PENNSBURG PA – The Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center will join about 20 regional history sites that will be open free Friday through Sunday (Sept. 25-27, 2026). All are participating in this weekend’s “Lehigh Valley Passport to History” event.
For its part in Passport to History, the Schwenkfelder at 105 Seminary St. is offering two special programs related to the nation’s 250th anniversary. Both have limited available seating, and advance reservations are suggested. Also, the history center will provide tours of its 1826 Seipt Family Barn.
The programs and tours are presented to the public at no charge, thanks to support from the national Institute of Museum & Library Services.
Special Programs and Tours
On Saturday (Sept. 26) at 11 a.m., popular musician Blohbariyer performs a selection of original songs, traditional folk songs, and dialect poetry set to original music. All are sung entirely in Pennsylvania Dutch.
Blohbariyer is Scott Reagan, a Northampton County native and Martin Guitar employee. Reagan will accompany his singing with acoustic guitar and harmonica.The name he uses for his Pennsylvania Dutch performances is interpreted as “someone who lives by the Blue Mountain.”
On Sunday (Sept. 27) at 2 p.m., Dr. David Young will speak about “Connecting Local History to America’s 250th.” His book, “The Battles of Germantown,” considers how the Germantown section of Philadelphia – established in 1683 – used “public history initiatives to forge community.”
Young’s book won the 2020 Klein Prize from the Pennsylvania Historical Association. It was praised as the year’s “book that best illuminates Pennsylvania history.”
Advance registration for either or both programs is available by sending an e-mail to info@schwenkfelder.org, or by calling the Schwenkfelder at 215-679-3103.
The tour-worthy Seipt Family Barn is the heritage center’s largest agricultural artifact. It was moved to Pennsburg from a 35-acre farm on Sumneytown Pike in Montgomery County. The structure illustrates construction of, and work inside, a Pennsylvania German barn probably built during the mid-1820s.
About Passport to History
The popular Passport to History events are held quarterly during weekends throughout the year. Its number of partner sites has grown quickly by offering four seasons of education and enjoyment. Partners generally provide free admission, tours, activities, and programs for visitors of all ages.
Member partners include the Schwenkfelder, Historic Trappe in Trappe PA, and the Berks History Center in Reading PA. Others are located in Emmaus, Northampton, Whitehall, Bethlehem, Doylestown, Washington Crossing, Allentown, Coopersburg, Macungie, Easton, Nazareth, and Hamburg.
The Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center serves as the regional history museum for the Upper Perkiomen Valley. It is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sundays from 1-4 p.m.
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