The Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center

Help support us by becoming a member today!

The Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center is an open-air folklife museum and research center dedicated to preserving and celebrating Pennsylvania German folk culture, history, and language in a unique educational setting at Kutztown University. Located on the historic Sharadin Farmstead, the Heritage Center engages the University community and the public with seasonal cultural programming, historic buildings and exhibitions, a world-class research library collection, as well as conferences, online-educational resources, lectures, and classes in Pennsylvania Dutch language. An extensive research library is available for all who wish to conduct genealogical, historical, linguistic, and cultural research. The Heritage Center also publishes Hiwwe wie Driwwe, the world's only Pennsylvania German newspaper, and the Annual Publication Series, which showcases premier research in Pennsylvania German Studies. The Heritage Center offers tours of the historic site by appointment to individuals, organizations, and schools. Please visit the Heritage Center, become a member, and help support cultural programming at Kutztown University.

Image of the brick one-room schoolhouse with flowers in the foreground.

Freyberger Schoolhouse

1870's Brick One-Room Schoolhouse

Image of one-rooms school childrens' books in English and in German.

Schoolhouse Textbooks

Reading, writing, and arithmetic books used by children attending one-room schoolhouses.

A tour group of students standing in the gravel driveway in front of the house, listening to the tour guide.

School and Group Tours Available

Guided tours can be scheduled by calling the Heritage Center Office.

The teal mantle over the white stone fireplace in the parlor is decorated for Christmas

Sharadin Farmhouse Parlor

Decorated for Christmas, the parlor fireplace features portraits of Ephram Sharadin and ancestors of Dr. Don Yoder.

Image of a female identifying student and a male identifying student preparing window sashes for instillation.

Student Interns

The Heritage Center works closely with multiple departments at Kutztown University to provide internships for students.

A female identifying student with her head tilted to the right, stands on a ladder painting a yellow, black, white, and red barn star

Student Workers

Student Workers are able to try their hand at traditional crafts of the PA Germans

Image of a log cabin with a shingle roof against a blue sky. There is white morter between the hand hewn logs

Corrigan Log Cabin

Now used as a Tin Smith Shop, the Corrigan Log Cabin also showcases a collection of tools.

We are excited to announce that the DeLight E. Breidegam Building, Headquarters of the Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center is now open to the public. Our new headquarters features access to the Heritage Center Library & Archives, as well as thematic exhibitions in our galleries. It is located at 15155 Kutztown Road, Kutztown PA 19530, with parking located at the back of the building by the main entrance.

Tours of the open-air folklife museum located on the historic Sharadin Farmstead at 22 Luckenbill road, Kutztown PA 19530, must be scheduled in advance.

Requests for research or information must also be scheduled by appointment only. Contact us to schedule an appointment with a staff member.

Hours of Office Operation:
Monday through Friday:
10 a.m. - 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. - 4 p.m.

Phone: 610-683-1589
15155 Kutztown Road
Kutztown, PA 19530

The Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center

Freyberger Schoolhouse

Freyberger Schoolhouse

Schoolhouse Textbooks

Sharadin Farmhouse

School and Group Tours Available

Sharadin Farmhouse

Sharadin Farmhouse Parlor

Sharadin Farmhouse Kitchen

Student Interns

Sharadin Bank Barn

Student Workers

Corrigan Log Cabin

Student Workers

Sharadin Summer kitchen