About

The Brethren & Mennonite Heritage Center (BMHC) shares and celebrates the historical and spiritual legacies of Brethren and Mennonites in the Shenandoah Valley. Coming from the same communities in Europe and Pennsylvania, Brethren and Mennonites have lived side by side in the Shenandoah Valley for more than two centuries, but they have truly been the "quiet in the land." At the Brethren & Mennonite Heritage Center, the creative labor of these farmers and craftsmen and the unique forms of Christian piety and faith that have been largely invisible are brought into focus for tourists and pilgrims alike.

The Brethren and Mennonite faith traditions emphasize peace and non-violence, the priority of spiritual over material values, disaster relief and voluntary service, care for neighbors, stewardship of the land, and the role of the faith community in discernment and practice. At the Brethren & Mennonite Heritage Center, visitors and volunteers alike engage with these values and faith traditions through stories, artifacts, historic buildings, and experiential learning opportunities presented as an invitation to current and future generations to seriously reflect on the shared values and heritage of the Brethren and Mennonites in the Shenandoah Valley.

The site includes:
Burkholder-Myers House (1854),
Whitmore School and Cove Mennonite Church (1904),
Shoemaker's shop (1790),
Log House (pre-civil-war)