Ruckman Mill Farm

06/05/2026

What a visual opportunity to learn about this period in fraktur design and life

Beautiful art from the Revolutionary period reminds how life went on during chaotic times.

Join us on June 12 in Pennsburg for the opening of our Revolutionary Fraktur exhibit, created to commemorate the 250th anniversary.

This special exhibit features nearly 40 fraktur pieces dating from 1763-1787, offering a rare glimpse into the lives, beliefs, and artistry of early Pennsylvania German communities.

It’s a meaningful way to connect with history during this milestone year—and experience these vibrant works up close.

Plan your visit: schwenkfelder.org

05/23/2026

What an incredible flower design!

Object of the Day: Friday, May 22, 2026.

Rare and Fine M. & T. MILLER / NEWPORT, PA Stoneware Jug w/ Flowering Urn. Sold for $43,700 in our July 18, 2015 auction:

https://www.crockerfarm.com/stoneware-auction/2015-07-18/lot-299/Exceedingly-Rare-M-T-MILLER-NEWPORT-PA-Stoneware-Jug-w-Elaborate-Flowering-Urn-Decoration/

05/05/2026

Being it is International Midwives' Day, you might be interested in learning more about the profession and life of midwives around 1800 in southeastern Pennsylvania. Rosina Heydrich, a midwife and member of the Schwenkfelder community in the Upper Perkiomen Valley, kept a registry of 1,739 births she attended between the years 1770 and 1819. Her manuscript also served as a compendium of specific remedies, treatments, and recommendations for women’s health that she used. Today you can read it on the PA Power Library (digitalarchives.powerlibrary.org/papd/islandora/object/papd%3Asslch-sdsa). The translation and work to ready the manuscript for Power Library was supported by a grant from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission's Historical Archives and Records Care Grant, a program funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

05/03/2026

Mark your calendar - Penn Dry Goods is almost here!

Join us on May 15-16 in Pennsburg for our signature spring fundraiser, where textiles, antiques, and history come together in one unforgettable experience.

From rare finds to meaningful conversations, every purchase helps support our mission to preserve and share Pennsylvania German heritage.

Come explore, shop, and be part of something that gives back to the community we love.

Plan your visit at www.schwenkfelder.org/penn-dry-goods.

04/24/2026

03/21/2026

Join us on Saturday, April 18, from 10 am to 4 pm for the grand opening of our special exhibition “Window to Revolution: Pennsylvania Germans and the War for Independence!”

Focusing on the Revolution's impact on the Greater Philadelphia region, this landmark exhibition features artifacts such as flintlock pistols, Continental currency, Henry Muhlenberg’s journals, a German translation of the Declaration of Independence, fraktur made by former Hessian soldiers, and much more.

Location: Center for Pennsylvania German Studies at the Dewees Tavern, 301 W. Main Street, Trappe, PA

For more information visit historictrappe.org/exhibitions

03/21/2026

Today is National Quilting Day! Instead of showing you one of the many quilts in our collection (we are probably at 250 now) , we're featuring some 19th and early 20th century cardboard quilting patterns we recently received from our good friend Barbara Garrett.
The process of quilting--stitching together the top of the quilt, the interior batting, and the back--is what makes a quilt a quilt. Some quilters stitched simple patterns, but others often created more elaborate designs--some very intricate. The owners of these patterns signed their names on them. The bottom piece (is it a scroll? A leaf? A leafy scroll?) is signed ""Emma S. Hinnersh*tz 1869." Emma was probably from Berks County. The fan at the top is signed "Catherine Tobias 1867" as are the other three. She may have also hailed from Berks County.

01/10/2026

Framed small watercolor and scissor-cut fraktur attributed to schoolmaster Jacob Botz of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, circa 1822, dated, made for John Rudisill on August 23, 1822, on early rag paper, in a red grain-painted chamfered softwood frame, 7¾" x 6½", sold for $1800 at Horst Auctioneers to Greg Kramer of Robesonia, Pennsylvania, dealer. The catalog noted that this fraktur was made later than Botz’s active dates, but is “obviously by his hand.”

https://www.maineantiquedigest.com/stories/betty-lamp-is-top-lot-in-september-sale/10387

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01/10/2026

Beautifully way to highlight the central motif.

Object of the Day: Sunday, January 4, 2026.

COWDEN & WILCOX / HARRISBURG, PA Stoneware Crock w/ Profuse Bird and Floral Scene. Sold for $27,140 in our October 28, 2017 auction:

https://www.crockerfarm.com/stoneware-auction/2017-10-28/lot-80/Exceptional-COWDEN-WILCOX-HARRISBURG-PA-Stoneware-Jar-w-Elaborate-Bird-Scene/

12/14/2025

Another good reason to visit this holiday season—we are displaying the Schwenkfelder Santa artist Stacy Clark Stephens created twenty years ago. Based upon a Sinter Klaas of about 1800, the figure incorporated crafts and other objects associated with the Pennsylvania Germans of SE PA. In particular, members of the Central Schwenkfelder Church contributed items, such as a quilt by Emily Clemens, a watercolor by Bill Bourne, a fraktur by Rosalie Smith, a desk by Brad Smith, and a model by Matthew Stephens of the St. Andrews ship that brought the largest group of Schwenkfelder immigrants here in 1734. Come on in and see if you can find the jar of apple butter, the miniature Scherenschnitte, the mini-Belsnickel, and other hidden objects.