Current Exhibitions

Hot Stuff

Current Exhibit - Dewees Tavern

Our current exhibit, the second at Historic Trappe’s new Center for Pennsylvania German Studies, focuses on recent additions to the museum’s collection.

Highlights include:

  • ● Muhlenberg family portraits, silver, and an inlaid card table;
  • ● A stunning painted chest and group of fraktur;
  • ● Needlework and quilts;
  • ● Redware including the only known signed and dated dish made by potter Georg Hubener;
  • ● And the earliest known piece of sulfur inlay—a cradle dated 1753.

The exhibit also features objects acquired by a variety of methods, ranging from donations by private collectors to purchases made on Ebay. It also includes several treasures acquired with funds donated in memory of Philip W. Bradley, a longtime supporter of Historic Trappe.

The Center for Pennsylvania German Studies, located at the Dewees Tavern, is open on Saturdays from 10 am to 4 pm and Sundays from 1 to 4 pm. For a tour outside these times, contact [email protected] or (610) 489-7560 to make an appointment.

Featured Objects

walnut chair

Current Exhibit - Henry Muhlenberg House

All Sorts of Chairs and Joiner’s Work: Pennsylvania Furniture from the Dietrich American Foundation

Located in the second-floor gallery of the Henry Muhlenberg House, this exhibit features a dozen chairs and six case pieces.

Highlights include:

  • ● A rush-seat chair retaining the original label of renowned Philadelphia maker William Savery,
  • ● And a rare child-size Windsor armchair branded by Thomas Gilpin.

There is also a range of Queen Anne and Chippendale chairs with ornate carving, as well as an early Philadelphia chest-on-chest and a Chester County desk with line-and-berry inlay.

Admission to this exhibit is included with a guided tour of the Henry Muhlenberg House. Contact us at [email protected] to schedule a tour.

Featured Objects

The Life and Work of David Ellinger

A longtime Trappe resident, David Ellinger (1913-2003) helped popularize Pennsylvania German folk art over his lengthy career as an artist and antiques dealer.

Spatter Pitcher Still Life by David Ellinger. Collection of Dr. David Bronstein. Photo by Michael E. Myers

From Hubener to Medinger: Redware Potters of Montgomery County 

This groundbreaking exhibition will explore the topic of Pennsylvania German redware with a focus on Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.

Redware plate attributed to Jacob Medinger. Private collection. Photo by Gavin Ashworth