"THE INVISIBLE SEX" AUTHOR TO SPEAK, SIGN BOOKS AT HARMONY MUSEUM PROGRAM

HARMONY, Pa. -- James M. Adovasio, founding director of Mercyhurst Archaeological Institute at Erie's Mercyhurst College and co-author of the book The Invisible Sex, will speak at the Harmony Museum's Stewart Hall on Saturday evening, May 3.

Admission is free for Adovasio's illustrated presentation, which begins at 7 p.m. He will discuss his newest book that unveils the important but previously ignored roles and contributions of women as the human race developed throughout the Stone Age. He will also sign copies of The Invisible Sex, published by Smithsonian Books, which will be available for purchase ($29 including tax). A wine and cheese reception follows the program.

Shaped by cartoons and museum dioramas, the public's typical image of human activity in the Paleolithic period is of fur-clad men attacking mammoths while women remain in hiding. More recent research -- by Adovasio, Invisible Sex co-author and University of Illinois anthropology professor Olga Soffer and others -- demonstrates a much different reality.

Adovasio and Soffer, among the world's leading experts on perishable artifacts such as basketry, cordage and weaving, present an exciting new look at prehistory in The Invisible Sex. They argue that women had a central role in development of language and social life, and invented such critical materials as clothing necessary to life in cold climates, rope for rafts that enabled water travel, and nets for communal hunting. The authors also note that it is unlikely anyone ever hunted mammoths, and that "Lucy," the hominid whose 3.3 million year old fossilized remains were found in 1974 in Ethiopia and whose name was suggested by a Beatles song, could well have been a man. The vision they present about women in prehistory offers provocative implications for gender assumptions in modern life.

BookLoon.com reviewer Alex Telander describes The Invisible Sex as "an amazing read that charts our ancestry from times when apes were the most evolved animal around, to some 4,000 to 6,000 years ago when humanity settled down and began farming. What makes this book different is that the authors [address] the known history of each period and then reveal evidence that shows women having a much larger role than was previously believed. Incorporating up-to-date information and discoveries on our ancestry, The Invisible Sex is a great, easy to read book for anthropology or archaeology addicts, and for anyone who wants to know what really was going on with our species in the last two million years."

According to Adovasio, "a variety of stereotypes have persisted on the role of women in the [prehistoric] past" largely because of "the inability of investigators to entertain alternative explanations as well as a fundamental failure to recognize and appropriately evaluate evidence contradictory to these stereotypes. This myopia was compounded by the domination of Paleoanthropology by males until relatively recently...If mentioned at all, women, as well as the old and young of both sexes, are characterized solely as minor players."

Adovasio is also provost, senior counselor to the president and dean of the Zurn School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at Mercyhurst College and a former commissioner of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. His first international acclaim came during the 1970s when he began the archaeological exploration of Meadowcroft Rockshelter near Avella, southwest of Pittsburgh, site of North America's earliest proven human habitation that dates from ca. 14,000 B.C. Significant among Adovasio's ongoing fieldwork are the multidisciplinary investigations of the Meadowcroft Rockshelter as well as of sites at Mezhirich, Ukraine; Dolni Vestonice/Pavlov, Czech Republic, and Caesarea, Israel. He has published extensively and is a frequent presenter at national and international meetings.

He drew a capacity audience to the Harmony Museum in 2003 when he spoke about origins of the hemisphere’s earliest inhabitants following publication of The First Americans - In Pursuit of Archaeology’s Greatest Mystery. It was written with former Natural History editor and former Smithsonian science editor Jake Page, the third co-author of The Invisible Sex.

Harmony is at I-79 exits 87-88, about 10 miles north of the Pennsylvania Turnpike and 30 miles north of downtown Pittsburgh. Its recorded history began with Murdering Town, a Delaware Indian village visited by Virginia Maj. George Washington during his 1753 mission demanding the French leave the region, sparking the French & Indian War. Pacifist German Lutheran Separatists, fleeing European militarism and a state church they considered corrupt, settled Harmony in 1804 and organized as what became the internationally famous communal -- and celibate -- Harmony Society. They went to Indiana Territory in 1814 and returned to Beaver County in 1824 to found Economy, now Ambridge, where its last members dissolved the society in 1905. Harmony's resettlement began in 1815, led by pacifist Mennonites whose congregation also faded away at the dawn of the 20th century.

Harmony Museum exhibits interpret the area's extraordinary array of history, from the Indians, Washington and the Harmony Society, to maker of fine percussion hunting and target rifles Charles Flowers and oil and gas booms of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its Wagner House annex houses exhibits on local railroads and physicians.

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4/13/2008
CONTACT: Kathy Luek, Administrator
724-452-7341 or hmuseum@zoominternet.net

 

19TH CENTURY HARMONIST CLOTHING TO BE SHOWN AT HARMONIEFEST

HARMONY, Pa. -- Examples of attire worn by communal Harmony Society members when they immigrated from southwest Germany to settle Harmony in the early 1800s will be modeled at the 41st annual Harmoniefest on Saturday, Feb. 16. The dinner and historical program, a fundraiser to benefit the Harmony Museum, is held in the museum's Stewart Hall at Main and Mercer streets.

Admission is $25 per person. Reservations are required, and must be received by Friday, Feb. 8.

Curator Sarah Buffington of Old Economy Village in Ambridge will narrate the fashion show. Historic Harmony, the volunteer historical society and preservation advocate that operates the nine-property Harmony Museum, will contribute part of the evening's proceeds to a program providing authentic costumes for Old Economy docent-interpreters. Commemorating the communal Harmony Society's third and final home, Old Economy Village is operated by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.

Historic Harmony will also present two Heritage Awards for outstanding restoration projects, and recognize volunteers who contributed the most hours to museum activities last year. This year's Heritage Awards will honor James and Elizabeth Kelleher for restoring the facade of their ca. 1890 home on East New Castle Street in Zelienople, and Belynda Slaugenhaupt and Suzanne Spohn for restoring the 1862 Stauffer farmstead barn at their home on Camp Run Road in Lancaster Township.

Harmony was founded late in 1804 by German Lutheran Separatists. led by Johann George Rapp. They left the Stuttgart area to escape militarism and conduct their religious affairs free of state interference. They organized formally as the Harmony Society in February 1805, an event celebrated with an annual February feast they called Harmoniefest. Their first American home, called Harmonie, which eventually had a population of nearly 900, encompassed the town and 7,000 acres of what became Jackson and Lancaster townships. The celibate Harmonists, who anticipated the imminent return of Christ, moved to southwestern Indiana in 1814, returning in 1824 to found Economie, now Ambridge in Beaver County, only 22 miles from their original home. The Harmony Society, which became 19th century America's most successful communal group, was dissolved there in 1905 by its last survivors.

Although Historic Harmony’s Harmoniefest does mark the founding anniversaries of Harmony and the Harmony Society, it celebrates two and a half centuries of extraordinary history. The area's recorded history began with young British Virginia Maj. George Washington's visit with local Delaware Indians during his 1753 mission to the region seeking withdrawal of a growing French occupation, thus sparking the French & Indian War. Nearby, the war's first shot was fired at Washington by a "French Indian."

Harmony is one of western Pennsylvania’s most significant historic sites. The Harmony National Historic Landmark District comprises 10 old-town blocks as well as the Harmony Society cemetery in adjacent Jackson Township. When "second founder" Abraham Ziegler bought the Harmony Society’s holdings in 1815, his and other Mennonite families began resettling the area. The Mennonite congregation, also pacifist, faded away as the Harmony Society met a similar end.

Harmoniefest begins with a 6 p.m. reception. Dinner entree choices are stuffed pork chop, chicken scaloppini and vegetarian lasagna. Information and reservations can be obtained from the Harmony Museum office, 724-452-7341, toll-free 888-821-4822, or hmuseum@zoominternet.net.
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CONTACT: Kathy Luek, Administrator, 724-452-7341
1/27/08
 

HARMONY NEW YEAR'S EVE ON GERMAN TIME OFFERS TOURS, DINNER, FILM, FAMILY FUN

ELEGANT DINNER & CANDLELIGHT TOURS OPEN HOLIDAYS AT HARMONY MUSEUM

HARMONY, Pa. -- Visitors attending Historic Harmony's annual holiday season Candlelight Christmas fundraiser on Sunday, Dec. 9, can again choose to enjoy an elegant, reservations-only dinner in addition to touring Harmony Museum buildings that are decked out in Christmas trim.

The dinner option was introduced at the 2006 Candlelight Christmas and sold out quickly. The single-seating dinner will be served at 5:30 p.m. in the museum's Stewart Hall, with entree choices of Wellington style beef, chicken or salmon. Diners are welcome to bring their own beverage. The $25 per person fee, the same as a year ago, includes a museum tour before or after dinner. Reservations must be placed with the museum office no later than Tuesday, Dec. 4, at 724-452-7341/888-821-4822 or hmuseum@zoominternet.net.

The decorated and candlelit main museum, Ziegler log house and Wagner House annex will be open 4-8 p.m. Harmony's historic center, reminiscent of a rural German village and core of the first National Historic Landmark District in Western Pennsylvania, becomes especially picturesque when luminaries are lighted at dusk around the diamond and along Mercer Street. The winner of Historic Harmony's annual handmade quilt raffle will be drawn at 8 p.m., and the museum's gift shop and Harmony's other antique and specialty shops will be open into the evening.

A $2 Candlelight Christmas admission donation is requested of those not having dinner; proceeds benefit Historic Harmony and its museum operations.

A unique model railroad platform that delighted museum visitors during the 2006 Christmas season is again a special holidays-only attraction in the Wagner House. Donated to Historic Harmony by the Ronald Eckstein family of Forward Township, the layout's highlights are remarkable log buildings and accessories made in the 1930s and early '40s by the late William Yobp of New Kensington and an O-27 gauge Lionel train and trolley from the 1950s.

Harmony is 10 miles north of the Pennsylvania Turnpike and 30 miles south of I-80 at I-79 exits 87-88. The area’s recorded history began with a Delaware Indian village visited by George Washington during his 1753 mission demanding French withdrawal from British territory, sparking the French & Indian War; its first shot was fired at him nearby by a "French Indian." Pacifist German Lutheran Separatists founded Harmony late in 1804, and their communal Harmony Society gained international renown. After their 1814 departure, the area's resettlement was led by pacifist Mennonites. These and many other aspects of area history are interpreted by the Harmony Museum.
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11/20/2007
CONTACT: Kathy Luek, Administrator, 724-452-7341 or 888-821-4822

 

HARMONY MUSEUM SCHEDULES WASHINGTON 1753 COMMEMORATION

HARMONY MUSEUM SUMMER HISTORY CAMP DATES SET

HARMONY -- Historic Harmony has scheduled its annual Harmony Museum summer History
Camps, with the session for beginner campers (third, fourth and fifth graders) held
July 23-27 and advanced camp (last summer's beginners) July 30-Aug. 3 for. Each
day's session is held from 9 a.m. to noon.

Activities for first-year campers include museum tour, nature walks, and such
pioneer crafts as tin piercing, weaving and candle making. The advanced program
focuses on German culture, Harmony history with related field trips, and crafts.

Preregistration is required with the museum office, 724-452-7341. The fee is $27 for
Historic Harmony members. The $30 fee for others includes a student membership.
Beginner camp coordinator is Valerie Cuccaro and advanced camp coordinators are
Marcy Luek and Margaret Miller.

Harmony, Western Pennsylvania's first National Historic Landmark District, is one of
the region’s most significant historic places. In the mid-1700s it was the site of a
Delaware village visited by George Washington during his 1753 mission into the
region that sparked the French & Indian War.

Pacifist German Lutheran Separatists founded Harmony in 1804 and organized as the
Harmony Society, 19th century America’s most successful communal group. Mennonite
Abraham Ziegler bought the society’s town and thousands of surrounding acres in
1815. Harmony Museum exhibits present these and many other elements of the area’s
remarkably rich history.

CONTACT: Kathy Luek, Administrator, 724-452-7341
 

ANNUAL HARMONY MUSEUM HERB & GARDEN FAIR JUNE 9

HARMONY, Pa. -- The Harmony Museum’s 3rd annual Herb & Garden Fair, featuring a plant exchange and sale, will be held 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturday, June 9, at the historic 200-year-old barn museum annex on Mercer Road just north of the picturesque Connoquenessing Creek.

Gardeners may trade potted plants as specialty vendors offer roses and other ornamentals, herbs and garden art. Seminars will take place throughout the day.

Plant donors and exchangers should bring their plants to the barn on Friday to be displayed properly when the fair opens. They will receive vouchers for use during Saturday's exchange. Museum volunteers recommend that plants be potted well ahead of time to assure they are perky in time for the fair.

Homemade lunch will be offered, incorporating herbs from the museum garden. Selections will include quiches and basil tomato salad. Visitors to the Wagner House museum annex gift shop a few blocks away, at 222 Mercer St. in the National Historic Landmark District, can enjoy various rare and unusual roses blooming in its garden. Guided museum tours will be available 1-4 p.m., and Harmony’s many other antiques and specialty shops invite browsing.

Harmony, just off I-79 in Butler County, is one of the region’s most significant historic places. In the mid-1700s it was the site of the Lenni Lenape (Delaware) Murdering Town, visited by George Washington during his 1753 mission to demand French withdrawal from the region that sparked the French & Indian War; a "French Indian" fired the war’s first shot at Washington nearby.

Pacifist German Lutheran Separatists founded Harmony in 1804. Their Harmony Society became 19th century America’s most successful communal group. A decade later the Harmonists relocated to Indiana Territory and Mennonite Abraham Ziegler bought the society’s town and thousands of surrounding acres in what would become Jackson and Lancaster townships. The Harmony Society returned in 1824 to settle 20 miles west of Harmony in Beaver County and disband in 1905; its final home is commemorated at the Old Economy Village historic site in Ambridge.

During the second half of the 19th century, Harmony’s Charles Flowers made fine hunting and target rifles, now collected as works of art. Oil and gas booms benefited the region in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Harmony Museum exhibits present these and other elements of the area’s remarkably rich history. A heritage tourism site for 200 years and Western Pennsylvania's first National Historic Landmark District, Harmony retains the architectural character of the hometowns of its German founders.

Harmony is at I-79 exits 87 and 88, about 30 miles north of downtown Pittsburgh, 10 miles north of Pennsylvania Turnpike exit 28, and 30 miles south of I-80.
####
CONTACT: Kathy Luek, Administrator, 724-452-7341
 

QUILT IN A DAY PROGRAM RETURNS TO HARMONY MUSEUM

HARMONY, Pa. -- Patricia Knoechel's annual how-to-quilt appearance always fills the Harmony Museum's Stewart Hall, so another full house is expected when she returns for this year's Quilt in a Day presentation at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, May 29.

Her two-hour presentation will focus on a traditional flowered 1930s "Magic Vine" design as well as "Quick Trip" strip-pieced quilting techniques suitable for beginners as well as experts. Both are based on new books by Knoechel and her sister, Quilt in a Day founder and television quilter Eleanor Burns. The area natives, who reside in California, have written many popular quilting books.

Quilts will be displayed, and Quilt in a Day books and supplies may be purchased. Admission is $6, with proceeds benefiting the Harmony Museum. Reservations or advance ticket purchases are recommended strongly because of the popularity of Knoechel's museum presentations each spring. Reservations may be made with the museum office, 724-452-7341 or e-mail hmuseum@fyi.net, and tickets are available at the Museum Shop, Wagner House museum annex, 222 Mercer Street.

The Museum is open for guided tours following the program.

Harmony, a National Historic Landmark 30 minutes north of downtown Pittsburgh, is among Western Pennsylvania’s most significant historic places. In the mid-1700s it was the site of the Leni Lenape Murdering Town visited by George Washington during his 1753 mission seeking French withdrawal from the region, sparking the French & Indian War; a "French Indian" fired the war’s first shot at Washington nearby. Pacifist German Lutheran Separatists founded Harmony in 1804, their Harmony Society becoming 19th century America’s most successful communal group. Mennonite Abraham Ziegler bought the society's town and surrounding land in 1815.

The Harmony Museum exhibits present these and other elements of the area's unusually rich history, and the architectural character of the town remains much like that of a rural German village.

Harmony is at I-79 exits 87-88, about 30 miles north of downtown Pittsburgh, 10 miles north of Pennsylvania Turnpike exit 28, and 30 miles south of I-80.
####
5/6/2007
CONTACT: Kathy Luek, Administrator, 724-452-7341

NOTE TO BROADCASTERS: Knoechel is pronounced nay-gehl

SEE GEORGE WASHINGTON AT HARMONY MUSEUM

HARMONY, Pa. -- The public is invited to a program at the Harmony Museum to view the History Channel's special "Search for George Washington" production. The presentation begins at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 8, in the museum’s Stewart Hall, and admission is free.

The program expands on and further illuminates the historical detective work and 21st century technologies that determined Washington's true appearance in a project described by Jeffrey Schwartz at the museum's Harmoniefest program in February.

Project leader Schwartz, forensic anthropologist and University of Pittsburgh professor, appears throughout the 50-minute History Channel program broadcast one week after he spoke in Harmony. It shows the challenges encountered and technologies applied -- including advanced forensics and 3-D laser scanning -- to create accurate images of Washington as 19-year-old surveyor, 45-year-old Colonial army commander and first American president at 57. The program also shows how life-sized figures of Washington were produced, and their installation last September at a new museum at Mount Vernon, Washington's Virginia estate.

The Harmony area’s recorded history began with a Lenni Lenape (Delaware) village visited by Washington during his 1753 mission on behalf of Virginia's governor to demand French withdrawal from the region, sparking the French & Indian War. Nearby, a "French Indian" fired the war’s first shot at the 21-year-old major. The Indians had left the area many years before the Harmony Society of pacifist German Lutheran Separatists came to western Butler County's wilderness in 1804 to establish Harmony as its first American home. The religious commune soon attracted international attention as its population grew to about 850 immigrants convinced of Christ’s imminent return and dedicated to separation of church and state.

The Harmonists departed in 1814 to Indiana Territory, returning in 1824 to build their final home at what became Ambridge in Beaver County, commemorated by Old Economy Village there. Their Butler County property was bought in 1815 by Mennonite blacksmith Abraham Ziegler, Harmony's "second founder."

Harmony Museum exhibits present these and other elements of the area's rich history. Access to additional historic sites and National Historic Landmark District walking tours may be arranged by appointment. Harmony is at I-79 exits 87-88, about 10 miles north of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, 30 miles north of downtown Pittsburgh and 30 miles south of I-80

CELEBRATE NEW SEASON WITH HARMONY MUSEUM SPRING FEAST

HARMONY, Pa. -- Spring brings warmer, sunnier times and, in Harmony, revival of the Harmony Museum's popular reservations-only German dinners, beginning on Saturday, April 14 with a Frühlingfest, or spring feast. The buffet dinner will be served 5-7 p.m. in the museum’s Stewart Hall.

Selections will include pork schnitzel, sauerbraten, meatballs in gravy, sauerkraut, red cabbage, German potato salad, spaetzle (German pasta), dandelion salad, cucumber salad, beets, carrots, breads, homemade desserts, and coffee, tea, and water. Diners are always welcome to bring along their favorite German beverage.

Cost is $13 per person, and proceeds benefit museum operations. Reservations may be made with the museum office: 724-452-7341, toll-free 888-821-4822, or www.harmonymuseum.org.

Diners are encouraged to spend the day exploring the museum, the National Historic Landmark District, and Harmony's many specialty shops with goods ranging from antiques and crafts to souvenirs of one of the region's most historic sites.

Recognized in 2004 with a statewide award for its long-standing historic preservation efforts, the picturesque town with an architectural character not unlike that of a German village has been a heritage tourism destination for nearly 200 years. Harmony is at I-79 exits 87-88, a quick 10 miles north of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, 30 miles north of Pittsburgh’s Point and 30 miles south of I-80.

The area’s recorded history began with a Delaware Indian village visited in 1753 by George Washington during his mission to the region that sparked the French & Indian War. Nearby, a "French Indian" fired the war’s first shot at him on Dec. 27, 1753. The communal Harmony Society of German Lutheran Separatists founded Harmony in 1804 as its first American home and was soon attracting international attention. With their 1814 departure, resettlement was led by Mennonite blacksmith and "second founder" Abraham Ziegler.
 

RENOVATION COMPLETED AT HARMONY MUSEUM

FLOOD PLAIN DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGED;
WASHINGTON'S TRUE APPEARANCE DECIPHERED

HARMONY, Pa. -- "Why in the world should new construction be allowed in the Connoquenessing flood plain while millions of dollars are being spent to buy and vacate flood plain properties damaged in the 2004 flood?"

Local, county, state and federal officials are about to be asked to respond to that question with regard to the controversial Creekside Manor housing plan, said Historic Harmony President John Ruch during the historical society and preservation advocate's annual Harmoniefest on Saturday evening (Feb. 10).

The annual fundraising event's 80 diners, including public officials, applauded University of Pittsburgh Professor Jeffrey Schwartz's illustrated presentation about his four-year forensics project to determine George Washington's appearance as youth, middle-aged Colonial army commander and first U.S. president. His internationally recognized undertaking is the subject of "Save Our History: The Search for George Washington" on the History Channel, 10 p.m. this coming Saturday (Feb. 17).

Historic Harmony also presented awards to honor recent building restorations and recognized members for volunteer service to the Harmony Museum during 2006.

The 47-acre Creekside Manor site and three adjacent properties are eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. Directly across the Connoquenessing Creek from Harmony's historic district and west of Mercer Road, it was probably the site of the Delaware Indian village visited by young Virginia Maj. George Washington in 1753. It was also the first land cleared by the communal Harmony Society that founded Harmony in 1804, for its physician's herb garden, crops and sheep-grazing, as well as its religious labyrinth. It has been in agricultural use ever since.

Ruch revealed that the property was offered to Historic Harmony last June, when the organization was given up to three years to finance and complete the purchase to preserve it as green space. The historical society began immediately to pursue grants and related support with foundations and other organizations, but was "incredibly shocked" when told last month the property was being sold to a builder -- "what must certainly be the greatest disappointment in this organization's history" and "shortest three years we'll ever experience."

"In The Creek Manor" would be a better name for the development, he added, because nearly half of the property was under water in the September 2004 flood and half of the plan's construction would occupy the flood plain.

"If it is built, it will mean worse damage to surrounding properties in future floods," Ruch said. "In fact, that's exactly what the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection told the developer, as well as Harmony and Jackson Township officials, just a few days before the property was offered to Historic Harmony. There's simply no question that if Creekside Manor is built, the consequences will be terrible for the community in terms of public safety, future economic viability and loss of nationally important historic resources. This is a project for which there is no rational justification."

He called on the public to demand "meaningful protections when it comes to the flood plain, and to preserve that very historic landscape across the Connoquenessing."

Schwartz's project resulted in creation of three life-sized representations of Washington that in September were installed in a new museum and education center at Mount Vernon, Washington's Virginia estate. The work involved using computer and laser technology to interpret 18th century art and sculpture, anatomical forensics and even Washington's clothing. The images produced differ distinctly from such popular representations as the Gilbert Stuart portrait that once hung in many school classrooms and that on the U.S. $1 bill.

The interpretation of Washington as a surveyor in 1751 would be similar to his appearance during his mission to western Pennsylvania two years later to demand French withdrawal from the region. He spent a night with Delaware Indians across the Connoquenessing from the future site of Harmony, and four weeks later an Indian allied with the French shot at him nearby.

Historic Harmony presented two Heritage Awards for 2007 during Harmoniefest. Robert Householder, Zelienople, honored for renovation of the facade of the building at 115 S. Main St., Zelienople, was also a 1999 recipient for restoration of Zelienople's former First National Bank building. Beth Nicklas and Alan Miles received an award for barn and outbuilding facade restoration at the ca. 1830 Ziegler-Peffer farmstead, their home at 129 Textor Hill Rd., Jackson Township.

Volunteer Service Recognition awards honored four Harmony Museum volunteers contributing the most hours of service during the past year. Recipients were Sharon Anno, Lancaster Township, 121.5 hours; Sam Regal, Zelienople, 81.5 hours; and Kathy Luek, Harmony, and Suzie Rape, Zelienople, 80 hours each. Ruch noted that 74 volunteers contributed more than 3,800 hours to museum activities during 2006.

The original Harmoniefest was a feast celebrating the Harmony Society's founding. The pacifist commune's members came to the United States seeking religious freedom and believing in separation of church and state. The event conducted by Historic Harmony celebrates all of the area's rich history.

Harmony is one of western Pennsylvania’s most significant historic sites and includes western Pennsylvania's first National Historic Landmark District. The first American home of the Harmony Society had a population of nearly 900 when the commune relocated to southwest Indiana in 1814; it returned to Beaver County in 1824 to establish Economy (now Ambridge), where the society dissolved in 1905 and is commemorated by the state's Old Economy Village historic site.

When blacksmith Abraham Ziegler, Harmony’s "second founder," bought the Harmony Society’s town and extensive property in 1815, his and other Mennonite families led the area's resettlement and Ziegler sold the town lot by lot. The Mennonite congregation also faded away at the beginning of the 20th century.

 

WHAT DID GEORGE WASHINGTON REALLY LOOK LIKE? FIND OUT AT HARMONY MUSEUM HARMONIEFEST

HARMONY, Pa. --The University of Pittsburgh's Jeffrey H. Schwartz will present an illustrated program, "What Did George Washington Really Look Like? The First Forensic Reconstruction of Our First President," during Historic Harmony's 41st annual Harmoniefest program on Saturday, Feb. 10, at the Harmony Museum's Stewart Hall..

Historic Harmony will also present two Heritage Awards for area renovation projects and recognize volunteers who contributed the most hours to the organization's 2006 activities. Reservations are required for Harmoniefest and must be received at the museum by Friday, Feb. 2.

The annual museum fundraiser dinner and historical program commemorates Harmony’s 1804 founding by German Lutheran Separatists and their organization as the communal Harmony Society on Feb. 15, 1805. Historic Harmony officials note that this is an appropriate occasion for Schwartz's presentation because Feb. 22 marks the 275th birth anniversary of Washington, who contributed importantly to the history of Harmony and the region.

Schwartz, professor in Pitt's departments of Anthropology and History and Philosophy of Science, led a four-year project to determine Washington's true appearance at three stages of his life: teen-aged surveyor, gentleman farmer taking command of the Revolution's Colonial army, and at his inauguration as first American president. The work was used to create life-sized models for a new museum-education center at Washington's Virginia estate, Mount Vernon.

The effort combined 18th century art, sculpture, dentistry and clothing with digital computer technology and knowledge of skeletal and soft tissue changes of the aging process. Schwartz describes the result, which has attracted international attention, as the first "de-aging" of an individual -- recognizable as Washington, but notably different from popular representations.

The image of Washington at 19 depicts his appearance two years before he came to western Pennsylvania in 1753 as a Virginia major with an ultimatum demanding French withdrawal from the region, setting the stage for the French & Indian War. He spent a night with Delaware Indians at their Murdering Town near the future site of Harmony, camped at three other Butler County locations, and was the target of the war's first shot, fired several miles east of Murdering Town by a "French Indian."

Schwartz, author of many articles and books, is also a resident fellow of Pitt's Center for Philosophy of Science, research associate of the American Museum of Natural History and Carnegie Museum of Natural History, and forensic anthropologist for the Allegheny County Coroner's office. The New Jersey native received master's and doctoral degrees at Columbia University after undergraduate study at the university's Columbia College.

This year’s Heritage Awards honor Robert Householder, Zelienople, for renovation of the facade of the building at 115 S. Main St., Zelienople; and Beth Nicklas and Alan Miles for barn and outbuilding facade restoration at the ca. 1830 Ziegler-Peffer farmstead, their home at 129 Textor Hill Rd., Jackson Township.

The original Harmoniefest was an annual feast celebrating the Harmony Society's founding. The pacifist commune's members, anticipating the imminent return of Christ, came to the United States to flee militarism and seek religious freedom grounded in separation of church and state. Historic Harmony’s event, begun in 1967, celebrates more than 250 years of area history, and since 1991 has been the occasion for presenting its preservation awards.

Harmony is one of western Pennsylvania’s most significant historic sites. The Harmony National Historic Landmark District comprises about 10 blocks in the borough that separated in 1840 from Connoquenessing Township and the noncontiguous Harmony Society cemetery in what in 1854 became Jackson Township.

Separatists from the German Duchy of Wurttemberg began developing what they called Harmonie late in 1804 as their first American home. The Harmonist community, then numbering about 850, moved to southwest Indiana in 1814 to build a second Harmony. It returned to Beaver County in 1824 to establish Economy (now Ambridge), where the celibate society dissolved in 1905 and is commemorated by the state's Old Economy Village historic site.

Pacifist Mennonites led by Abraham Ziegler, Harmony’s "second founder" who bought the Harmony Society’s extensive property in 1815, resettled the area. Ziegler ultimately sold off the town in lots. Although their congregation faded away as the Harmony Society was meeting a similar end 20 miles away, many descendants of Mennonites reside in the area.

Harmoniefest begins with a 6 p.m. reception. Dinner is roasted game hen or stuffed brisket served with potato, caramelized root vegetables, salad and dessert; vegetarian lasagna is also available. Admission is $25 per person, reservations are required and must be received by Friday, Feb. 2. Additional information and reservations can be obtained from the Harmony Museum, 724-452-7341 or toll-free 888-821-4822, or e-mail at hmuseum@fyi.net

 

HISTORIC HARMONY INSTALLS INCUMBENT OFFICERS, DIRECTORS

2007 HARMONY MUSEUM EVENTS

At the Harmony Museum’s Stewart Hall unless noted.

February 10, Harmony Museum’s 41st annual Harmoniefest fundraising dinner, 6 p.m., commemorates Harmony’s 1804 founding by German Lutheran Separatists and 1805 formal creation of their communal Harmony Society. Program: "What Did George Washington Really Look Like?: The First Forensic Reconstruction of Our First President," presentation by Jeffrey H. Schwartz, University of Pittsburgh, who led a four-year project to reconstruct Washington as a youth, middle-aged commander in chief during the Revolution, and when inaugurated as president, resulting in the first "de-aging" of an individual -- recognizable as Washington but different from popular representations. Reservations required: 888-821-4822, e-mail hmuseum@fyi.net; Web: www.harmonymuseum.org.

April 14, Harmony Museum German dinner, menu of traditional German foods. Diners may provide their own wine or beer. 5-7 p.m. Reservations required: 888-821-4822, e-mail hmuseum@fyi.net; Web: www.harmonymuseum.org.

May 29, Harmony Museum’s annual "Quilt in a Day" program, 10 a.m.-Noon, presented by Patricia Knoechel, author and co-author of quilting books with sister and internationally syndicated television quilter Eleanor Burns. Reservations recommended: 888-821-4822, e-mail hmuseum@fyi.net; Web: www.harmonymuseum.org.

June 9, Harmony Museum Art Show/Plant Exchange, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Shop for works by area artists at the museum’s Stewart Hall and grounds, visit the nearby historic 1805 barn to exchange plants and buy from vendors of specialty roses and other plants. Lunch available at Stewart Hall. 888-821-4822, e-mail hmuseum@fyi.net; Web: www.harmonymuseum.org.

August 11, Harmony Museum’s annual Antique Gun Show in Stewart Hall, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., presenting historic firearms spanning Colonial era through late 19th century, including fine longrifles by Harmony master gunsmith Charles Flowers. 888-821-4822, e-mail hmuseum@fyi.net; Web: www.harmonymuseum.org.

August 18, Harmony Museum German dinner, menu of traditional German foods. Diners may provide their own wine or beer. 5-7 p.m. Reservations required: 888-821-4822, e-mail hmuseum@fyi.net; Web: www.harmonymuseum.org.

October 13, Harmony Museum German dinner, menu of traditional German foods. Diners may provide their own wine or beer. 5-7 p.m. Reservations required. 888-821-4822, e-mail hmuseum@fyi.net; Web: www.harmonymuseum.org.

November 10-11, Harmony Museum’s annual WeihnachtMarkt (German style Christmas Market) where local and regional artisans and other vendors offer a taste of German holiday season tradition with a memorable shopping opportunity for quality artwork, crafted goods, toys and other wares, including German imports. Related activities throughout the historic 200-year-old town, a National Historic Landmark with a number of antique, craft and specialty shops. Saturday 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Sunday Noon-5 p.m. 888-821-4822; e-mail hmuseum@fyi.net; Web: www.harmonymuseum.org.

Dec. 1: Washington Mission Commemoration. Hike with Virginia Maj. George Washington and guide Christopher Gist to site of Lenni Lenape (Delaware) village Murdering Town, hear about visit by Washington Nov. 30-Dec. 1, 1753, during his mission to order French from British-claimed territory, precipitating French & Indian War. A "French Indian's shot nearby, the war's first, missed Washington. Two-mile hike begins 1 p.m. at Harmony Museum's historic 1805 Mercer Road barn. 888-821-4822 ; e-mail hmuseum@fyi.net; Web: www.harmonymuseum.org.

December 9, Harmony Museum’s Candlelight Christmas fundraiser. Tour Christmas-decorated museum buildings 4-8 p.m.; elegant dinner, 5-7 p.m., requires reservations and includes tour admission. 200-year-old National Historic Landmark town center glows with luminaries after sunset. 888-821-4822, e-mail hmuseum@fyi.net; Web: www.harmonymuseum.org.
 

UNUSUAL MODEL BUILDINGS, RAILROAD DISPLAYED AT HARMONY MUSEUM

Harmony, Pa. -- An unusual model railroad platform that delighted old and young alike when unveiled Nov. 11-12 at the Harmony Museum's WeihnachtMarkt (Christmas Market) will remain on view until early January.

The display was donated to Historic Harmony early this year by the Ronald Eckstein Family, after being a Christmas fixture of the Eckstein home for about 50 Christmas seasons.

Prominent on the layout are log buildings, a manger housing Nativity figures, sleighs, wagons and boats handcrafted between 1936 and the early 1940s by the late William E. Yobp of New Kensington for an expansive Christmas season living room display. Ronald Eckstein, whose late first wife, Lyda Lee, was William and Edith Yobp's daughter, built the model railroad platform in the 1950s for his O-27 gauge Lionel train and trolley, using some of Yobp's buildings for its village.

The display's log buildings are five meticulously constructed houses, steepled church, mill, and a barn with sandstone block foundation, all with interior illumination. According to Edith Yobp, of Creighton, the barn, mill and church were the first model structures her husband built. He worked on the projects every evening from October until Christmas Eve -- except for Thursday bowling nights. Her father, J.C. Tipton, provided advice for making the barn and wagons. William Yobp, who died in 1973, was head of his Alcoa heat-treating department.

The Lionel train is a model of The Western & Atlantic Railroad train pulled by "The General" of Civil War "Great Locomotive Chase" fame. The yellow trolley, operating on a separate track, is a Lionel Model 60. Over the years, Eckstein, of near Renfrew, added trees, a community Christmas tree, a rail fence, outhouses, stacks of firewood and other items. Some figurines are German imports from Yobp's original display.

The Yobp-Eckstein Christmas Display can be seen during regular guided tours of the Harmony Museum, open 1-4 p.m. daily except Mondays and holidays.

Harmony is at I-79 exits 87-88, about 10 miles north of the Pennsylvania Turnpike and 30 miles south of I-80. Its recorded history began with George Washington's visit to a local Indian village during his 1753 mission that sparked the French & Indian War. The communal Harmony Society of German Lutheran Separatists founded Harmony in 1804. After they moved to Indiana in 1814, resettlement was led by Mennonites. Museum exhibits interpret this and much more area history.
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11/20/2006
CONTACT: Kathy Luek, Administrator
724-452-7341 or hmuseum@fyi.net
 

NEW BOOK ABOUT OLD COUNTY MAP DISCUSSED AT HARMONY MUSEUM

HARMONY, Pa. -- The public is invited to a presentation by Violet Covert of Butler
about her recently published book, "Map of Butler County 1858," at the Harmony
Museum's Stewart Hall at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 12. Admission is free, and the
book will be available for purchase.

In her program Covert also uses the chronicle recorded by Sally Hastings about her
family's move to Western Pennsylvania to help the audience understand the region ca.
1795-1800, when the first pioneering families began to settle in Butler County. The
county was established in 1800.

Covert notes that the oldest known Butler County map -- its large format intended
for wall display -- provides much valuable information for researchers and anyone
with an interest in county history. With her book, the 1858 map is available for
general public use for the first time, in a form that the author notes can go along
"as a travel and research companion along the highways and byways of Butler County."


Each of the county's 33 townships has its own chapter in Covert's book. The old
map's section depicting each is opposite a modern map of the same area. The author
also describes the county's formation and courthouses, school districts and historic
sites, as well as the locations of 11 known surviving maps. The book, printed by
Mechling Bookbindery of Chicora, also contains maps indicating cemetery locations.

For more information about the Sept. 12 program or Harmony Museum operations,
contact the museum office at 724-452-7341/888-821-4822 or www.harmonymuseum.org.

Harmony, which has been attracting visitors for nearly 200 years, is at I-79 exits
87-88, 10 miles north of the Pennsylvania Turnpike and 30 miles south of I-80. The
area's recorded history began with an Indian village visited by George Washington
during a 1753 mission to the region sparking the French & Indian War; a "French
Indian" fired it's first shot at him nearby. The communal Harmony Society of German
Lutheran Separatists founded Harmony in 1804, left in 1814 and were replaced by
Mennonites. Recognized for its historic preservation success, Harmony became a
National Landmark in 1974.

####
CONTACT: Administrator Kathy Luek, 724-452-7341
 

HARMONY MUSEUM SETS HERB & GARDEN FAIR

HARMONY, Pa. -- The Harmony Museum’s second annual Herb & Garden Fair expands to include a plant exchange and sale, seminars and an art show on Saturday, June 10, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at four museum sites.

Gardeners may bring their own potted plants to trade for others, and purchase plants from among varied offerings by specialty garden and nursery vendors, at the Mercer Road barn museum annex and in the garden of the Wagner House annex next to the museum on Mercer Street. A series of seminars, between 10:15 a.m. and 2:15 p.m. at the Mercer Street log house museum annex, will cover such topics as roses, herbs, landscaping and pest control, and will include a presentation by gardener Trapper John.

A show and sale at the museum’s Stewart Hall will present works by some of the area’s most talented artisans, including paintings, drawings, silhouettes and photographs. The technique of painting on china will also be demonstrated.

Lunch will be available at Stewart Hall as well. Museum tours will be offered 1-4 p.m., and the museum’s gift shop and Harmony’s other delightful shops invite browsing throughout the event.

Harmony, a National Historic Landmark in Butler County 30 minutes north of downtown Pittsburgh, is among Western Pennsylvania’s most significant historic places. In the mid-1700s it was the site of the Lenape Murdering Town, visited by George Washington during his 1753 mission seeking French withdrawal from the region that sparked the French & Indian War; a "French Indian" fired the war’s first shot at Washington nearby. Pacifist German Lutheran Separatists founded Harmony in 1804, and their Harmony Society became 19th century America’s most successful communal group. After Mennonite Abraham Ziegler bought the society’s town and surrounding lands in 1815, Mennonites remained an important area influence for decades. During the second half of the 19th century, Harmony’s Charles Flowers made fine black-powder hunting and target rifles, many now viewed as works of art.

The Harmony Museum exhibits present these and other elements of the area’s unusual history. The town, which has attracted heritage tourism for nearly 200 years, retains an architectural character much like that of the rural German hometown villages of its founders. Harmony is at I-79 exits 87 and 88, about 30 miles north of downtown Pittsburgh, 10 miles north of Pennsylvania Turnpike exit 28, and 30 miles south of I-80.

 

HARMONY MUSEUM GIFT SHOP OPENS ONLINE SHOPPING WEBSITE

HARMONY, Pa -- Folks who just can't get to the Museum Gift Shop or have only an occasional opportunity to do so, especially out-of-towners, may now support the Harmony Museum by buying from the Museum Gift Shop through www.harmonymuseumgiftshop.org . Put it into your favorites so you can check in often! It is still in it's growing stages, so there's lots to be added yet! It's a secure web site so you can shop with confidence and ease! You can call us at 724-452-5509 with any questions you may have. We have a great and growing selection of items for your shopping pleasure. Our book selections include Harmonist, Indians, George Washington, Arts & Culture, Architecture, Eric Sloane, Pa History and Victorian Era. The kids haven't been left out either! There's a assortment of Sticker books, Paper Doll books, Coloring books and more! We also have our line of Harmony items - including our ornaments, Virgin Sophia plate, coasters, candles, etc. And there's also a selection of limited quantity gift items for your home or to give for any special occasion. If you're in town, stop by and see us, but if you just can't get here, it's the next best thing!

HARMONY MUSEUM CUTS FEES DURING RENOVATION PROJECT

HARMONY MUSEUM GERMAN DINNER - BENEFITS HISTORIC
HARMONY OPERATIONS.

HARMONY, Pa. -- Saturday, April 8: Welcome spring with a Harmony Museum German dinner,
5-7 p.m., Stewart Hall, $12. Beef, pork, wurst, potato pancakes, German potato salad, spaetzel, much more plus beverages, desserts. Diners are welcome to bring a beverage. Reservations recommended: 888-821-4822, www.harmonymuseum.org. Spend the afternoon, tour museum, stroll historic district, browse shops.

FLEA MARKET BENEFITS HARMONY MUSEUM
MARCH 4, 2006

HARMONY, Pa. -- A flea market to benefit Harmony Museum operations will be held 8 a.m. - 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 4, at the museum's Stewart Hall, on the diamond at the center of Harmony's National Historic Landmark District. Food will be available. Sellers may set up on Friday afternoon, March 3. For information and table reservations, call 724-452-5860.

HARMONIEFEST DINNER - HISTORIC HARMONY'S ANNUAL FUNDRAISER FEBRUARY 11, 2006

INDIAN ABDUCTIONS OF GIRL, WOMAN
TOLD AT HISTORIC HARMONY’S HARMONIEFEST

HARMONY, Pa. -- Late 18th century abductions by Indians of a little girl and a young mother at opposite ends of Pennsylvania, with incredibly different outcomes, will be brought to life by well-known Pittsburgh storyteller Alan Irvine at Historic Harmony’s Harmoniefest dinner on Saturday, Feb. 11. The annual fundraiser, always well-attended, is open to the public.

The original Harmoniefest was an annual Harmony Society feast celebrating the 19th century commune’s formal organization by Harmony’s founders, pacifist German Lutheran Separatists who, while anticipating the imminent return of Christ, came to the United States seeking religious freedom grounded in separation of church and state. Historic Harmony’s event, begun in 1967, celebrates the area’s more than 250 years of recorded history, and since 1991 has also been the occasion for presentation of annual preservation awards.

Harmoniefest begins at the Harmony Museum’s Doc Stewart Hall with a 5:30 p.m. reception, admission is $25 per person, and reservations are required with a deadline of Friday, Feb. 3. Dinner entree choices are stuffed chicken breast, roast beef or vegetarian lasagna.

Irvine’s presentation, "Stolen Away," relates the taking of five year-old Frances Slocum in 1778 near today’s Wilkes-Barre, the horrific 1792 abduction of Massie Harbison at Freeport, and how each incident concluded. This will be his third appearance for a Harmony Museum program. Irvine has been a storyteller for more than 20 years, performing at such venues as the Whiskey Rebellion Bicentennial Festival, Old Bedford Village and National Road Festival. The visiting professor of sociology at the University of Pittsburgh has also published several articles.

This year’s Heritage Awards honor Glade Run Lutheran Services, Zelienople, for preservation of the 1853 Rev. William Passavant House, 1909 bell tower and other significant Beaver Street campus structures related to what was originally the Orphans Home and Farm School; St. John’s Lutheran Stone Church, preservation of its 1829 sanctuary, Stone Church Rd., Lancaster Township; and William & Ann Schlichtkrull, preservation of the barn at their Swain Hill Rd. home in Jackson Township.

Harmony is among western Pennsylvania’s most significant historic sites. The Harmony National Historic Landmark District comprises about 10 blocks in the borough that was separated from Connoquenessing Township and incorporated in 1840, as well as the noncontiguous Harmony Society cemetery at the edge of town in Jackson Township, formed from part of Connoquenessing Township 14 years later.

Separatists from the German Duchy of Wurttemberg began developing the area they called Harmonie late in 1804 as their first American home, organizing as the communal Harmony Society in February 1805. The Harmonist community, by then numbering about 850, moved to southwest Indiana in 1814 to build a new Harmony, returning to Beaver County in 1824 to establish Economy (now Ambridge), where the celibate society was dissolved in 1905 and is commemorated by the state-owned Old Economy Village.

In the mid-1700s a small Lenni Lenape (Delaware) village called Murderingtown was on the north side of the Connoquenessing Creek near the future site of Harmony. It was visited by young George Washington when he traveled to Fort LeBoeuf at today’s Waterford with a British ultimatum that the French withdraw from the region, assuring war between the two nations. Not surprisingly, the French declined, demanding instead that the British stay out of New France. Days later, the first shot of the French & Indian War missed Washington east of Murderingtown, fired on Dec. 27, 1753, by what he called a "French Indian."

Pacifist Mennonites led by Abraham Ziegler, Harmony’s "second founder" who bought the departed Harmony Society’s extensive property in 1815, resettled the Harmony area, and Ziegler ultimately sold the town lot by lot. Although their congregation faded away early in the 20th century as the Harmony Society met a similar fate just 20 miles away, many descendants of the 19th century Mennonites reside throughout the area.

Exhibits at the Harmony Museum, which has nine properties, present these and many other elements of the area’s history.

Additional information about Harmoniefest may be obtained from the Harmony Museum, 724-452-7341 (toll-free, 888-821-4822) or e-mail at hmuseum@fyi.net

FLEA MARKET -

HARMONY, Pa. -- Held at the Harmony Museum in Stewart Hall Saturday February 4 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Benefits Historic Harmony Operations. Breakfast Sandwiches and Coffee will be for sale in the morning and for lunch there will be Chipped Ham Sandwiches, Hot Dogs, Potato Soup, Chili and assorted beverages available to purchase. Sellers may set up on Friday afternoon, February 3rd. Call Suzie Rape, 724-452-5860, for table reservations.