Announcing 3rd Saturday programs at Morlatton Village
Upcoming events set for April 15 and May 20
The Historic Preservation Trust of Berks County (HPTBC) is excited to announce a new series of programs that will be offered April through October at Morlatton Village in Douglassville.
These site-wide programs will include various formats and topics including exhibits, demonstrations, interactive sessions, and oral and graphic presentations. Tours of Morlatton Village will be offered when applicable. Program begins at the White Horse Inn. Suggested donation $2/person. All proceeds benefit the Trust.
“Lock, Stock, & Barrel: Gun Building in the Eighteenth Century”
Join us on April 15 at 11 a.m. to learn more about gun building in colonial and Early America with Barrie Miller. He will demonstrate making an early Berks County “Reading” rifle gun. Mr. Miller will discuss and examine stock carving, the lock, setting the trigger, the rifled barrel, and the butt plate. Visitors will hear about the gun maker’s trade, including the long and delicate process of choosing the gun’s materials.
Barrie Miller is a colonial Pennsylvania history interpreter and a volunteer with the HPTBC. He has made over 15 guns and uses many of them to demonstrate militia, riflemen, and gun building. Mr. Miller is also a competitive shooter and a member of the Pennsylvania Company of Riflemen state flintlock team. A member of the Bucks County Fish and Game Gun Club, he is responsible for the club’s black powder station at their annual youth day event.
“Archaeology at the Mouns Jones House”
Join us on May 20 at 11 a.m. to hear all about the exciting archaeology program going on at the Mouns Jones House. Visitors can explore the dig site and see many of the great artifacts the archaeologists have uncovered over the years. Volunteers will be on-hand to answer questions about the archaeology project as well as the reconstruction work being done on the Mouns Jones House. Former board member Larry Ward will offer insight into the ongoing restoration including the extensive search and obtainment of historically accurate building materials to be use during the project, including stones and lumber.
The HPTBC is a nonprofit organization that acquires, preserves, and maintains historically and architecturally significant properties in Berks County, Pennsylvania and educates Berks County and its’ visitors about the role these sites played in Pennsylvania and American history. The Trust seeks to foster community involvement and support in promoting awareness and appreciation of historic structures and encouraging their adaptive reuse. The Trust currently owns and maintains eight historically significant buildings in the greater Reading/Berks County area. Our office is located in the White Horse Inn on Old Philadelphia Pike in Douglassville. If you are interested in donating to the Trust please call 610385-4762 or visit <www.historicpreservationtrust.org>.