Nicholas Stoltzfus House

Just a few miles from downtown Reading, in the small town of Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, you can visit the 18th century home of Nicholas Stoltzfus.

The stone house was built in the early 1700s in English Colonial style. Today, the two-story Sweitzer-style barn, a replica built in 2011, is available to rent for private parties, and special events, historical lessons, and more take place annually. The homestead is also part of the semi-annual Berks County Amish Historical Tour.  

Stoltzfus was born Lutheran in Zweibruken, Germany in 1719. When he was 5 years old, his father passed away, so Stoltzfus went to work on an Amish farm. The Amish weren’t accepted by the German government, and Stoltzfus wasn’t permitted to marry an Amish woman. Eventually, he left Germany and landed in Philadelphia before making his way to the Reading area. 

Stoltzfus, his wife, Anna, and their children were members of the Old Order Amish Anabaptist group known for their simple, plain lifestyle and reluctance for modern technology. The Stoltzfus family is also said to be the progenitor of the surname for the entire country.