Landis Valley Museum facts for kids

Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
Landis House in September, 2012
Location in Pennsylvania Show map of Pennsylvania Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Nearest city	Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Area	100 acres (40 ha)
Built	1940
Architect	D. L. Warfel & Co.
NRHP reference No.	99001578
Quick facts for kids Significant dates
Added to NRHP	January 3, 2000

The Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum is a huge 100-acre living history museum in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It's built on the site of an old village crossroads. This museum helps you experience what life was like long ago.

Brothers Henry K. Landis and George Landis started the museum in 1925. It became an official museum in 1941. Today, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission runs it. Their team and volunteers gather, protect, and show items from Pennsylvania German culture. They focus on history from 1740 to 1940.

Discovering the Museum's Past

How the Landis Brothers Started It All

Henry and George Landis grew up in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in the 1870s and 1880s. They both loved Pennsylvania history. They were especially interested in the history of Pennsylvania German people. The brothers became active collectors of many old items. These included antique furniture, Native American tools, old coins, and even large Conestoga Wagons. They also collected dishes, farm tools, and old guns.

After they retired in 1924, the Landis brothers brought all their collections together. They put them at the Landis family farm in Lancaster. In 1925, they officially opened their collection for people to see. More and more items were added, and their museum became very popular. They looked for money from the Carl Shurz Foundation to make it a real museum.

In 1941, the museum officially became the Landis Valley Museum. A professional expert was hired to organize and display their collection. The foundation also helped build new buildings. These included a barn for farm tools, a gunsmith's shop, a tavern, and a wagon shed.

Becoming a Living History Museum

In 1953, the Landis brothers were getting older. They gave the museum and its land to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The state then turned it into a "living history" museum. This means they rebuilt old buildings on nearby land. They also created special programs to show visitors how Pennsylvania Germans lived. You can see how they farmed and ran businesses in the 1700s.

Guides dressed in old-fashioned clothes were hired. They were trained to show how people did tasks and made crafts from that time. This helped make the museum's educational programs even better.

The Heirloom Seed Project

In the mid-1980s, the museum started a special project. They wanted to save old "heirloom" seeds. These were seeds used by Pennsylvania German families before 1940. Today, the museum uses special gardens and greenhouses to grow and save these seeds. This makes sure these old types of vegetables and plants stay pure. They are kept safe from modern changes. The museum also keeps records of where each seed came from. You can even buy some of these special seeds each year at the museum's Herb & Garden Faire!

Exploring Exhibits and Events

This living history museum is part of the Pennsylvania State Museum system. It celebrates many inventions from Lancaster County. This area is famous as the birthplace of the Conestoga wagon and the Pennsylvania longrifle.

Visitors can learn how Conestoga Wagons were built. They can see how the important spoked wheels were made. You can also learn how gunsmiths made rifle barrels in the 1700s. Guides in old costumes share stories about Pennsylvania German traditions. Skilled artists show how they made crafts and cooked over an open fire.

Museum Features to Explore

The museum also hosts fun special events all year. One popular event is a free annual bonfire with holiday caroling.

Supporting the Museum

The Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum gets a lot of help. The Landis Valley Associates is a group of 3,000 members. They give money and volunteer their time. Members of this group get free museum entry. They also get discounts on special events and at the museum's store.

Meet Henry K. Landis

Henry Kinzer Landis (1865–1955) was a writer, photographer, and collector. He was also a founder of the museum.

Henry's Early Life

Henry was born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania in 1865. His father, Henry Harrison Landis, was a farmer. His mother, Emma Caroline Diller, was the daughter of a successful farmer. Henry had three siblings: George Diller, Nettie May, and Anna Margaretta, who passed away as a young child.

The Landis family were typical Pennsylvania Dutch people. Their family came from Swiss Mennonite folk. The first Landis ancestor lived near Zurich, Switzerland, in 1438. To escape unfair treatment for their beliefs, three Landis brothers came to America in 1717. Jacob and Felix Landis settled in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The Landis name is still well-known there today.

Henry K. Landis grew up on a family farm that had been in his family for generations. He went to local schools. Later, he and his brother George went to Lititz Academy as boarding students. After that, both brothers went to Lehigh University. Henry was the only one to graduate with a degree in Engineering. His sister Nettie also went to school locally and later to a prep school in Brooklyn, New York.

In 1888, Henry took a canoe trip on the Juniata River in Pennsylvania. His brother George and a friend, H. Justin Roddy, joined him. Henry kept a diary and took photos of the trip. These were published in 1993 as a book called Canoeing on the Juniata, 1888.

Henry's Career and Hobbies

After college, Henry worked as a mining engineer and educator for several years. He became very interested in photography during college. He loved taking pictures.

Henry didn't work as an engineer for long. He moved to New York City. There, he became an editor for technical magazines. One was The Gas Age, which was about the natural gas industry. On weekends, he loved taking photos. He took pictures around Manhattan and Brooklyn. He also had a houseboat and sailing boat in Port Washington on Long Island. He would often visit Lancaster County for vacations.

Henry's photos showed many different things. He photographed New York City architecture, street life, and immigrants. He also took staged pictures of people and self-portraits.

Retirement and the Museum's Future

After many years in New York City, Henry retired. He moved back to the family farm. His parents and unmarried siblings had lived there most of their lives. Henry and his brother George started collecting items. They filled their buildings with old farming tools and household items. These showed the culture of farming life. They created a small, informal museum. Henry was the main guide.

The Landis brothers became well-known in the Pennsylvania German community. As they got older and money became tight, their museum faced problems. A wealthy German-born businessman named Gustav Oberlaender helped them. He started the Oberlaender Trust. This group helped improve understanding between people in the United States and Germany.

The Oberlaender Trust learned about the Landis brothers' collection. In 1940, they officially created the Landis Valley Museum. They paid for new buildings for exhibits. The museum opened in 1941. Later, the Oberlaender Trust had money problems. Also, the Landis brothers were very old. So, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania bought the museum. The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) now runs it. They work with the Landis Valley Associates to operate the museum today.

Henry Landis was in his eighties then. He was allowed to live in his family home for the rest of his life. He also kept some rights to the collections. He remained a lifetime curator at the museum. Henry passed away in 1955.

Gallery

• 

  Isaac Landis house, built 1875

• 

  The Landis Valley Hotel, built in 1855-56

• 

  Yellow barn, built 1939

• 

  The Tavern, a recreation of one from the early 1800s