KUTZTOWN, Pa. – These aren’t just black and white lines on a page.
“The first installment of a major donation of library materials from the Elrick G. Endersby archive,” said Patrick Donmoyer with PA German Cultural Center.
But rather a road map preserving the past and paving the way for a present push-back against the future.
So, who was Endersby?
“A celebrated vernacular historian and a celebrated practitioner,” Donmoyer said.
Think of all the old barns that blanket the landscape in Berks County.
“It’s considered one of the most complete records of barns anywhere in the nation,” Donmoyer said.
Endersby believed in the importance of meticulously documenting and preserving these barns to help inspire future builders.
“The work that he’s producing is not only technically useful to present-day practitioners, but also from an artistic standpoint, you’re really seeing top quality illustrations,” Donmoyer said.
Some may see this as just remnants of the past, but according to those here at the center, interest in architectural artwork when it comes to barn creation is on the rise, and some see it as a push-back and response to ongoing modernization.
“I think we’re at a critical inflection point now. There’s a lot of development, a lot of warehouses going up, a lot of data centers, a lot of solar going up, and these have created an impact on the cultural landscape,” Donmoyer said.
Critical, crucial, and the reason there are now more people creating than ever.
“There are more barns being decorated today than at any time in history, and that’s a lovely thing to see happening,” Donmoyer said. “There are painters and practitioners doing the work.”
For every new warehouse, maybe a new barn.
“They see a decorated barn and how much it adds to the landscape,” Donmoyer said.
The collection will call the center its new home and hopefully inspire future generations to keep this history alive.