05/29/2026
📜 History Happens Here - Fort Zeller located in Newmanstown, PA
Fort Zeller is one of the few and rare remaining examples of Germanic Architecture in the Western Hemisphere. It is also Pennsylvania's oldest existing fort!
Settlers who came to the Tulpehocken from the Schoharie Valley in New York State built it in 1723 as a log house. It was later rebuilt in 1745 by Heinrich Zeller. The Zeller family, their neighbors, and the Pennsylvania militia used the dwelling as a place of refuge and defense against Native American Indian raids during the French and Indian War (1754-1763).
The structure was built into a bank over an ever-flowing spring, one that flows naturally from the bedrock into a creek from an arched opening in the basement. The spring provided fresh drinking water and provided a naturally cool area for storage.
Fort Zeller has been used as a Zeller family gathering place for more than 200 years! That's amazing!
🕰Take a step back in time!
📖Learn about local history and its people!
Tours are given by appointment only.
📲(610) 589-4301
📍10 N Fort Zellers Rd, Newmanstown, PA 17073
Website: https://www.fortzeller.com/
Just driving by, use this link: https://www.fortzeller.com/how-to-find-us/
History Happens Here — in the Lebanon Valley.
Follow along each week as we continue to share historic stories and places in the Lebanon Valley. Celebrate history in the Lebanon Valley—stay, savor, and explore!
Link: https://visitlebanonvalley.com/
