A Kutztown author honors a German baker from the Revolution.
The Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center at Kutztown University welcomed author Mara Rockliff to read from her new children’s book, “Gingerbread for Liberty” in the little one-room schoolhouse Feb. 16.
About 45 attended, including children, on President’s Day to hear the story about a German-born Philadelphia baker, Christopher Ludwick, who joined the Continental Army in 1776 to help feed George Washington and his troops. Ludwick had a big heart and baked the best gingerbread in Philadelphia. No one went hungry if he could help it, “Not in my America!” he said.
There was also a special treat of gingerbread cookies for everyone to try, which the kids could decorate. Rockliff signed copies of her book, which were there for sale by Firefly Bookstore.
“Many German-Americans for their own reasons fought on the side of the colonists. Many German soldiers who had originally been brought to America by Britain as mercenaries settled in the area,” said Patrick Donmoyer, building conservator and exhibit specialist at the Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center at Kutztown University.
Donmoyer said the book event was an opportunity to raise awareness about the importance of the Pennsylvania Dutch in the history of this local area.
Rockliff said Ludwick was a huge patriot and so when the revolution broke out, he was one of the first to step forward and try to help. The baker refused payment for feeding the troops and built bread ovens using his own money.
“Because he was from Hesse, he spoke the Hessian dialect, so when the Hessian soldiers showed up he was like the secret agent,” she said. “He sneaked across and got behind lines and tried to convince them to come over to our side. It’s kind of amazing that nobody’s heard of him.”
Knowing Rockliff was really into history, Kutztown Community Library Director Janet Yost had given Rockliff boxes upon boxes of old American Heritage Magazines. Her attic was filled with these magazines from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.
“I just sat down and started reading them. They were super interesting because you get not just the history, but you get like the history of the history like you find out what people were thinking,” said Rockliff.
Rockliff came across an article about Pennsylvania Dutch food traditions. It caught her attention because she likes food and because of the local Pennsylvania Dutch. She said there were a couple of paragraphs about Christopher Ludwick.
“Since I write books for kids I’m always thinking in that way and so when I see something that has history for the teachers and secret agent stuff and gingerbread for kids it’s like this is perfect. This would make a great story for kids,” said Rockliff.
“I like that it’s fact, but it seems fun like fiction. The artwork’s pretty cool the way even he looks like a gingerbread man,” said Robyn Underwood, Kutztown.
“I like that the book signing was held in a one-room schoolhouse because I went to a one-room schoolhouse. I’m excited that she’s a local author who published this wonderful history book, I’ve read it, and it just has so much history and good things for children,” said Joyce Gilmore, Kutztown.
Gilmore said it was a nice touch to have it at the Heritage Center and to have the gingerbread. Gilmore said she used the recipe that Rockliff had included in her book to make her own gingerbread cookies.
Six-year old Matthew Breisch had been learning about the different gingerbread man stories in his first-grade class.
“Matthew actually was reading about the gingerbread man stories for first grade and I saw gingerbread and I thought he’d be interested in that,” said Jillian Breisch, Matthew’s mom.
In between munching a gingerbread cookie, Matthew talked about one of his favorite gingerbread stories from class.
“A boy made pirate gingerbread cookies on Christmas Eve and Santa brought a pirate ship and they ate all the gingerbread pirates,” said Matthew.
Jane Viprino, Exeter, and her sister Carol Hennessey, North Coventry, are related to Rockliff’s main character, Christopher Ludwick. Viprino said they weren’t direct descendants and although they didn’t know exactly how they were related, there was a distant relative.
“We knew about Christopher Ludwick. Our mother used to volunteer down at Valley Forge so she also was familiar with Christopher Ludwick and the baking that he did down at Valley Forge for the troops.”
Viprino did not know about the book until she read about the event being sponsored by the Heritage Center. She sent messages out to all of her family telling them they have to come to the event.
Christy Yoder, Mertztown, learned about the Heritage Center’s event through an email from Firefly Bookstore.
“This story, I thought, was really fascinating how he wanted to help the Revolutionary war. He was older and he was overweight, but that didn’t stop him that he wanted to do something,” said Yoder. “I thought it was fascinating Pennsylvania history. I never heard of him. He was an obscure figure and I just thought it was really neat and the artwork I like how it looks like gingerbread.”
Yoder was really excited to see something like this with local history and looks forward to reading the book to her sons Ethan, 8, and Sean, 5.
Rebecca Laincz, Firefly co-owner, praised the book as a wonderful source for telling children of the role of local heroes in this historical struggle.
“A person like Ludwick brings the story home by taking an ordinary baker and making his contribution extraordinary,” said Laincz.
Rockliff’s next book, due to be released in March, also came from an American Heritage Magazine, but from a more recent issue. Her next book, “Mesmerized,” is about Benjamin Franklin and the blind fold test, invisible forces, animal magnetism, and a man named Mesmer.
