PENNSBURG PA – What kind of schooling existed even before one-room schoolhouses? Local historian Bob Wood will answer that question during an upcoming discussion at Pennsburg’s Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center.
Wood is the scheduled speaker July 9 (Wednesday; 2025) at noon during the Schwenkfelder’s monthly Brown Bag Lecture in the center, 105 Seminary St. His topic: “Very Old Schools: Local Education 1720-1850.”
The Rise of Local Education
More than a century before one-room-schools came into being, Wood explains, there were sincere educational efforts conducted by most fledgling religious congregations in the region. They sought to provide children with the basics of reading, writing, and elementary arithmetic.
Early church schools arose in the shadow of every church, and community pay schools dotted the landscape.
Attendance at Brown Bag Lectures during 2025 is free, thanks to a sponsorship from KeyBank. Attendance at lectures is available in-person or virtually. Call The Schwenkfelder at 215-679-3103, or send it an e-mail to info@schwenkfelder.org, to reserve a seat.
As the program’s name implies, those who attend in person can bring their lunch with them to eat during the presentation. Those seeing it virtually can enjoy the same, wherever they are.
Examine Local History, for Free
The Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center serves as the regional history center for the Upper Perkiomen Valley. Admission to visit its exhibits or conduct research in its library also is free. It is open to the public Tuesdays through Sundays.
The center has a wheelchair available at no charge, inside the main entrance, for visitors’ comfort. Additionally, accessible parking for vehicles displaying appropriate permits is clearly marked at its parking lot by the entrance. All floors are accessible by elevator.
Photo (2014) by Sgarton on MorgueFile, used by Travels With The Post under license
Craving Fireworks? Find Six Within A Short Drive