SCHWENKFELDER LIBRARY & HERITAGE CENTER
105 Seminary Street, Pennsburg, PA 18073
Phone 215 679-3103 Fax 215 679-8175
info@schwenkfelder.com
www.schwenkfelder.com

May 16, 2008

Contact: David W. Luz
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
215-679-3103, phone
215-679-8175, fax

What's Underground at the Speaker's House: Archaeology Exhibit

Pennsburg, PA---The Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center is hosting an exhibit on archaeology from The Speaker’s House, the home of Frederick Muhlenberg, the first Speaker of the US House of Representatives.  The exhibit features buttons, ceramics, bottle glass, and other household items that were excavated during an archaeology survey that took place in the summer of 2007.

Examining change over time, the exhibit shows artifacts from the 18th through the 20th century.  For example, bone and wood buttons that were likely produced by hand are exhibited alongside “Goodyear” rubber buttons, a metal button embossed with an American eagle, and a plain, plastic button. Pottery and ceramics evolve from locally made redware to more sophisticated imported porcelain. Other items, like an ornate shoe buckle and hand painted ceramics, illustrate the wealth and status of the owner.

Nick Bendas, a sophomore at Ursinus College, developed the exhibit while conducting an internship at The Speaker’s House this spring. Nick, a history major, also participated in the excavation that took place last summer, under the guidance of archaeologists from Kise Straw and Kolodner. “I didn’t have any prior experience with archaeology but now that I have been part of a dig and got the chance to develop this exhibit, I have a better understanding about how archaeology is another way to understand the history of a site.”

The Speaker’s House, which is located at 151 W. Main Street in Trappe, was constructed by John Joseph Schrack c. 1764 and was occupied until 2002 by various individuals, families and tenants. Frederick Muhlenberg and his wife Catherine Schaeffer lived at the property from 1781 – 1881. The property was also home to Lewis Royer, a one term Pennsylvania state senator and Charles Albrecht, one of the first piano makers in America. An Ursinus dorm from 1924 - 1944, the property was altered drastically over time, going from a two-story, four room stone house to a three story Victorian mansion with a mansard roof.

The non-profit organization The Speaker’s House owns the property. They plan to restore the home and operate the facility as an educational center, focusing on civics and the evolution of representative government. Volunteers have been researching the history of the property for many years through documents like photographs, diaries, deeds, and newspapers. Architectural investigations inform how the house has changed over time. Archaeology also provides information like what items were used by residents, and can also reveal foundations of buildings that are no longer standing, like the recent discovery of the location of Muhlenberg’s late 18th century general store.

The exhibit is free and open to the public, Tuesdays through Sundays. The Schwenkfelder Library and Heritage Center is located at 105 Seminary Street. For more information, call (215) 679-3103. For more information on The Speaker’s House, call (610) 489-2105 or visit www.speakershouse.org.

The Schwenkfelder Library and Heritage Center was founded in 1884 as an informal collection in a private home to assure the preservation of the Schwenkfelders' cultural identity. Today the Heritage Center, a not-for-profit organization, is still preserving, interpreting and documenting the history of this German Protestant group, along with the history of the Upper Perkiomen Valley. The Schwenkfelder Library and Heritage Center is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm; Thursdays 9:00 am to 8:00 pm; Saturdays 10:00 am to 3:00 pm; and Sundays 1:00 to 4:00 pm. The Heritage Center is closed to the public on Mondays. For additional information call 215-679-3103 or visit our website www.schwenkfelder.com.

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David W. Luz
Executive Director
Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center
105 Seminary Street Pennsburg, PA 18073
Tel. 215-679-3103 Fax 215-679-8175
email: info@schwenkfelder.com
www.schwenkfelder.com