Germanic lore will be studied, celebrated during West Overton program

German immigrants and their descendants have left deep roots in Southwestern Pennsylvania, a heritage that will be explored Sunday at West Overton Village and Museum in East Huntingdon.

The hour-long program “Germans to America” will be presented at 12:30 p.m. in partnership with the Heinz History Center and will be held in the Overholt Room on the museum’s lower level. It will provide insight on German history and the challenges of understanding historical documents and artifacts from that culture.

Attendees are encouraged to bring personal documents and family heirlooms they would like to better understand. Presenters Robert Stakeley, of the history center, and Pam Israel, who focuses on Pennsylvania and Germanic genealogy, will reveal clues that can be found within such documents and offer tips on caring for personal artifacts.

German-inspired drinks will be available to purchase through West Overton Distilling.

Look under the “Events” heading at westovertonvillage.org to obtain tickets. The cost is $12 for West Overton Village members, $15 for non-members.

Beginning with Henry Overholt (originally Heinrich Oberholtzer), the farming family that first settled in West Overton in 1803 was of German-Swiss heritage and Mennonite in faith. Led by the Overholts, the community grew into a center for whiskey distilling that over the years branched into other pursuits including coal mining and weaving.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2023 American Community Survey, 20.7% of Pennsylvanians report having German ancestry.