Hans Herr House | |
Location | 1849 Hans Herr Drive, Willow Street, Pennsylvania |
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Coordinates | 39°58′51″N76°15′44″W / 39.98083°N 76.26222°W |
Area | 1.9 acres (0.77 ha) |
Built | 1719 |
NRHP reference No. | 71000708 [1] |
Added to NRHP | May 3, 1971 |
The Hans Herr House, also known as the Christian Herr House, is a historic home located in West Lampeter Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. It was built in 1719, and is a 1+1⁄2-story, rectangular sandstone Germanic dwelling. It measures 37 feet, 9 inches, by 30 feet, 10 inches. It is the oldest dwelling in Lancaster County and the oldest Mennonite meetinghouse in America. [2]
The Hans Herr house was built by the Herr family in 1719 by Christian Herr. The house served as a meetinghouse for Mennonites. The Mennonites who worshipped there formed the nucleus of what became the Willow Street Mennonite Congregation. The house continued to be use as a private residence until about 1900, after which time it was used as storage space. [3]
The Hans Herr House was purchased by Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society in 1969. In the early 1970s the property underwent extensive renovations led by Ira Landis to restore it to resemble the original Herr residence. [4] It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. [1] Following its restoration it became a private museum open to the public in 1974. [4]
In 2010 the Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society added the first major addition to the Hans Herr property since the 1700s by building a replica longhouse based on the remnants of one found during the 1969 renovation. [5] The stated purpose for this exhibit was to honor the legacy of the indigenous peoples who lived in Lancaster County before the arrival of Anabaptist settlers. In 2011, this exhibit was further furnished with a collection of over 200 artifacts found in the area from before the arrival of Europeans. [5]
The Hans Herr house is known for its unique style and architecture reflecting the German medieval period. Because it was not lived in during the 20th century, it never underwent any modernization, making it a well-preserved historic structure. The building contains numerous architectural characteristics that have their roots in medieval south-German architecture, such as a steeply pitched roof with two attic levels, small asymmetrical windows, a date stone carved into the door lintel, a central chimney, and a staircase where each step is a single pegged into a diagonal beam. [6]
The museum complex also houses the Georgian-style 1835 Shaub House, the Victorian-style 1890s Huber House, several barns and outbuildings with animals, exhibit buildings, blacksmith shop, bake-oven, smoke house, and a collection of farm equipment. Exhibits focus on Mennonite history, colonial and Victorian-era farm life, and the Herr family. The museum opened in 1974 and is administered by the Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society.
Bird-in-Hand is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States, in East Lampeter Township. The "Bird in Hand" ZIP code extends east from the CDP into Leacock and Upper Leacock townships. The community has a large Amish and Mennonite population. As of the 2010 census, the population within the CDP was 402.
East Lampeter Township is a township in central Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 17,834.
West Lampeter Township is a township that is located in central Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 17,365 at the time of the 2020 census.
Hans Herr was born in Zürich, Switzerland. While often cited as a descendant of the knight Hugo Herr, scholarship done in the 20th century has put this claim in doubt. He joined the Swiss Brethren and became a bishop. He was the first Mennonite bishop to emigrate to America.
The Lampeter-Strasburg School District is a school district in rural and suburban Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States, that serves the borough of Strasburg, as well as Strasburg and West Lampeter Townships. The census-designated place of Willow Street is mostly in the district. The district operates four schools on its campus, serves approximately 3,000 attending students, and is overseen by its nine-member school board led by president Melissa Herr.
The Milwaukee County Historical Society, also known as MCHS, is a local historical society in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. Founded in 1935, the organization was formed to preserve, collect, recognize, and make available materials related to Milwaukee County history. It is located in downtown Milwaukee in the former Second Ward Savings Bank building.
The Centennial National Bank is a historic building in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Designed by noted Philadelphia architect Frank Furness and significant in his artistic development, it was built in 1876 as the headquarters of the eponymous bank that would be the fiscal agent of the Centennial Exposition. The building housed a branch of the First Pennsylvania Bank from 1956 until Drexel University purchased it c. 1976. Drexel renovated it between 2000-2002 and now uses it as an alumni center. The Centennial National Bank, described as "one of the best pieces of architecture in West Philadelphia," was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.
The Universalist Society Meetinghouse is an historic Greek Revival meetinghouse at 3 River Road in Orleans, Massachusetts. Built in 1834, it was the only Universalist church built in Orleans, and is architecturally a well-preserved local example of Greek Revival architecture. The Meeting House is now the home of the Orleans Historical Society and is known as the Meeting House Museum. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.
Acorn Hall is an 1853 Victorian Italianate mansion located at 68 Morris Avenue in Morristown, Morris County, New Jersey. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 3, 1973, for its significance in architecture. It serves as the headquarters of the Morris County Historical Society, which operates Acorn Hall as a historic house museum.
The Enfield Shaker Museum is an outdoor history museum and historic district in Enfield, New Hampshire, in the United States. It is dedicated to preserving and sharing the history of the Shakers, a Protestant religious denomination, who lived on the site from 1793 to 1923. The museum features exhibitions, artifacts, eight Shaker buildings and restored Shaker gardens. It is located in a valley between Mount Assurance and Mascoma Lake in Enfield.
Lancaster Mennonite Conference (LMC) is a historic body of Mennonite churches mainly concentrated in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. While including churches in other regions of the United States, it also has congregations in Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. The conference was briefly (2002-2015) associated with the newly formed Mennonite Church USA. The LMC has been a member of the Mennonite World Conference since 2018.
The John A. North House is a historic house museum and archives located in Lewisburg, Greenbrier County, West Virginia. Currently, the North House is Greenbrier County's only historic house museum. Since 1976, The Greenbrier Historical Society has operated within the North House, and in 1992 the North House was officially purchased by the Greenbrier Historical Society. In 1992, the home officially became known as "North House Museum, Greenbrier Historical Society."
Witmer's Tavern, is an historic structure that is located in East Lampeter Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, just east of U.S. 30 on Old Philadelphia Pike. This building known as Witmer's Tavern should not be confused with the other Witmer's Tavern more commonly known as the Conestoga Restaurant or Conestoga Inn that is located on Route 462 at Bridgeport just east of Lancaster City.
Christian and Emma Herr Farm is a historic farm and national historic district located at West Lampeter Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The district includes six contributing buildings. They are a brick farmhouse, a stone end barn (1761), a frame tobacco barn (1907), a frame summer kitchen, a tenant house (1864), and a frame shed (1900-1920). The farmhouse was built in 1867, and is a 2 1/2-story, five bay by two bay, brick dwelling. It has a recessed three bay by two bay east wing, and a full-width front porch. The summer kitchen is attached to the wing.
The Weber–Weaver Farm is an historic, American home and farm complex that is located in West Lampeter Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
The Randolph Tabernacle is a Victorian-styled meetinghouse for the Randolph Ward (congregation) of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is located in Randolph, Rich County, Utah. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 10, 1986.
East Lancaster Avenue Historic District is a national historic district located in Downingtown, Chester County, Pennsylvania. The district includes 121 contributing buildings and 1 contributing structure in Downingtown. The buildings include a number of notable examples of Georgian style dwellings dated to the early- to mid-18th century. Later notable dwellings are examples of the Federal and Victorian styles. Located in the district and separately listed are the Downingtown Log House and General Washington Inn.
The Concord Historic District encompasses the least altered portion of the historic heart of Concord, New Hampshire. The 25-acre (10 ha) district, located just north of the modern commercial and civic heart of the city, includes the city's oldest surviving house, the site of its first religious meetinghouse, and the Pierce Manse, a historic house museum that was home to President Franklin Pierce during his rise to national prominence. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.
Ira David Landis was a Mennonite minister, amateur historian, and writer famous for his contributions to the Mennonite Research Journal and for founding the Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society and Hans Herr House museum. He also ran a farm with his wife in Lititz, PA. Landis was president of the Pennsylvania German Society for 1972.