1719 Herr House: The Oldest Mennonite Meetinghouse in America

Built in 1719, the Herr House is not only Lancaster County’s oldest surviving dwelling but also the oldest surviving Mennonite meetinghouse in the Western Hemisphere. Its thick sandstone walls and steep roof stand as a visible link to the first wave of Mennonite settlers who came here seeking freedom after generations of persecution in Europe. More than just a family home, the structure served as a place of worship, a center of community life, and a lasting symbol of the risks and resilience that shaped Lancaster County.

The Mennonites of Switzerland and southern Germany were no strangers to hardship. Emerging in the 16th century as part of the Anabaptist movement, they rejected infant baptism and embraced a simple, disciplined life of faith. For this, they were relentlessly persecuted. Thousands were martyred across Europe; others were sold into slavery, including men condemned to row as galley slaves on the Mediterranean. Families were driven from their villages, forced to wander, or lived in hiding.

In the late 1600s, a surprising ally appeared. William Penn, recently released from prison for his Quaker beliefs, saw in Pennsylvania the chance to create a colony founded on religious liberty. On preaching tours through the Rhineland and Switzerland in 1671 and 1677, Penn invited Mennonites to settle in his new province. There, he promised, they would find land, safety, and the freedom to practice their faith.

It was an offer too good to refuse. Despite the hazards of ocean travel, Mennonite families began making the perilous journey. Before the American Revolution, as many as 50,000 Mennonites are believed to have sailed for America. Roughly 30,000 survived the voyage, while another 20,000 perished at sea.

In 1710, the first group of Mennonites arrived in Lancaster County, ten families in all. They secured 10,000 acres stretching across what is now Strasburg, Lampeter, Willow Street, and part of Pequea Township. By 1717, another 5,000 acres were surveyed between the Conestoga and Pequea Creeks, though the exact landmarks have long since vanished.

These fertile limestone valleys offered good soil for farming, abundant timber, and access to streams for water and mills. Just as important, the Mennonites found space to worship and live without fear of arrest. Their leader was Bishop Hans Herr, who became both spiritual guide and community patriarch.

By 1719, Hans Herr’s son Christian had built a substantial stone house on the family farm, likely intended both for his parents and his own growing household. Today, it is known as the 1719 Herr House, though it has also been called the Hans Herr House and the Christian Herr House. The structure reflects the medieval Germanic traditions the settlers carried with them.

The one-and-a-half-story house, built of sandstone quarried nearby, measures nearly 38 feet by 31 feet. Its steeply pitched roof shed the winter snows, while small, irregular windows minimized drafts. Inside, a massive central chimney provided heat and a place to cook. The staircase was crafted in the Southern German fashion; each step pegged into a single diagonal beam. These details, unusual compared to English colonial homes of the time, give the Herr House its distinctive character.

For the Mennonite community, the house was more than a dwelling. Its main room served as a meeting place for worship before formal meetinghouses were constructed. In those early years, the Herr family’s home became a center of spiritual and social life, a sanctuary in both a physical and religious sense.

Hans Herr lived in the house until his death in 1725. Over the following decades, the dwelling remained in the family, passing through several generations. By the 1780s, Christian Herr’s granddaughter Barbara married into the Shaub family, who occupied the home for nearly 80 years. Later, it was sold to another descendant, David Huber.

By 1900, the old sandstone house was no longer a residence. Instead, it was used for storage and even as a barn. Its sturdy walls kept it standing, but its historic value was not yet widely recognized. Only in the 20th century did efforts begin to preserve what was, by then, the oldest surviving home in Lancaster County.

In 1969, the Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society purchased the Herr House. The building underwent careful restoration in the early 1970s under the leadership of Ira Landis. Archaeological excavations revealed details of its construction and yielded traces of the long history lived on the property. In 1971, the house was added to the National Register of Historic Places. By 1974, it reopened as a museum.

Today, the house is remarkably well preserved. Because it was never modernized in the 19th or 20th centuries, it retains its original Germanic character. Visitors duck through the low doorway, step onto stone floors worn smooth by generations, and enter rooms that echo with the past.

Did You Know?

Despite the large lock on the front door, Christian Herr rarely used it. One morning, he came downstairs to find several Native Americans warming themselves at his kitchen hearth. This unexpected but peaceful encounter reminded the family they were not alone in the wilderness.

Planning Your Visit

The 1719 Herr House is the centerpiece of the museum complex at 1849 Hans Herr Drive, Willow Street. In addition to touring the restored sandstone home, visitors can explore several other historic farmhouses, barns, and outbuildings. The site also includes a blacksmith shop, bake oven, smokehouse, and an extensive collection of agricultural tools.

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One of the more striking additions is a Native longhouse, built in 2010 to honor the Indigenous peoples who lived in this region long before European settlement. Modeled on archaeological finds, the longhouse offers a vivid contrast to the Germanic stone house nearby, allowing visitors to compare two very different ways of life in early 18th-century Pennsylvania.

The museum is open seasonally, with guided tours available. For hours, programs, and ticket information, visit mennonitelife.org.

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Read More

• 1719 Museum
• Lancaster County Architectural Styles: Germanic
• Hans Herr House