PERKIONMENVILLE, Pa. (WLVT) - A 19
th century Pennsylvania Dutch man hand-made leather harnesses for horses.
“This was used to split the leather,” said Gary Elsing, a harness maker, as he gestured to a tool. “We’ll place it in this splitter and clamp it down. When it’s pulled through the splitter, the blade shaves off a portion of the leather.”
Gary Elsing actually lives in the present day, though he uses 19
th century tools.
“Most of these tools that I bring today are from the 1800s,” Elsing said. “They still work just wonderful.”
Elsing is the harness maker at the 53
rd annual Goschenhoppen Folk Festival, a summer event that celebrates the folk culture of northern Montgomery County. Organizers expect 4,000 to 6,000 visitors to the festival, which runs Aug. 9 and 10 in Perkiomenville.
“The Goschenhoppen Folk Festival is in a sense living history,” said Robert Wood, museum director at
Red Men’s Hall, a museum associated with the festival.
More than 500 Goschenhoppen Historians wear period clothing and demonstrate their craft for the festival, such as toolmaking, sewing and cooking.
“All sorts of good stuff comes out of that bake oven,” said Linda Szapacs, docent at the Henry Antes House, an 18
th century property on the grounds of the festival.
The Goschenhoppen area has a rich history. Thousands of Germans moved to Pennsylvania in the early 1700s, bringing along their traditions. But by the mid-1900s locals noticed Pennsylvania Dutch culture was beginning to disappear, so to preserve it, the Goschenhoppen Historians started the festival in 1957.
“The Goschenhoppen Folk Festival is probably the most authentic,” Wood said.
Historians reenact Pennsylvania Dutch life in the both the 18
th and 19
th centuries. You can tell the difference by the clothing people wear, and Colonial Rd., which that separates the time periods.
There are tons of activities to try, from writing with a quill to making your own cornhusk doll. Kids can play period games like “rolling the hoop.” There’s also lots and lots of food, including corn pie, peaches and ice cream, and homemade root beer.
But the festival is more than just about fun. It’s educational. Visitors can learn how local people lived centuries ago. Historians said attendees are most often surprised by the living conditions of the day, like sleeping on a straw mattress.
“They’re surprised that that’s how they slept,” Szapacs said. “They also didn’t have much clothing. They probably had one pair of shoes. They gave their clothing back down through the years. They even put it in wills.”
So if you’re looking for something to do this weekend, you may want to try out the Goschenhoppen Festival.
“As you come across the parking lot, you sort of go back in time,” Szapacs said.
Tickets are $12 for adults 16 and older, $3 for kids. Saturday’s hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
