Volunteer
The Longswamp Township Historical Society, established by Longswamp Township in 2009, is a 501(c)3 non-profit, charitable organization in Berks County, Pennsylvania. We are an all-volunteer organization, without a paid staff; we build on the passion and commitment of our volunteer force.
Please consider donating to LTHS to support our building project, our preservation efforts, and our local programs.
Please consider volunteering.
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We need a social media enthusiast. Contact Ellie, eloiselong@gmail.com
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When the metal board and batten shell are erected (Spring 2024), we will need painters, drywall installers and finishers, a framer, an electrician, insulation installers, flooring installers, a finish carpenter, deck builders, concrete installers, plumber. Our building committee (Troy Fairchild, John Moll, Leon Smith) is eager for your help. Contact longswamphistory@gmail.com for more information or to volunteer.
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We always need volunteers at our events: Planners, set-up, clean-up, bakers, cooks, decorators, salespeople, food handlers, and tour guides. Contact Vicki Skill at longswamphistory@gmail.com.
Our museum is always looking for help, but our space is very limited (until the new building is ready). We do have one suggested project that could be done from home: A comprehensive catalog of veterans with photos and info/obituaries. Because we don’t have town banners for our veterans, the print and digital catalog would be a permanent way to honor them. Contact Ellie Long eloiselong@gmail.com
Treasures
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Before you call Goodwill or the Trash Collector, please consider donating photos, yearbooks, advertising items, postcards, letters – anything that relates to the Longswamp area. Currently, we have more than 2,000 items documented in our database. The items range from advertising pencils to treasures – a hand-carved table from 1895, and Regulator wall clocks that hung in the Longswamp School. Why are these things important? Everything gives us another piece of the history/culture of the area.
Carolyn Frederick, friend of Bonnie Solt, visited the former Schubert Haus, and pointed out that the 1912 Register of Voters, donated by Jack Eck, contained no names of women. Why? Passed by Congress June 4, 1919, and ratified on August 18, 1920, the 19th amendment granted women the right to vote.
Advertising items give us information about past and present businesses. Where was the Sinclair Station? George Kistler and Mark Hilbert probably know.
Scrapbooks give us a glance at social life in the ‘40s – it was swell!
School photos and yearbooks allow us to see changing fashion, hairstyles, and schoolroom décor.
Photos remind us of good times in the area – but also horrific events– Mertztown Fire of 1903.
Photos give us information about buildings that may no longer exist or have changed over the years. Why is the photo of the Wilson Fox store important? It’s the only one we’ve ever seen, and it verifies that the Fox store was the predecessor to the Radcliffe store.
The Shamrock store burned in 1980 and the two-story building was turned into one story.
Our museum committee is typically at work from 9:30 – noon at the Christian Congregation Church, in Mertztown. You can donate an artifact or if you have a photo, we can scan and return it. Please call first, Ellie, at 610-763-2091, to verify our schedule. Other times can be arranged.
