The foundation received three American hooked rugs that were made by Alice Herr Zander in Lancaster County in the late 19 th or early 20 th century. The Heritage Center of Lancaster County conducted research from 2004-2006 that culminated in the exhibition Rags to Rugs: Hooked and handsewn rugs of Pennsylvania. Alice’s rugs were part of the resulting 2007 exhibit, and her rug hooking is documented in the exhibition catalog written by Patricia T Herr, who also published the book entitled Rags to Rugs published by Schiffer in 2008.
The rugs were donated to the Amos Herr House in memory of Robert Christian Pfahl, Jr (1938-2021) and his family. They were made by his great-grandmother, Alice Herr Zander (1858-1952). She hooked more than 2,000 rugs for 72 years and attributed her zest for living to her vital interest in hooked rug making. These rugs are of geometric
design and are unusual, for most of her rugs illustrated a wide variety of flower and leaf patterns.
“The Life of Amos Herr” was exhibited from 2013 – 2015. The exhibit featured a time line of his life beginning at his birth in 1907 and continues through his many activities until his untimely death in 1987. All items are from the Amos Herr collection in the archives at the Amos Herr House Foundation and Historical Society.
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