ONE-TIME SALE TO BENEFIT YORK COUNTY HERITAGE TRUST

The York County Heritage Trust will host a one-time sale of items produced or sold by Pfaltzgraff from September 21-24 at the Agricultural & Industrial Museum, 217 W. Princess St.  Proceeds from the sale will help underwrite the establishment and maintenance of a Pfaltzgraff Archives at the Trust.

Items to be sold are the duplicate and excess items that were not included within the permanent Pfaltzgraff Archives.  The hours of the sale are as follows:

Wednesday, September 21, 12 noon – 6 p.m.

Thursday, September 22, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Friday, September 23, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Saturday, September 24, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Pfaltzgraff was established in York County, Pennsylvania, by German immigrant Johann Georg Pfaltzgraff in the early 18^th century.  This year, 2011, marks the 200^th anniversary of the company’s founding, which grew in York County from a rural, one-man potter to a state-of-the-art pottery manufacturer over two centuries.  Pfaltzgraff became best known in later years as a manufacturer and marketer of dinnerware and tabletop accessories.  Products were sold throughout the United States and beyond.

In 2005 the company’s intellectual property and retail stores were sold to Lifetime Brands, and all local manufacturing ended with this sale.  Prior to its sale, Pfaltzgraff Co. employed over 2,000 people locally. 

It has always been the company’s intention to honor its history and employees through its archives.  Over the years, the company saved and gathered a huge collection of products and manuscripts that represented the company’s development.  The permanent archives, both product and manuscript, will come from this Pfaltzgraff collection and will be housed by the York County Heritage Trust.  It will provide a resource for scholars and other interested people to learn the history and importance of Pfaltzgraff.

In 1989 an exhibit opened at the then Historical Society of York County, accompanied by a book of the same name, Pfaltzgraff America’s Potter. A portion of this exhibit is currently on display at the Agricultural & Industrial Museum.  In recent years the York County Heritage Trust was employed to help organize Pfaltzgraff’s huge collection of items.  During the process, a representation of the history of Pfaltzgraff was created, to be known as the Pfaltzgraff Archives.  These archived items will not be sold.

Questions may be directed to Lila Fourhman-Shaull, director of library & archives for the York County Heritage Trust, at lfourhman-shaull@yorkheritage.org or 717-848-1587 ext. 223.