Historic Schaefferstown, Inc.

Historic Schaefferstown, Inc. A non-profit educational organization dedicated to the culture and unique history of Schaefferstown. Brendle Museum, and the Gemberling-Rex House.

The Pennsylvania German and Swiss cultures which flourished here during the last few centuries are authentically presented among several historic sites – the Alexander Schaeffer House and Farm, the Thomas R. Throughout the year, our sites host cultural events designed to educate in experiential, memorable ways. Our directors and volunteers work to restore, preserve and maintain our historic properties and museum collections.

History Lives Here! Good Morning.! Here’s our photo for this week. You can find this photo and others like it at The Br...
08/24/2026

History Lives Here! Good Morning.! Here’s our photo for this week. You can find this photo and others like it at The Brendle Museum. Open on Tuesday from 1-4 PM. Share what you know about this photo.

Only a few short weeks until the Alexander Schaeffer will be filled with artisans, demonstrators, presenters, music, goo...
08/23/2026

Only a few short weeks until the Alexander Schaeffer will be filled with artisans, demonstrators, presenters, music, good food, and more. Mark your calendars now!
Our Harvest Fair is held on both Saturday and Sunday. If you come on Saturday, your admission is also valid for Sunday - make sure you keep your program for readmittance on Sunday. Each day has its own features and activities. At this fair, we will be collecting items for our Milk Can Time Capsule; send us your ideas for what to include.
Check out some of our other highlights of the event:
- Delicious food and baked goods
- Musical entertainment - Mike and Linda Hertzog and Ephrata Cloister Chorus
- A Baking Contest and Pie Eating Contest with GREAT PRIZES
- Kid's activities
- Farm demos and presentations
- Apple butter, Apple Cider, Apple pies, and apple cider donuts.
- Amazing artisans, talented demonstrators, and adorable farm animals and more...

Thank you to our Marquis Sponsor, Bros. Ford! After you leave the fair, head to Keller Bros. in Buffalo Springs for their Annual Car Show (See details in the photo).

IF YOU ARE AN ARTISAN, DEMONSTRATOR, PRESENTER, OR VOLUNTEER, YOU SHOULD RECEIVE A LETTER OR POSTCARD WITH YOUR LOCATION AND OTHER DETAILS by September 4. DO NOT REPLY OR RESPOND TO ANYONE ELSE BUT US. WE HAVE A FEW SPOTS FOR OUTDOOR ARTISANS OR FARM MARKET PARTICIPANTS. SEND AN EMAIL TO: [email protected] or call 717-949-2244.

Today, we are one month away from our annual - Fair and Early American Folk Art Craft Show! We are planning a fun time f...
08/20/2026

Today, we are one month away from our annual -
Fair and Early American Folk Art Craft Show!

We are planning a fun time for all - Entertainment by Mike and Linda Hertzog (both days), and the Historic Ephrata Cloister Choir will be performing on Sunday. There will be a Treasure Hunt for Kids, a farmer's market featuring Ulrich's Farm Market and local vendors. There will be pies, breads, and whoopie pies for purchase. Apple butter, apple cider, apple donuts, and more for sale. Students from ELCO FFA will be sharing some of their animals with us. Many of you met Maggie at the Cherry Fair, rumor has it she will be adding some other friends. On Saturday, we will have wagon rides with Belgian horses, and on Sunday, tractor rides and so much more - follow our page, and we will give you some ideas of what to expect.

We are also collecting items to put in our America 250 MILK CAN. We chose a milk can for a reason. (If you know, you know.) The milk can will hang from the rafters of the barn until it is opened on a specific date. Please bring along a small item labeled with your name, and include a description and an explanation of why you chose it.
We may even have a surprise or two at the end of the fair!

History Lives Here… Do you recognize this place ? It has served as many different uses over the years. Any guesses?
08/17/2026

History Lives Here… Do you recognize this place ? It has served as many different uses over the years. Any guesses?

History Lives Here. Sharing another view from the Town Square. When interviewing our residents for the Oral History Pr...
08/10/2026

History Lives Here. Sharing another view from the Town Square. When interviewing our residents for the Oral History Project, they shared that there were numerous gas stations along the route from Schaefferstown to Kleinfeltersville.

For those of you who commented on last week's post, if you look at the cover of Saving Our Stories, you will also see the Central Hotel located where the parking lot for St. Luke's Church is today.

Copies of Saving Our Stories are still available. Visit the Brendle Museum on Tuesdays from 1 - 4 PM or stop by the HSI office during office hours on a Wednesday from 9 AM -1 PM.

History Lives Here... Something is always going on behind the scenes at Historic Schaefferstown. While the Gemberling-R...
08/04/2026

History Lives Here... Something is always going on behind the scenes at Historic Schaefferstown. While the Gemberling-Rex House is getting some much-needed restoration and repair, a small archaeology dig is underway. They are working in a fill layer, so many time periods are mixed together. Today, they found the items in the picture below. Yes, that is an oyster shell, and those are pieces of red clay tile. They estimate the date as the 1850s through 1900s.
Interesting fact: The Chesapeake and Delaware Bay had a big oyster industry. Oysters were packed in barrels of ice and transported. If you have any questions for our archaeologists, put them in the comments. They will try to answer them for you.

History Lives Here - This building is now a private residence , but was once known as the Schaefferstown National Bank a...
08/03/2026

History Lives Here - This building is now a private residence , but was once known as the Schaefferstown National Bank and later on, the Lebanon Valley National Bank. It was built in 1910. This photo and many others are part of our collection. You can view this photo and many more by visiting our Brendon Museum. It is open tomorrow from 1 -4 PM.
Notice any differences? Share your memories of the bank.

History Lives Here - This building is now a private residence , but was once known as the Schaefferstown National Bank a...
08/03/2026

History Lives Here - This building is now a private residence , but was once known as the Schaefferstown National Bank and later on, the Lebanon Valley National Bank. It was built in 1910. This photo and many others are part of our collection. You can view this photo and many more by visiting our Brendon Museum. It is open tomorrow from 1 -4 PM.
Notice any differences? Share your memories of the bank.

We are looking for you! Right now, the view from the Schaeffer House window is empty. However, our Harvest Fair is co...
08/02/2026

We are looking for you! Right now, the view from the Schaeffer House window is empty. However, our Harvest Fair is coming up in less than two months. We need YOU! It takes many volunteers to staff these events. You don't have to be a member (but it would be nice) to volunteer. We have all kinds of tasks and places for you to help. And you get a voucher for lunch!
Spend some time supporting our organization and also celebrate our unique PA German culture and traditions.
You can message us on Facebook or email us at [email protected] and someone will get back to you!

Address

P. O. Box 307, 111 N. Market Street
Schaefferstown, PA
17088

Opening Hours

9am - 1pm

Telephone

+1 717-949-2244

Website

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