The

Hans Herr Hans Herr (September 17, 1639 – October 11, 1725) was born in Zürich, Switzerland. While often cited as a descendant of the knight Hugo Herr, scholarship done in the 20th century has put this claim in doubt. He joined the Swiss Brethren ...

House, also known as the Christian Herr House, is a historic home located in

West Lampeter Township West Lampeter Township is a township in central Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 17,365 at the 2020 census. History The Johannes Harnish Farmstead, Christian and Emma Herr Farm, Hans Herr House, Lime Valley Cov ...

Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Lancaster County (; Pennsylvania Dutch: Lengeschder Kaundi), sometimes nicknamed the Garden Spot of America or Pennsylvania Dutch Country, is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in the south central part of Pennsylvania. ...

. It was built in 1719, and is a -story, rectangular

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...

Germanic dwelling. It measures 37 feet, 9 inches, by 30 feet, 10 inches. It is the oldest dwelling in Lancaster County and the oldest

Mennonite Mennonites are groups of Anabaptist Christian church communities of denominations. The name is derived from the founder of the movement, Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland. Through his writings about Reformed Christianity during the Radic ...

meetinghouse in America. ''Note:'' This includes

Early History

The Hans Herr house was built by the Herr family in 1719 by Christian Herr. The house served as a meetinghouse for

Mennonites Mennonites are groups of Anabaptist Christian church communities of denominations. The name is derived from the founder of the movement, Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland. Through his writings about Reformed Christianity during the Radic ...

. The Mennonites who worshipped there formed the nucleus of what became the

Willow Street Willow Street is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 7,578 at the 2010 census. In the early part of the 20th century the main thoroughfare in town was ...

Mennonite Congregation. The house continued to be use as a private residence until about 1900, after which time it was used as storage space.

Restoration

The Hans Herr House was purchased by Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society in 1969. In the early 1970s the property underwent extensive renovations led by Ira Landis to restore it to resemble the original Herr residence. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1971. Following its restoration it became a private museum open to the public in 1974. Hans Herr House

Lancaster Longhouse Addition

In 2010 the Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society added the first major addition to the Hans Herr property since the 1700s by building a replica longhouse based on the remnants of one found during the 1969 renovation. The stated purpose for this exhibit was to honor the legacy of the

indigenous peoples Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...

who lived in Lancaster County before the arrival of

Anabaptist Anabaptism (from New Latin language, Neo-Latin , from the Greek language, Greek : 're-' and 'baptism', german: Täufer, earlier also )Since the middle of the 20th century, the German-speaking world no longer uses the term (translation: "Re- ...

settlers. In 2011, this exhibit was further furnished with a collection of over 200 artifacts found in the area from before the arrival of Europeans.

Architectural Features

The Hans Herr house is known for its unique style and architecture reflecting the German medieval period. Because it was not lived in during the 20th century, it never underwent any modernization, making it a well-preserved historic structure. The building contains numerous architectural characteristics that have their roots in medieval south-German architecture, such as a steeply pitched roof with two attic levels, small asymmetrical windows, a date stone carved into the door lintel, a central chimney, and a staircase where each step is a single pegged into a diagonal beam. The museum complex also houses the

Georgian-style Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1714 and 1830. It is named after the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I, George II, Geor ...

1835 Shaub House, the Victorian-style 1890s Huber House, several barns and outbuildings with animals, exhibit buildings, blacksmith shop, bake-oven, smoke house, and a collection of farm equipment. Exhibits focus on Mennonite history, colonial and

Victorian-era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardi ...

farm life, and the Herr family. The museum opened in 1974 and is administered by the Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society.

References

External links

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HMdb: Herr House Historical Marker
{{DEFAULTSORT:Herr, Hans, House 1719 establishments in Pennsylvania Historic American Buildings Survey in Pennsylvania Historic house museums in Pennsylvania Houses completed in 1719 Houses in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Mennonite church buildings in Pennsylvania Museums established in 1974 Museums in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania National Register of Historic Places in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Mennonite museums Blacksmith shops Historic House Museums of the Pennsylvania Germans