The Hans Herr House is located in Lancaster, PA. Admission includes a tour through a Native American Lancaster Longhouse.
For hundreds of years, the longhouse was at the center of Native American culture. The tour is a great way to learn about the culture.
Between 1570 and 1770, Eastern Woodland Indians lived in longhouses. The Lancaster Longhouse is based upon a Susquehannock Longhouse excavated by Lancaster County in Washington Boro in 1969.
Since I was honest, I did not expect to learn a lot. I’ve been to other Native American museums and longhouses, so I expected this tour to be similar.
It’s obvious that I was wrong.
Our guide led us to the Longhouse which is located across a country lane from the Hans Herr House. The longhouse is located in a field across a wooden footbridge over a creek.
How the Lancaster Longhouse was built
Our guide started the tour by explaining how longhouses were built.
She said that while the Eastern Woodlands Indian tribes had slight differences, they shared many similarities with the Lancaster longhouse.
Longhouses are built to last 7-10 years.
Native Americans knew that farming the land removed nutrients from the soil. They settled in a particular area for a limited time, and then moved on when the soil became “worn out.”
We know that modern farming is similar to this, but we rotate our crops instead of moving along so as not to deplete the soil. We also allow some fields to be fallow.
Build A Longhouse Frame
A “typical” Longhouse is 62 feet in length, 20 feet wide, and 20 feet tall.
The charring insects “cut down” the trees by burning the roots.
It’s possible that bugs dislike the taste of charcoal.
The stumps will also burn down into the soil, fertilizing the soil.
Today, we use chemicals to protect wood from insects. Native Americans did it naturally.
They would use wet hickory to wrap the vertical post and horizontal beam intersections.
As the bark dried it shrank to tighten the structure.
Today, we use metal joists and screws to achieve the same result. Our structures are built to last for decades, not just years.
Keep Warm And Dry in the Lancaster Longhouse
After the skeleton had been completed, it was covered in elm-bark. Elm bark was preferred to other types of bark, as it can be removed from trees in large pieces.
The fire pits were well ventilated by the three smoke holes in the middle of the roof.
They then insulated the structure with reed mats filled with leaves and mud.
The longhouse was built with six bunks per side, along its entire length.
The bunks are four feet above the floor and eight feet high, allowing storage beneath and plenty of headroom in between.
The bunks were glued together using horehound, which is a mint-family plant.
What it’s like to live in a longhouse
Each longhouse housed 12 families, each of whom had a pair (upper and lower) bunks. Each family was related to its matriarch.
Native Americans arranged marriages, believe it or not!
To keep the gene pool in good shape, a mother would choose a wife for her son from a different clan. They didn’t understand the science of genes, but they knew that it was important to avoid marrying a cousin or sibling.
The son will then move into the clan of his wife.
Women generally farm the land. The three sisters, corn, beans, and squash were the main crops. Deer shoulder bone hoes and antlers of deer were used for raking the soil.
Clever, eh?
They also grew tobacco for burning as an offering to their gods. They smoked tobacco.
Longhouse Cooking: Clever Recipes
I learned so many things as our guide continued!
These tribes were very respectful of the earth, animals and plants. They did not waste anything.
The jawbones of animals were used to make knives. Deer antlers were used as hooks to hang items.
The food is cooked in gourds.
The guide explained to make turtle soup they would add all the ingredients into the gourd, and then throw in a soapstone heated over coals.
Each soapstone was boiled for approximately five minutes.
The stones would be replaced until the soup is finished.
They couldn’t use gourds to cook directly on the fire, because they would burn.
They stored their herbs in pouches made of skunk fur to keep insects and other critters away from them. They basically skinned and dried the skunk to create a pouch. The skunk marks are recognized by animals, so they stay away.
Baskets made from sweet grass, pine needles and bark were used to store other items. Rye is naturally resistant to insects, so it was used often.
The large turtle shells were used as plates and shields. Small turtle shells were used as bowls and drums. They even used the claws of turtles to make combs.
Native Americans and William Penn
Penn made a deal with Native Americans when he settled in the area. He respected their need for land, while also allowing Europeans to have enough land.
They sealed the deal by hand-shaking and wearing a wampum turban to signify the handshake.
Europeans traded animal hides and firearms, mainly beaver furs, for black powder.
Also, they traded linen clothing – especially the fancy French clothes in vibrant colors with ribbons and ruffles.
Europeans also traded in glazed pottery, cast iron cookware and other kitchen utensils.
Two European trades that backfired
When the Europeans traded their wool blankets with the Native Americans, they spread smallpox, which caused an epidemic.
During the French and Indian War, Europeans used wool blankets to fight germs.
Alcohol was a second trade that failed. The Eastern Woodland Indians did not have an enzyme that could process alcohol. Alcohol becomes toxic without the enzyme. This can lead to addiction and death.
Visit the Lancaster Longhouse
Admission to Hans Herr House includes a tour of Lancaster Longhouse and admission.
The tour takes about 45 minutes.
It is necessary to walk a short distance over uneven terrain in order to reach the longhouse.
The guide will share the history of the items and the bunks after the visitors have walked to the longhouse.
The items used in the longhouse for the tour are mostly donated by Native Americans.
The tour times are 10:00 am, 12:00 pm and 2:00 pm to coincide with the schedule of house tours.
Everyone can enjoy the tour (as long you are able to handle the short grassy walk up to the longhouse). The cool factor, for lack of a more appropriate word, is high!