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

August 29, 2008

Contact: David W. Luz
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Phone: 215-679-3103
Fax: 215-679-8175

GEORGE de BENNEVILLE

PENNSBURG, Pa. - The Board of Directors of the Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center invites the public to a lecture entitled: "George de Benneville" on Wednesday, October 10, 2008, at noon by Dr. L. Allen Viehmeyer, Associate Director of Research. The public is invited to bring a lunch to this free lecture; beverages will be provided. The lecture will be repeated on Sunday, October 14, 2008, at 2:00 pm. Both lectures will be held in the Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center Meeting Room.

Although not a Schwenkfelder, George de Benneville is an intriguing personage among the Schwenkfelders. De Benneville became acquainted with the Schwenkfelders as they arrived in Altona in 1734 on their way to Pennsylvania. Years later, in 1741, de Benneville himself arrived in Philadelphia, eventually settling in the Oley Valley. He was acquainted with the Schwenkfelder Abraham Wagner, and both men were medical practioners. An itinerant evangelist among the German colonists, de Benneville preached several times in Schwenkfelder meetings. This illustrated lecture explores de Benneville's relationship with the Schwenkfelders.

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 & 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