814-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 24, 1997
Diary Reveals Life For Turn-Of-Th
LOU ANN GOOD
Lancaster Farming Staff
LANDISVILLE (Lancaster
Co.) Watching Eileen Bender
Johns working in the garden or in
the kitchen of the Amos Herr
Homestead, Landisvillc, trans
ports you back in time.
Dressed in the traditional garb
of a woman of the early 1900 s,
Eileen impersonates Emma Rohrer
Herr, bom in 1867. Eileen tedious
ly researched the diaries of £mma
to give an honest portrayal of
Emma’s life.
Eileen, who is also acting cura
tor for the Hor Homestead, will
share the story of Emma’s life as a
farm wife on May 27 at 7:30 p.m.
at the Amos Herr House. There is
no admission charge.
The Amos Herr Homestead is a
Pennsylvania German farm listed
on the National Register of Histor
ic Places.
The Herr House is open to tour
weekends (see details at the end of
this article). During the tour,
guides dress in 1890 garb and talk
about the house as if they were liv
ing in it during that period.
Eileen said that Herr was well
known in the area as a humanita
rian, athlete, world traveler, a
public servant, and a devoted
member of his church.
The date of the oldest part of the
house is unknown, but a large
addition was constructed in 1852.
In 1913, the Heirs oversaw major
renovations to the house.
Only 11 people lived in the
house since it was erected. The
first Herr family setded in the
house in 1844. Amos Herr was the
last resident. Amos had been an
only child and had no children.
When he died in 1987, he donated
the 67-acre farm to the township to
be made as a park for children.
Herr was quoted as saying,
“Parks are places that provide
recreation of many kinds where
people can relax and forget the
cares and burdens of the day and
thus become refreshed and
strengthened for the problems of
tomorrow.”
After the acquisition, the town
ship was uncertain what to do with
the house. A public auction was
held in which many of the furnish
ings were sold.
In 1990, the Amos Herr Founda
tion was formed by those inter
ested in saving the house. Exten
sive repairs were made to maintain
the beauty of the farmhouse both
inside and outside. Wallpaper and
Eileen Bender Johns works In the garden of the Amos
Herr Homestead, Landlsvllle. Dressed In the traditional
garb of a woman of the early 1900 s, Eileen impersonates
Emma Rohrer Herr, bom In 1867.
paint authentic of the period were
used.
Some original pieces of furni
ture were donated back to the
Foundation when the buyers heard
that the place was to be restored for
public viewing. Other pieces rep
resentative of that eta have been
purchased or donated by interested
persons. In fact, one room is
devoted to a historical library with
many archival displays. One is a
hair remembrance book compiled
by a 20-year-old woman in 1840.
A segment of hair from family and
friends is braided and the name of
the person is recorded in the book.
In the large kitchen, a wood
stove similar to what Emma used is
in place. The farm kitchen has all
the details to make it appear as if
Emma was in the middle of baking
with baking ingredients and uten
sils set on the table.
The spacious dining room and
parlor is separated by pocket
doors. Area rugs in each room dis
guise the fact that the wooden
floors only cover the borders of the
rooms and not the whole floor.
“This is typical of the frugal
German way of making things
look fine on the outside,” Eileen
said.
One of the bedrooms has a dis
play of textiles and clothing from
the era. A wedding trousseau spills
from a trunk. The wedding gown
and the trousseau dresses reflect
the slim waists of the era when
corsets were used to tightly con
strain. Shoes, too, appear to be
more narrow than most women can
wear today. That may be indicative
of women wearing tight shoes to
make their feet appear smaller.
A furnished bedroom, sewing
room, nursery, and a “cast-off”
room are also located upstairs.
“No doubt hired help slept in
this room,” Eileen said of the room
which still has the original
unpainted plastered walls and
unfinished floor boards.
Eileen’s dedication and enthu
siasm often takes priority in her
life over her family and J & J drap
ery business. Amos Herr was her
former history teacher, and her
favorite. When the Foundation
was established, Eileen volun
teered even before she saw the
inside of the house. She made the
swags and jabots for the numerous
windows and continues to oversee
many of the constantly developing
activities for the house.
Eileen was the first person to
decipher the sloppily written diar-
ies. The diaries record prolific
details about the weather, what the
Herr family ate. and what Emma
did during the day. Little personal
feelings were revealed.
The Tuesday, May 27 lecture is
free. In addition, the Keeping
Room gift shop located in the cel
lar area will be open to purchase
The Amos Herr Homestead is a Pennsylvania German form listed on the National
Register of Historic Places. The Herr House Is open to tour weekends (see details at
the end of this article). During the tour, guides dress in 1890 garb and talk about the
house as if they were living in it during that period.
In the large kitchen, a wood stove similar to what Emma used is In place. The farm
kitchen has all the details to make It appear as If Emma was In the middle of baking
with baking ingredients and utensils set on the table.
One of the bedrooms has a display of textiles and clothing from the era.. jg
trousseau spills from a trunk. The wedding gown and the trousseau dresses reflect
the slim waists of the era when corsets were used to tightly constrain. Shoes, too,
appear to be more narrow than most women can wear today. That may be indicative of
women wearing tight shoes to make their feet appear smaller.
e-Century Farm Wife
handcrafted items and a replica of
the Amos Herr House which is part
of the Cat’s Meow series.
The house is also open for tour
from 1 p.m.-4 p.m. Saturday and
Sunday, April 1-Oct 31. Admis
sion is $4 for adults. Seniors, stu
dents, and groups are $3 per per
son, and children under 12 are
admitted free. Group and private
tours are also available by calling
(717) 898-8975.
Directions from Lancaster:
Take Harrisburg Pike West and
turn right on Nissley Road at the
Hempfield Township Municipal
building before entering
Landisville.