That Grand Old Poem Called Winter ...

“That grand old poem called Winter”

        ~ Henry David Thoreau

                ~ 1817 ~ 1862

A picturesque 19^th century barn is the cornerstone of this peaceful and poetic winter monochrome scene – the barn and corn crib being part of the historic 1756 Troxell-Steckel Farm Museum – that I shot on a late February afternoon in Egypt, Pennsylvania.

The Coplay Creek runs through this 31 acre property, which was once part of a 400 acre farm. The centerpiece of the property is a stone farmhouse, built in 1756. A spring house and the barn are also on the property. The farmhouse is an authentic Pennsylvania German farmhouse and offers an example of Lehigh County agricultural history. The Troxell-Steckel house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

It is the region’s only authentically complete Pennsylvania German farm house, resembling its medieval ancestors and giving a captivating glimpse of the area’s farm history.

The Pennsylvania German farmhouse was constructed in 1756 by John Peter Troxell, an immigrant from Germany in search of a better life. When the structure was built, twenty years before the Declaration of Independence was signed, this farm sat on the edge of wilderness. George Washington was only 24 years old, and America was ruled by the King of England. At the time, the house was reported to be the largest residence on the Pennsylvania frontier. The fortress-like masonry walls of this structure are more than two feet thick.

In 1768, John Peter Troxell sold this farm to Peter Steckel, another immigrant from Germany. Pennsylvania Germans were one of the largest immigrant groups in Eastern Pennsylvania. Their traditions enriched American culture.

As someone of Irish-German heritage, I love getting a glimpse into Pennsylvania German history in the area.

This historic site is owned and operated by the Lehigh County Historical Society and is open for seasonal tours and events.

The Troxell-Steckel Farm Museum may also be accessed from the Ironton Rail Trail, which loops more than nine miles through Whitehall Township, the Borough of Coplay and North Whitehall Township.

The Ironton Railroad was a shortline railroad in Lehigh County. Originally built in 1861 to haul iron ore and limestone to blast furnaces along the Lehigh River, traffic later shifted to carrying Portland Cement when local iron mining declined in the early 20^th century. Much of the railroad had already been abandoned when it became part of Conrail in 1976, and the last of its trackage was removed in 1984.

 

In 1996, Whitehall Township purchased 9.2 miles of the right-of-way from Conrail, transforming it into the Ironton Rail Trail.

 

Dutch Corner ...

“Kumme esse”

 ~ Pennsylvania Dutch phrase for “Come eat”

  

The Deitsch Eck (Dutch Corner) Restaurant basks in the early autumn sun on a late September afternoon on the corner of Old Route 22 and Route 143 in Lenhartsville, Pennsylvania

The “Wilkom” (welcome) sign bids visitors to “Kumm esse” (also spelled Kumme esse) – come eat! The classic Pennsylvania Dutch Wilkum Home sign is often seen on porches and other entry ways, extending a warm and friendly welcome.

The restaurant doesn’t open until 4 p.m., except for Sundays, and when I stopped by on a Saturday afternoon it was an hour until opening, next time I’ll plan to be there when I can stop in!

Originally known as the Washington Hotel when built in the late 1700s, the inn was destroyed by fire sometime in 1914. The late well-known hex sign painter, Johnny Ott, bought the building in the late 1930s and ran it as a country bar, restaurant, and hotel. Many times he could be found there in an enclosed side porch studio where he painted his hex signs, furniture, anything he could pretty much get his hands on.

After Ott’s death in 1964, the Peters brothers of Lenhartsville operated the hotel until hex sign artist Donald Greth purchased it in 1966. He and his wife operated it until the middle of June, 1971, when it was purchased by Deitsch Eck Hotel and Restaurant Inc, a subsidiary of the PA Dutch Folk Culture Society (PADFCS), a nonprofit organization.

The restaurant became known simply as the Deitsch Eck (Dutch Corner). The second and third floor hotel rooms were renovated and made into apartments

In the early 1990s there were plans by the PADFCS to relocate the museum complex and artifacts to the Kutztown University Heritage Center, a place that was created to keep the memories of the PA Dutch way of life alive. The group had no intentions on continuing to operate the restaurant, and Steve Stetzler, an area resident, former employee of the Deitsch Eck, and graduate of Penn State’s Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Management program, was asked to manage the business. In 1997 the PADFCS sold the restaurant and apartments to Stetzler, and to this day he remains the current chef and owner.

The Pennsylvania Dutch are a cultural group formed by early German-speaking immigrants to Pennsylvania and their descendants. The work “Dutch” does not refer to Dutch people or language, but to the German settlers known as Deutsch in standard German and Deitsch in the principal dialect they spoke, Palatine German.

Most emigrated to the Americas from Germany or Switzerland in the 17^th and 18^th centuries. Over time, the various dialects spoken by these immigrants fused into a unique dialect of German known as Pennsylvania German or Pennsylvania “Dutch.” At one time, more than one third of Pennsylvania’s population spoke this language.

Pennsylvania Dutch specialties include Schnitz un knepp ( a dish of ham or pork shoulder with dried apple and dumplings), apple butter, baked apple, chicken and waffles, Chow-chow, cole slaw, corn fritters, Lebanon bologna, pork and sauerkraut, potato filling, pot pie, fastnachts, funnel cake, funny cake, angel food cake, whoopee pies, shoofly pie, sugar cookies, root beer and birch beer.

As I am half Irish and half Pennsylvania German, I grew up with much of these tasty offerings because my late grandmother was a wonderful baker and cook, and fastnachts, shoofly pie and angel food cake were my favorites of hers.

Dutch Treat ...

“Kumme esse”

 ~ Pennsylvania Dutch phrase for “Come eat”

 The Hamburg Diner advertises its Pennsylvania Dutch fare on its sign on a late June afternoon in historic Hamburg, Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, the diner closed after 50 years in business in May 2018, a month before I shot this high contrast monochrome image. Hopefully it will reopen!

The Pennsylvania Dutch are a cultural group formed by early German-speaking immigrants to Pennsylvania and their descendants. The word “Dutch” does not refer to Dutch people or language, but to the German settlers known as Deutsch in standard German and Deitsch in the principal dialect they spoke, Palatine German.

Most emigrated to the Americas from Germany or Switzerland in the 17^th and 18^th centuries. Over time, the various dialects spoken by these immigrants fused into a unique dialect of German known as Pennsylvania German or Pennsylvania “Dutch.” At one time, more than one third of Pennsylvania’s population spoke this language.

Pennsylvania Dutch specialties include Schnitz un knepp ( a dish of ham or pork shoulder with dried apple and dumplings), apple butter, baked apple, chicken and waffles, Chow-chow, cole slaw, corn fritters, Lebanon bologna, pork and sauerkraut, potato filling, pot pie, fastnachts, funnel cake, funny cake, angel food cake, whoopee pies, shoofly pie, sugar cookies, root beer and birch beer.

As I am half Irish and half Pennsylvania German, I grew up with much of these tasty offerings because my late grandmother was a wonderful baker and cook, and fastnachts, shoofly pie and angel food cake were my favorites of hers.

Hamburg, Pennsylvania, officially founded in 1787, was named after Hamburg, Germany.

The phrase “Dutch Treat” refers to an outing, meal or other special occasion at which each participant pays for their share of the expenses.