer rain storms. One local gardner recently plucked her first yield of heirloom tomatos off the vine and said they were the most tastiest tomatos she ever ate. We hear that a lot! Thanks to Landis Valley Museum's Heirloom Seed Project, many gardners from around the world grow succulent and healthy heirloom varieties.

The Heirloom Seed Project

The Heirloom Seed Project at Landis Valley Museum has been a forerunner to the seed preservation movement for the past 25-years. Started in 1985 with only a handful of seed varieties, the Heirloom Seed Project now preserves over 200 varieties that have historical significance to Pennsylvania Germans from 1750 to 1940.

Just as important to preservation is education of individucals and groups of the significance of seed conservation. Volunteers are essential to the success of our project. Weekly volunteers come year round to work in the gardens, process the seeds and fill catalog orders. Youth volunteers join us during their summer vacations. Young or seasoned, there is always a place for a committed individual with the Heirloom Seed Project.

Environmentally Conscious Program

We primarily use organic pest management techniques in our gardens, fields and orchards. Located within idyllic acres of Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum, the Heirloom Seed Project volunteers tend to the many gardens that grace the grounds of the museum, including two renowned historic raised bed gardens that illustrate gardens from the 18th and 19th centuries.

Over 100 acres of grounds give visitors the opportunity to experience living history at its best. Fields of flax, horses and plows, heritage breeds of cows and chickens and the smell of dinner cooking over an open fire from our tavern fireplace are only a small part of each visitor's experience.

Heirloom or open pollinated varieties produce plants true to their parents from generation to generation. Our open-pollinated varieties produce seeds that can be saved from your gardens year after year.

2011 Seed Varieties List
Will be available in January 2011 and can be mailed to you at your request. Please contact Beth at (717) 569-0401, ext. 204. Our varieties and their descriptions along with an order blank that you can print out, are readily available online at: http://www.landisvalleymuseum.org/.

Landis Valley Featured at the Barnstormers

2010-08-25T11:03:00.003-04:00

On a recent balmy Saturday night, volunteers from the Landis Valley Associates and employees of the Museum spent the evening at a Lancaster Barmstormers game. Although the Barnstormers lost 3-1 to the Somerset Patriots, we met lots of great people and, hopefully, future LVA members!

Landis Valley was one of 11 local historical institutions featured during the park's History Night on Aug. 21. The first 1,000 fans received a bobble head of the 15th President of the United States, James Buchanan. And actors portraying President Buchanan, his niece and family threw out the first pitch.

From our table, located on the third base line in the stadium's main concourse, we handed out brochures, membership information and a calendar of the museum's upcoming events. There were quite a few people who approached us to express their love for Landis Valley. One such admirer asked, "Is this the place where they make apple butter during a fall festival." Yep! That would be Harvest Days. And it's just around the corner...

Springtime at Landis Valley

2010-04-13T11:04:00.010-04:00

The warmer weather is working wonders around our site! Beautiful clusters of blossoms in shades of pink, white and purple are making their appearance on the trees.

Poke your head in the hoophouse where our seed house volunteers are busy preparing for the Herb Faire and the wonderful smell of basil and other herbs will greet you.

If you visit on a Thursday and walk down to the Log Farm, you might get to watch volunteers, Floyd and John, bundling rye straw and attaching it to the lowered roof of the hay barrack. Thatching is no easy job!

2009-12-29T09:10:00.003-05:00

I hear those sleighbells ringing!

During the recent snow, volunteer Greg Ludwig hitched his team of horses to a beautiful sleigh and gave rides to staff and visitors on site. It doesn't get any better! Thanks Greg, we can't wait for the next snow to arrive!

Bonfire Night at Landis Valley

2009-12-15T11:12:00.003-05:00

It's a tradition that no one seems to know how long has been going on. The museum's annual Bonfire Night will take place this coming Friday evening with the "doors" opening at 6pm. While there is no admission, we ask visitors to bring canned goods to donate.

Many of the buildings will be open within the village. There will be lots of cooking going on in the Tavern. Not sure where the Tavern is located? Just follow all the good smells. The bonfire will begin at around 6:45. The Lititz Moravian Trombone Choir will proceed up to the steps of the hotel while playing holiday music along the way. Following a welcome, all are invited to sing around the fire! At 8pm the doors of the Yellow Barn will open and everyone is invited to come in and warm up with hot mulled cider and cookies. Oh and don't forget the horse drawn rides beside the hotel. They are free but donations are always welcome.

This is a special night at the museum. There are families and friends that attend every year - regardless of the weather! We hope that you can join us this year.

50th ANNUAL HARVEST DAYS

2009-11-01T10:35:00.023-05:00

Here are a few random pictures from the 50th annual Harvest Days from October.

Volunteer Bruce Hoover talks about the Pennsylvania Long Rifle.

Volunteer Larry Hess talks about stills.

LVM staff member Tom Martin pulls a beautifully baked apple pie out of the wood-fired brick oven.

Making a rope is a very popular activity at Harvest Days

Even our American Lineback cow Sarah needs a snack, which she gets here from a few new friends!

Volunteer Rick Brouse assists in making home-made apple butter.

Volunteer Mike Elmer, along with resident Belgian horses, Ben and Sue, demonstates plowing.

50 year veteran volunteer master cabinetmaker Clair Garman talks to the next generation of LVM volunteers!

Turkey Hill, a generous corporate sponsor of Harvest Days, delights visitors with free samples.

Folks waiting to buy their admission tickets.

Picking out just the right pumpkin from the Harvest Days "Pumpkin Patch" is a family tradition for many folks. But some people do get a bit carried away now and then!

Not to mention getting started at a very young age!

WASSER MAKES HIS DEBUT

2009-09-20T08:50:00.011-04:00

Recently a new interactive tour debuted during our Homeschool Day special event. The tour is called, "Where's Wasser", and is the brain-child of LVA staff member, Cindy Reedy.

This interactive tour is designed for the younger crowd who visits the museum and encourages them to not only get more involved during a museum visit but also to look for clues in spots that might not normally be visited.

By the way, "Wasser" is the German and Pennsylvania German word for water. My brother George and I had several dogs who went by this name. I'll have to ask George where the word as a dog's name comes from...

In any case, using a brochure with clues, questions are answered at various stations. Upon successful completion, the reward is an "I found Wasser" sticker.

I think Wasser would be proud to be a part of our museum program today!

Special thanks to former LVA employee, Nancy Landis for the wonderful rendering of Wasser!

Education is fun at LVM!

2009-08-25T09:20:00.010-04:00

As the seasons change so do the activities in the Education Department at Landis Valley Museum. During the summer our focus is on summer camps. At Landis Valley we offer camps including the Summer Sampler and Historic Trades. At Summer Sampler the younger campers enjoyed a week of theme based activities. This year our themes were the “American Girl Doll” and “Apprenticeships.”

The American Girl Doll camp enjoyed activities from the Felicity, Samantha and Kit time periods. These activities included a Victorian Tea Party with parlor games, a price comparison lesson in the Country Store and creating a purse from a burlap sack.

The Apprenticeship camp enjoyed working with David Lunin , a furniture maker. They built their own stool and painted it with milk paint.

The older campers in Historic Trades Camp worked with master cabinet maker, Claire Garman. They built a large bench and learned how to decorate it with a Pennsylvania German technique known as wood graining. The campers were also able to enjoy a clay tablet and bead project with Mike Keller, our potter. The week was only complete after Tom Martin instructed the campers on baking in the wood-fired brick oven behind the Tavern. They tried recipes from the Landis Valley Cookbook which Tom helped to write. We were also able to eat delicious hand made pizzas made in the brick oven for lunch (What a treat!).

This summer was the first time the Education Department offered summertime Hands on History Days. Families and other summer camps from the area took part in both fun filled days. Participants were treated to a lesson in the 1890s school house, processing wool, playing colonial games, learning about artifacts and making an “old fashioned” craft. Many participants also enjoyed a picnic lunch in our picnic grove and a wagon ride.

Due to their success, we will continue to offer the Hands on History Days next summer. Keep watching our web-site for updates on our fall, winter and spring activities in the Education Department and thank you for your continued support.

A quick group shot before putting their homemade pizzas into the wood-fired brick oven!

Participants with instructor Dave Lunin giving their projects the "stress" test!

If you have any questions about any of the programs offered by the Educational Department at Landis Valley Museum, please feel free to give Sheri Brown a call at 717-569-0401, ext. 228.

CIVIL WAR DAY

2009-08-16T12:37:00.022-04:00

There was a very recent discovery in the Landis Valley archives.

What was found was a "commutation" receipt for Henry Harrison Landis (the father of the Landis brothers).

As Henry H. was drafted for service in the Civil War on July 18, 1863 (the Battle of Gettysburg was July 1-3, 1863), he paid a commutation fee of $300 to receive discharge from further liability under the draft instituted in March of the same year. The receipt is dated August 20, 1863.

$300 in 1863 is approximately $5300 in 2009 dollars!

Although Henry obviously did not serve in the military, this still makes an interesting tie-in to our Civil War day event here at Landis Valley.

Here are a few photos from Civil War Day.

Union encampment right outside of the Jacob Landis farmhouse.

Visitors getting an explanation of Civil War military tactics.

A firing demonstration.

Our very own Mike Elmer in uniform atop of our very own horse, Lizzie. Mike is a volunteer with our Farm Program and can often be seen driving or riding our horses.

MAINTENANCE UPDATE

2009-07-12T10:43:00.002-04:00

Work has begun recently on the Landis Valley House Hotel.

The Landis Valley House Hotel was built in 1856 by Jacob Landis Jr. It is an original structure standing on its original site, which is at the crossroads which met in what was once the village of Landis Valley. When a post office became part of the hotel around 1860 it put Landis Valley "on the map"!

There was a restaurant, a bar and several rooms for over-night guests. In the mid 1950s it was known for its turtle soup and 3" thick ham sandwiches.

There was also a stage coach stop at the Hotel in the late 1800s and Henry Harrison Landis often mentions going to the hotel to look for someone, to conduct business, or (in his earlier years) to get a drink. He also talks about buying a beer at the hotel for his day laborers.

Today, as there is a modern kitchen there, the Hotel is used as a rental facility for special tour luncheons or other special events such as the Victorian Valentine Dinner, a very popular event!

SUMMER INTERN IN THE VALLEY

2009-06-30T08:45:00.013-04:00

Landis Valley Museum is pleased to welcome Veronica Santiago Padilla to our interpretive staff.

The expression, "it is a small world" certainly applies here. While looking for educational opportunities abroad she just happened upon LVM's website and the "rest is history"! She will be with us for six weeks as a volunteer!

Veronica is from Oaxaca, Mexico and is a student at the Universidad de las Americas in Puebla, Mexico, where she is majoring in International Relations.

Veronica has jumped right in to the program here and has already translated our site brochure into Spanish. As she is also fluent in French, she updated our French version as well.

You might find her interpreting in the Brothers' House or the Country Store. We are grateful for her upbeat personality, her desire to learn, and her openness and flexibility.

EDIT

Last night, July 16, Veronica appeared on the local cable news program. You can view this on you tube here.

RECENT ACQUISITIONS

2009-05-28T09:00:00.013-04:00

As you might know, my brother George and I collected many, many items. Although we never counted them, some people estimate that when we handed over our collections to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1953, there were upwards of 100,000 individual items!

The curatorial staff at Landis Valley today is responsible for this collection. They also try to find articles of significance that should be a part of the museum collection.

An "accession" process helps us to decide what are the best pieces to add to the collection.

Recently we managed to get a one-pint milk bottle from the Landis Valley Dairy!

This dairy was run out of what is currently called the Isaac Landis farm complex. It was run by H.H. Landis in the 1930s. He was a distant relative of ours.

Here is a photograph of one of H.H. Landis' Landis Valley Dairy trucks taken in Landis Valley.

And here is the recently acquired, one-pint bottle from the Landis Valley Dairy!

And here is a detail of the inscription on the bottle.

Staying home this summer?

2009-05-18T11:30:00.005-04:00

Give the kids (or grandkids) the opportunity to get some fresh air, explore, run around in the grass and visit the animals! With a Family Membership to Landis Valley Museum - you can come and visit as much as you like. It's like spending a day in the country, only you don't have to drive as far!

This is old fashioned entertainment at a very affordable price. Pack a picnic lunch & blanket and come show the kids how much fun a lazy summer day can be!

RYAN AND FRIENDS

2009-04-21T19:06:00.006-04:00

Recently a film crew from Blue Ridge Channel 11 came to film an episode of "Inside Access" which is hosted by Ryan Bomgardner and his sidekick Jeffrey, pictured above.

According to the Blue Ridge Channel 11 website, "the show goes behind the scenes of attractions of Lancaster County (with some hilarious results) as well as educating audiences on issues such as health, recycling, and history."

You can learn more about Ryan and his friends here.

The episode about Landis Valley Museum is scheduled to air numerous times during the month of May, so be sure to check the Blue Ridge link above for scheduling information if you are a Blue Ridge cable customer.

We hope that Ryan and Jeffrey enjoyed their visit!

Come to the Herb & Garden Faire!

2009-04-07T12:29:00.002-04:00

Our Herb & Garden Faire will take place on Friday & Saturday, May 8th & 9th! Hours are 9am-5pm, admission is $8, children five and under free! This is a great event for gardeners, also a nice way to spend the day. Shop or plants, seeds, art for the garden and more!

Everyone loves a good auction!!!

2009-04-06T16:40:00.000-04:00

TORNADO WEATHER

2009-03-31T10:22:00.004-04:00

Those of us in "the Valley" this past Sunday experienced some interesting weather late in the afternoon.

A severe storm passed through the area and a tornado actually touched down west of Ephrata (a town about 10 miles away) and other areas in the county.

As you can see in the picture above, the sky turned green. While taking the picture the temperature dropped drastically and the winds must have increased five-fold.

Fortunately all we got was a torrential down pour for about ten minutes. A lot of areas saw some large hail stones.

Spring is almost here at Landis Valley!

2009-03-17T16:32:00.004-04:00

Slowly, the grounds are starting to green with tiny little clusters of flowers popping up here and there. In the hoophouse of the Heirloom Seed Project, volunteers have been busy over the past few months planting seeds and now are enjoying fragrant basil and other plants that will be sold at our Herb and Garden Faire on May 8th & 9th.

LANDIS VALLEY COOKBOOK

2009-03-12T18:31:00.002-04:00

Most cultures revolve around foods. Growing foods. Preparing foods. And of course, eating foods (that's the best part, isn't it?). The Pennsylvania Germans are no exception.

Landis Valley Museum, through the Landis Valley Associates (the volunteer group that supports the museum), is very pleased to announce the recent arrival of the 2nd edition of the very popular Landis Valley Cookbook.

The book is not only a collection of recipes personally tested by Tom Martin, our foodways expert, but also a wealth of information about Pennsylvania German culture and customs.

There are over 200 recipes in the book, with at least 15 new recipes not found in the first edition.

This book is illustrated with many enticing pictures by LVM staff member, Craig A. Benner, which only add to the appeal of the recipes.

For more information or to order a copy, please call the Weathervane Museum Store at 717-569-9312 or email them at weathervane@dejazzd.com.

Charter Day

2009-03-10T10:22:00.000-04:00

William Penn received the charter for the colony of Pennsylvania from King Charles II on March 4, 1681.

To honor this great occasion today, the second Sunday in March is recognized as "Charter Day" in Pennsylvania.

Charter Day is a free admission day to all Commonwealth owned historic sites.

Landis Valley Museum saw a visitation of over 2,000 people on Charter Day.