Hans Herr House

The Hans Herr House, also known as the Christian Herr House, is a historic home located in West Lampeter Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. It was built in 1719, and is a 1 1/2-story, rectangular sandstone Germanic dwelling. It measures 37 feet, 9 inches, by 30 feet, 10 inches. It is the oldest dwelling in Lancaster County and the oldest Mennonite meetinghouse in America.[2] The Mennonites who worshipped there formed the nucleus of what became the Willow Street Mennonite Congregation. It was restored to its 1719 appearance in 1972–73.

Hans Herr House
Hans Herr House, 1971 HABS photo
Location1849 Hans Herr Drive, Willow Street, Pennsylvania
Coordinates39°58′51″N 76°15′44″W
Area1.9 acres (0.77 ha)
Built1719
NRHP reference No.71000708[1]
Added to NRHPMay 3, 1971
Staircase in the Herr House

The house was used as a residence until about 1900, after which time it was used as storage space. Because it was not lived in during the 20th century, it never underwent any modernization, making it a remarkably well-preserved historic structure.

The building contains numerous architectural characteristics that have their roots in medieval south-German architecture, such as a steeply pitched roof with two attic levels, small asymmetrical windows, a date stone carved into the door lintel, a central chimney, and a staircase where each step is a single pegged into a diagonal beam.[3]

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.[1]

The Hans Herr House is open to the public as a museum. The house is located at 1849 Hans Herr Drive in Willow Street, Pennsylvania. The museum complex includes the 1719 Hans Herr House, the Georgian-style 1835 Shaub House, the Victorian-style 1890s Huber House, several barns and outbuildings with animals, exhibit buildings, blacksmith shop, bake-oven, smoke house, and a collection of farm equipment. Exhibits focus on Mennonite history, colonial and Victorian-era farm life, and the Herr family. The museum opened in 1974 and is administered by the Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society.

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. "National Historic Landmarks & National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania" (Searchable database). CRGIS: Cultural Resources Geographic Information System. Note: This includes J. Michael Sausman (August 1970). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Hans Herr House" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-02-18.
  3. "Hans Herr House History".
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