On Saturday, April 25th from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Old Economy Village, a National Historic Landmark site, will present, “Woodworking” A Historic Trades Workshop. Adults will have the opportunity to apprentice with skilled Cabinetmaker Ron Lawrence of Cherry Tree Studios.
Participants will learn the different types of wood and tools and the specialized uses of each. All will create a Harmonist-style peg board using traditional hand tools. Registration and prepayment is required by Friday, April 17th, lunch is included in the admission fee. Cost is $45.00 for non-members, $40.00 for members of the Friends of Old Economy Village. Call (724) 266-4500, x101 to register. Space is limited to the first twenty registrants.
Old Economy Village’s annual workshops are an exciting and fun way to learn about the culture and daily life in the 19th-century German communal Harmony Society. The Society made most of the furniture needed to furnish the 100 houses in their town of Economy, now within the borough limits of Ambridge. Harmonist furniture makers worked within the parameters of their own cultural traditions, eventually incorporating American materials and design references into their work. Harmonist furniture makers obtained wood harvested from their own extensive timberland holdings in Beaver and Warren Counties.
This year’s Historic Trades Workshop complements the Site’s new exhibit set to open on Saturday, May 2, 2009 entitled Harmony in Wood. The exhibit will feature examples of Harmony Society furnishings and will explore what makes Harmonist furniture distinctive and, in some ways, unique. The exhibit heralds the publication of a book of the same name, Harmony in Wood, written by noted American furniture historian Philip Zimmerman.
Economy was the third and final home of the Harmony Society. In 1824, the group purchased approximately 3000 acres in southern Beaver County along the Ohio River. By 1828, the Society had constructed a village, housing over 500 members, in addition to a Feast Hall, cotton, silk and woolen textile mills and shops for many different crafts and trades. Today, Old Economy Village offers visitors tours, an orientation film, a permanent exhibit on the Harmony Society and the Museum Store.
Economy’s regular hours of operation are Tuesday – Saturday, 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.; Sunday, Noon to 5:00 p.m.; the site is open thru December 31st. The site is closed Mondays and holidays, except Memorial Day, the Fourth of July and Labor Day (call for hours). Please allow 2 hours for a visit.
Daily admission is charged: Adults (12-64 years), $9.00; Youth (3-11 years), $6.00; Senior Citizens (65 years and older), $8.00; Under 3, No Charge. Admission is included in the Workshop registration fee. Persons with disabilities who need special assistance or accommodation should call (724) 266-4500 in advance to discuss their needs. Pennsylvania TDD relay service is available at (800) 654-5984. For more information call (724) 266-4500; e-mail: ra-oldeconomy@state.pa.us; or visit our website at www.oldeconomyvillage.org.
Old Economy Village is one of 25 historic sites and museums on the Pennsylvania Trail of History®, administered by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. For more information or to request a free 24-page visitor guide, visit www.phmc.state.pa.us or phone toll free 1-866-PA TRAIL.