1984 Pennsylvania Dutch Country 1 (4/6-7/1984)

Friday, April 6, 1984

After my swim class at the YMCA, I drove to Pennsylvania. Arrived at Sue H’s place in Palmyra at 18:15, in time to help make dinner.

I had stopped to visit Sue on my way to New Jersey in January, and drove to Hershey, PA to meet her where she works at the Medical Center. Got to smell the cocoa in the air and see the Hershey Kiss street lights.

Street signs

Hershey Kiss street lights

Hershey chimneys

Saturday, April 7, 1984

I made breakfast of the quick pan quiche (stir fry broccoli, tomatoes, and onion, melt in cheese, then pour scrambled eggs over top and let cook until set). Sue made toast.

We left at 8:30 to drive to the Ephrata Cloister.

Ephrata Cloister

Arrived at 9:15 and the first tour was at 10:00. Bought the $2.50 tickets and were told we could get discounts on admission to other sites.

Ephrata Cloister ticket front

Ephrata Cloister ticket back

Ephrata Cloister Tour Map 1

Ephrata Cloister Tour Map 2

We wandered around some of the buildings that would not be on the tour. This was a “semi-monastic” communal society of Seventh Day German Baptists, who lived here from 1732-1934 when they basically died off. Living a celibate life, they were known for their music, calligraphy, and fine printing. It was founded by Carl Beissel, who wrote about a thousand hymns.

We went to the stable and barns, then through a stone-weighted gate to a small cabin for those who might want to live in solitude rather than in the dormitory.

Stone-weighted gate

Fence-climbing steps

The print shop, then Beissel’s cabin with the adjoining candle making addition.

Beissel's cabin

To the almonry (where alms were distributed to the poor, but here used to house pilgrims) and the bakery, behind which we saw a rabbit hopping around. Went to the cemetery to see Beissel’s grave, and over to the academy.

Ephrata Academy

We returned to reception to look through the small museum of calligraphy and printed works, some furniture, etc. We saw a slide presentation and started the tour. First the sisters’ house with its uneven windows, the board beds, and wood block pillows.

Sisters' House

The schedule of the celibates: up at 5:00 to pray, work a few hours, pray at 8:00 for another hour. Work until 12:00 and pray. Work, then meditate. Have one sparse vegetarian meal at 18:00. Work, pray. Sleep from 21:00-0:00, Pray 0:00-2:00. Sleep 2:00-5:00!

Then to the Saal. Supposedly the choir members had a special diet of root vegetables! The love feast dining room was next, with little wooden cutting boards as plates. The tables had trays built underneath. We went into the kitchen. Supposedly mice eat the rye grass containers, Sue had made one once in a class. Then the Householder’s cabin, for those who marry. After the tour, Sue and I went back to peek in the Weaver’s shop, then we went to the gift shop. The proprietor was busy buying Ukrainian decorated eggs from a local craftsman. Then he came to talk to us and we got on the subject of rye grass baskets. He told Sue he would sell any baskets she makes!

We drove to Bird-in-Hand and stopped in a quilt store, then the Old Village Store that started out as a hardware store. Went through a back doorway through a long series of shops filled all types of gifts; wood ware, baskets, ceramics, quilts, candles, all kinds of crafts, plus cheap souvenirs. Here and there was a pot-bellied stove with a checkerboard set up with a couple of chairs. I bought a basket and postcards. We crossed the street to a glass outlet store, then to the Farmers’ Market. This market was like the Annapolis Market, but with Amish behind the counters selling Pennsylvania-Dutch specialties. Lots of pickled and canned items, rice pudding, a chicken pot pie (no crust), funnel cakes, shoofly pie, bulk items, deli products including Lebanon bologna, baked goods, nuts, candies, a butcher, florist, etc.

We left to drive to Intercourse, eating cheese and crackers Sue had brought along with apples and granola bars. At the People’s Place we bought a combination ticket for $3.75. First we saw a three-screen documentary slide show “Who are the Amish?” A unique presentation of the people and their beliefs, but not a history of how they got started, or an explanation of the different sects. It started with a “difficult” request to slow down and become peaceful within to fully understand the people who live at such a different pace. Later, going through the Amish Story Museum, we learned more. They were the Anabaptists of the lower Rhine valley (thus Germany and Switzerland, but there is also a sect from Holland) who believed in adult baptism. They were severely persecuted and eventually fled to the U.S. None are left in Europe. The population is growing here in the U.S. Anyone else who is not Amish is considered English, and the English are odd, not the Amish. They are the people of God and have their own interpretation of the Bible. They believe in caring for their own elderly and have gone to Congress to be exempted from Social Security (possible if self-employed as most are in the agricultural business). They do not believe in insurance, nor lightning rods (if God wills that lightning strikes their barn, so be it). They only need enough education to live their lives, so only basic reading, writing, and arithmetic is necessary, often taught by 8th grade graduates of their own schools. They are allowed to use a tractor for its power to run things (like automatic milkers and refrigeration required by Pennsylvania state law if they want to sell their milk commercially). The museum starts out by asking if the Amish are the way they are because a) they are stupid, b) they are stubborn, c) etc. or none of the above. There was the story of the Dutch leader who was escaping over ice, but returning to save his pursuer who had fallen through, then he was captured and burned. A display showed the ways the Amish differ from the English in such areas as education, family planning (seven children is average), peace (all are conscientious objectors), transportation, insurance, social security, and most important, time. Standard time is God’s time (no daylight Savings) and they love to wait. Samples of diary entries give an idea of typical activities throughout the year. There was a puzzle game of children’s activities throughout the year. Identify grains. Identify farm objects by touch. Models of various types of buggies according to age and sect. A buggy to try out by sitting in it and operating the turn signals. Pennsylvania law requires them to have a slow-moving vehicle fluorescent orange triangle, and battery-run flashers and turn signals, on their vehicles drawn by horse. A display of the various bonnets and hats worn by age and sect. Multiple choice questions on how the Amish would react in times of “violence.” Then a schoolroom with bonnets and hats for the kids to try on. A quiz to identify sources of power (battery, windmill, diesel generator, pneumatic power, naphtha, mule and people power!). There was a “What’s wrong with this picture?” of an Amish farm. Saw a display of canned goods with awful-looking canned meat. We went upstairs to read the story of barn burning and subsequent barn raising. Then to a museum with unusual Aaron Zook relief art of mostly carved wooden figures depicting typical Amish life with a few showing how he makes them. A small gallery of the tiny Henry Lapp watercolors. He was deaf and expressed himself in this little accepted art form; simple folk art. Plus a few of his furniture samples; he as a furniture maker by trade. The finale was to hear a tape summarizing what we had learned. There were also a couple marvelous quilts, one in the auditorium over the window which was backlit in the dark and had a “mistake” in it.

We went across the street to an antique shop, and to another where I bought old postcards and a flat iron. The proprietor figured the cost in his head, somehow getting $12 for $1.40 in postcards, $10.50 for the iron and 60 cents tax. He asked where I was from, and since I was from out of state, he gave me a free map! We went to a couple quilt shops and a couple handicraft shops. The People’s Place shop was rather exclusive.

Amish horse and buggy

Next we headed to Kitchen Kettle Village, a group of shops mostly food. Sue got a free sample of fudge. We left, driving through the low rolling hills of Amish farms.

Amish Farms Map

From SR 722, we turned on SR 501 and went to Myerstown to stop at Sue’s parents’ house where her grandfather was just leaving from stacking firewood. Sue’s father has many hobbies and a couple part-time jobs as well, including ambulance driver. Her little mother also does a lot of sewing and crafts like Sue. We stayed long enough to show Sue’s purchases and to have her reserve seats at the Lebanon Valley College for their production of “Guys and Dolls.”  After a quick dinner at Sue’s place, we went to the college to see the musical. We had the $3.50 front row seats with the orchestra right in front of us.

"Guys and Dolls" ticket

"Guys and Dolls" program cover

Not Broadway, but fun. You could see the dancers counting to themselves.
Back at Sue’s I got to try shoo-fly pie (molasses pie).