EVENTS
Monthly meetings generally are held on the third Wednesday of each month.
Unless otherwise posted, all events are free and open to the public. Donations are always appreciated.
Need directions? Have other questions? Contact us at LongswampHistory@gmail.com.
You can see a list of previous events here.
Unless otherwise posted, all events are free and open to the public. Donations are always appreciated.
Need directions? Have other questions? Contact us at LongswampHistory@gmail.com.
You can see a list of previous events here.
Thursday, October 6, 2022
Longswamp Township Historical Society Night at the Historic Bowers Hotel
298 Bowers Road, Bowers, Pa.
Time: 3 PM to 8 PM
Enjoy a meal in a historic setting, and support two local businesses! Ten percent of eat-in food purchases benefit Longswamp Twp Historical Society. Call 610-899-0183 to reserve your place.
(Meals purchased with Brandywine cards will not be included in the fundraiser.)
Cosponsored by the Longswamp Township Historical Society and Berks County Assocation for Graveyard Preservation
Saturday, October 29, 2022
Historic Monument & Grave Preservation: Practical (and Approved) Ways to Preserve and Repair without Doing Harm
Christian Congregation Church and St. Paul's Union Cemetery, 323 Chestnut Street, Mertztown, Pa.
Time: 1 PM - 3 PM
Of the more than 300 historic graveyards representing private, family cemeteries and abandoned church cemeteries. six are located within the boundaries of Longswamp Township. The township is also home to two Victorian graveyards, each home to both historic and contemporary monuments and markers—the oldest one dating back to 1700!!
We think these are places are worth exploring, promoting—and protecting.
This two-part presentation by Lara Thomas and Karla Hummel of the Berks County Association for Graveyard Preservation. Part I (held inside) will share information about safe, effective cleaning and methodology and types of stones, i.e., materials, form, and style.
Part II (in the cemetery – weather permitting) offers the chance to witness demonstrations of the proper way to apply approved cleaning and repair materials and, if you’re interested, try your hand at using them.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
1. If you wish to try cleaning/repairing techniques, be sure to bring along a pair work gloves.
2. Older cemeteries usually go hand-in-hand with uneven terrain, making sturdy shoes a MUST.
3. Headcount will be helpful!! If you think you will attend, please call 610-682-7850 and leave your name on the answering machine.
Friday, November 4, 2022
Guided Field Trip to Jasper Park
Time: 1 PM start
Part I: Kings Highway Elementary School, int. of Rte.100 and Kings Highway Rd., Shimerville
Part II: Jaspar Park: 4960 Vera Cruz Rd., Emmaus (Vera Cruz)
Free to members. $5 fee for non-members. For headcount purposes or in the event of inclement weather, etc. please contact Program Chair Leon Smith if you plan to attend (610-682-2082 or longswamphistory@gmail.com)
Pits were dug in multiple areas within Longswamp Township, which isn’t surprising, especially when you consider that the existence of jasper generally occurs where veins of hematite iron ore occur—a material found in abundance in the township. All of the Longswamp pits have already been or are currently being filled in. That’s why we’re heading to Jasper Park in nearby Lower Milford township—a place where nearly 100 prehistoric mining pits have been discovered. Most of these pits were destroyed when the Northeast Extension of the Pa. Turnpike was built. And, after three centuries of dirt, debris, undergrowth—and erosion—the 20 or so pits still in existence are hard to spot. That’s why we’re so privileged to be able to learn about jasper mining from local historian, John Fegley.
We will begin our visit inside the Kings Highway Elementary School (now a township museum), where participants will have an opportunity to view Native people artifacts and hear from Mr. Fegley about the indigenous residents who once lived in the area. We’ll then hop back in our cars and drive a short distance to Jasper Park for an easy, guided walk along wooded trails that lead to the pits where jasper was once mined.
Saturday & Sunday, November 12- 13, 2022
Museum Open House
Schubert Haus, 32 Church Street, Mertztown, Pa.
Saturday, 10 - 4 PM; Sunday, 12-4 PM
Limited parking onsite. Street parking permitted. Please do not part on the cemetery driving lanes.
Monday, December 5, 2022
Member Gathering at the 1783 Maple Grove Inn
2165 State Street, 6 – 8:30 PM
RSVP requested for headcount purposes (Leon Smith 610-682-2082 or longswamphistory@gmail.com)
(NOTE: Attendance is limited to Longswamp Township Historical Society members)
Complimentary light fare (think Dutch platter), coffee/tea. Cash bar.
In the tradition of German ancestry, join us to feast with friends and strangers (in the hope of making new friends) and celebrate another year of discovering and saving Longswamp area history … all while enjoying the ambience of the oldest public building in Longswamp Township. If we’re lucky, maybe Charlie, the friendly resident ghost, will pay us a visit. Thanks to a generous donation by member Rhonda Heck Radcliffe, the inn will be available to us at no cost; Rhonda has also donated a $50 Maple Grove Inn gift certificate for us to use as a raffle prize that evening.
Longswamp Township Historical Society Night at the Historic Bowers Hotel
298 Bowers Road, Bowers, Pa.
Time: 3 PM to 8 PM
Enjoy a meal in a historic setting, and support two local businesses! Ten percent of eat-in food purchases benefit Longswamp Twp Historical Society. Call 610-899-0183 to reserve your place.
(Meals purchased with Brandywine cards will not be included in the fundraiser.)
Cosponsored by the Longswamp Township Historical Society and Berks County Assocation for Graveyard Preservation
Saturday, October 29, 2022
Historic Monument & Grave Preservation: Practical (and Approved) Ways to Preserve and Repair without Doing Harm
Christian Congregation Church and St. Paul's Union Cemetery, 323 Chestnut Street, Mertztown, Pa.
Time: 1 PM - 3 PM
Of the more than 300 historic graveyards representing private, family cemeteries and abandoned church cemeteries. six are located within the boundaries of Longswamp Township. The township is also home to two Victorian graveyards, each home to both historic and contemporary monuments and markers—the oldest one dating back to 1700!!
We think these are places are worth exploring, promoting—and protecting.
This two-part presentation by Lara Thomas and Karla Hummel of the Berks County Association for Graveyard Preservation. Part I (held inside) will share information about safe, effective cleaning and methodology and types of stones, i.e., materials, form, and style.
Part II (in the cemetery – weather permitting) offers the chance to witness demonstrations of the proper way to apply approved cleaning and repair materials and, if you’re interested, try your hand at using them.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
1. If you wish to try cleaning/repairing techniques, be sure to bring along a pair work gloves.
2. Older cemeteries usually go hand-in-hand with uneven terrain, making sturdy shoes a MUST.
3. Headcount will be helpful!! If you think you will attend, please call 610-682-7850 and leave your name on the answering machine.
Friday, November 4, 2022
Guided Field Trip to Jasper Park
Time: 1 PM start
Part I: Kings Highway Elementary School, int. of Rte.100 and Kings Highway Rd., Shimerville
Part II: Jaspar Park: 4960 Vera Cruz Rd., Emmaus (Vera Cruz)
Free to members. $5 fee for non-members. For headcount purposes or in the event of inclement weather, etc. please contact Program Chair Leon Smith if you plan to attend (610-682-2082 or longswamphistory@gmail.com)
Pits were dug in multiple areas within Longswamp Township, which isn’t surprising, especially when you consider that the existence of jasper generally occurs where veins of hematite iron ore occur—a material found in abundance in the township. All of the Longswamp pits have already been or are currently being filled in. That’s why we’re heading to Jasper Park in nearby Lower Milford township—a place where nearly 100 prehistoric mining pits have been discovered. Most of these pits were destroyed when the Northeast Extension of the Pa. Turnpike was built. And, after three centuries of dirt, debris, undergrowth—and erosion—the 20 or so pits still in existence are hard to spot. That’s why we’re so privileged to be able to learn about jasper mining from local historian, John Fegley.
We will begin our visit inside the Kings Highway Elementary School (now a township museum), where participants will have an opportunity to view Native people artifacts and hear from Mr. Fegley about the indigenous residents who once lived in the area. We’ll then hop back in our cars and drive a short distance to Jasper Park for an easy, guided walk along wooded trails that lead to the pits where jasper was once mined.
Saturday & Sunday, November 12- 13, 2022
Museum Open House
Schubert Haus, 32 Church Street, Mertztown, Pa.
Saturday, 10 - 4 PM; Sunday, 12-4 PM
Limited parking onsite. Street parking permitted. Please do not part on the cemetery driving lanes.
Monday, December 5, 2022
Member Gathering at the 1783 Maple Grove Inn
2165 State Street, 6 – 8:30 PM
RSVP requested for headcount purposes (Leon Smith 610-682-2082 or longswamphistory@gmail.com)
(NOTE: Attendance is limited to Longswamp Township Historical Society members)
Complimentary light fare (think Dutch platter), coffee/tea. Cash bar.
In the tradition of German ancestry, join us to feast with friends and strangers (in the hope of making new friends) and celebrate another year of discovering and saving Longswamp area history … all while enjoying the ambience of the oldest public building in Longswamp Township. If we’re lucky, maybe Charlie, the friendly resident ghost, will pay us a visit. Thanks to a generous donation by member Rhonda Heck Radcliffe, the inn will be available to us at no cost; Rhonda has also donated a $50 Maple Grove Inn gift certificate for us to use as a raffle prize that evening.
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