Christmas at the Herr House
Candlelight, live music, friends and traditional food await you at the 1719 Hans Herr House & Museum’s Annual Christmas Candlelight Tours. Begin your Christmas season with a trip back to a time of simplicity, strong family values and hard work. 

Decorated with greens and holly for Christmas and illuminated with candles, the oldest house in Lancaster County will be open for tours with exhibits and demonstrations sure to please the entire family.

Each hour long tour will begin in the stone arched cellar of the 1719 Herr House where costumed docents will share the history of making butter. The museums’ collection of butter churns will be displayed and discussed as butter will be made by our visitors.

The aroma of hearth cooking  and bear grease will greet guests as they move upstairs to the küche (kitchen) to hear the oral history story of Native Americans sleeping by the hearth in the Herr House on a cold winters’ night .  Guests will be able to sample fresh baked wheat bread and venison stew.

After guests make their way up the winding steps to the first attic, knowledgeable demonstrators will share about the interaction between the early settlers and the Native Americans. Friendly relations between the two ethnic groups led to survival for the settlers and trade for the Native Americans.  Listen as master story tellers share both sides of this relationship from the perspective of the Anabaptists and the Native Americans.

In the kammer (bedroom) of the house, listen as three generations of Herr descendants talk about different Christmas traditions.  As the youngsters in the bed look forward to what will be on their Christmas plate, Grandmother Herr recounts how her family celebrated Christmas day.  Venture into the stübe (stove room) to hear the Christmas story read aloud in German and join in singing the carol Stille Nacht (Silent Night).  

The grounds of the Museum will also be open.  Hear the clang of the blacksmiths hammer; enjoy the stories of fur trappers and hunters or purchase hand-dipped candles made over the butcher’s furnace. Complete the evening with a cup of hot cider heated in a copper kettle over a fire, a piece of smokes sausage and join in as carols are sung around a bonfire.  

Friday night’s tours begin at 6pm while Saturday’s events begin at 5pm. Tours begin every 10 minutes and continue until 8:30 PM. Reservations are not required.

Admission
$6.00 - Adults
$3.00 - Children 7 - 12
FREE - Children 6 and under

Friday and Saturday night tours
Celebrating Christmas by candlelight with song and food. Tours begin Friday at 6pm and Saturday at 5pm. Last tour begins at 8:30pm.

Storytelling   
Food Preparation
Christmas Display