The Amish of Pennsylvania’s Dutch Country, lumbering in their simple horse-drawn carts behind 21st-century vehicles, appear an interesting enigma to most.
Quiet and unassuming, clannish and wise, their world of unadorned clothing, simple farm tools and evening tasks performed by the light of oil lamps seems almost impenetrable.
However, a glimpse of the treasures collected within the halls of the Heritage Center of Lancaster County open up a world unique to America — the collision of English and German peoples, the Pennsylvania Dutch that form a distinctive culture of art established on these shores. Many of the artifacts are quite colorful. All are on display at the center’s own Heritage Museum and the Lancaster Quilt and Textile Museum. Both buildings, located in Lancaster’s Market Square, are a short trip north of the District.
In the Quilt and Textile Museum, a total of 49 quilts are on display behind glass cases. Thirty-two of these quilts represent what was formerly known as the Esprit Collection, the past owners being the Esprit Clothing Co. These tell the story behind the Amish and their quilt making.
“Some of these historic quilts date from the mid-1800s to the mid-1900s and so they span about 100 years in time,” said Wendy Nagle, executive director of the Heritage Center. “And all have been handmade in Lancaster.”
The stunning variety of colors and patterns in these most necessary of household items provide a window through which to view the people who created them.
Another 17 quilts are part of the current exhibition running through the end of the year, titled Family & Friends: Quilts and Their Connections.
“So many people have a vision of Lancaster County quilts made by a group of ladies all gathered around a frame with many hands engaged in the creation,” said quilt author, creator and historian Patricia T. Herr. “This was not the case with these quilts.”
Herr soon realized that while they may have been sharing ideas and scrutinizing each others’ work, they all took ownership of their own creations. Fascinated by the designs, Herr and a friend found a shared diamond pattern on these quilts indicating they were obviously inspired by the relationship between friends and neighbors.
The Heritage Museum, Nagle continues, “contains artifacts from what we call the Amish Cottage Industries, things that were made in the home, dating from the mid-1700s to the present.”
The Amish, a plain and simple people, nevertheless created items of beauty, form and color. The quilts and artifacts present a valuable look into the lives of the quiet inhabitants of Lancaster County.
