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The American Revolution and Mennonites: A Crisis of Conscience

  • April 29, 2026 6:30 PM

  • Historic Rock Ford

    881 Rockford Road
    Lancaster, Pennsylvania 17602
Ticket Price $5.72-$11.54 Register Now
Description

Historic Rock Ford's Untold Stories of the Revolution Lecture Series welcomes Kenneth Sensenig as he presents “The American Revolution and Mennonites: A Crisis of Conscience.” In 1777, during the defense of Philadelphia, the peaceful Ephrata Cloister became an unlikely battlefield of conscience as wounded soldiers were brought there for nursing. Join us for an exploration of the story of John and Anna Baer, Mennonite pacifists who faced an impossible dilemma: how to care for wounded soldiers whose cause contradicted their deepest beliefs.  From political tensions to the tragic involvement of their own son in horse trading with the British, the Baers’ story is one of unwavering compassion in the face of suspicion. Though they eventually gave their lives to the typhus epidemic, while nursing the wounded, their graves remained forgotten for over a century—until a chance discovery by a local farmer in 1980 changed everything.

Christa Mylin from Mennonite Life will also be assisting with this lecture regarding material artifacts that will be on display at the end of the lecture. There will also be a Q&A session.

This presentation will take place in the Langmuir Education Room on the first floor of the Rock Ford Barn. Admission is for the lecture only and does not include the Snyder Gallery or Hand Mansion. 

About the presenter: Ken Sensenig has made a career of education, much of it through the international aid agency known as the Mennonite Central Committee.  His perspectives have been shaped by years in Africa as well as by teaching in area schools. Ken displays a keen interest in local history and shares this interest in nearby retirement communities. Storytelling activities and projects on his little farm near Akron, Pennsylvania, occupy significant portions of Ken's early retirement time.  Ken and and his wife Karen are parents of three young adult children scattered across the globe.

 

Date & Time

Wed, Apr 29, 2026 6:30 PM

Venue Details

Historic Rock Ford

881 Rockford Road
Lancaster, Pennsylvania 17602 Historic Rock Ford
Rock Ford Foundation

Historic Rock Ford is comprised of the circa 1794 General Edward Hand Mansion and the John J. Snyder, Jr. Gallery of Early Lancaster County Decorative Arts. Our historic site is situated on 33 acres of gardens, woods and grounds surrounded by Lancaster County Central Park located in the southeast corner of Lancaster City.  This remarkable estate offers visitors the opportunity to encounter the outstanding original late-Georgian style architecture of the Hand Mansion, to experience its rooms furnished in exquisite period style while, in the Snyder Gallery, to explore a nationally recognized collection of Lancaster County decorative arts dating from circa 1760 to 1820 including furniture, portraiture, long rifles, tall case clocks, silver, and much more. 


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