The name comes from the German word behalten: to hold onto or to remember. Located in Berlin, Ohio, it’s a 10 ft tall x 265 ft long cyclorama, or mural-in-the-round. Photos and words do not do it justice. It was painted by one man, Heinz Gaugel. The story of this self-taught artist and how Behalt developed is fascinating. Not only did he learn to paint, he clearly learned a great deal of history and possessed an uncanny ability to identify the threads and relationships.
Elaine gave us a guided tour, and as luck would have it, we were the only two on the tour. Behalt illustrates the heritage of the Amish and Mennonite people from their Anabaptist beginnings in Zürich, Switzerland in 1525 to the present day. Everything about our experience was impressive–including her knowledge and ability to take us through those years without notes.
If memory serves, over 1,200 individuals are represented. In the area describing the early 1900s, I saw a familiar ship! The S.S. Volendam brought my paternal grandmother and my two oldest uncles to this country in October 1923. Behalten!
We spent some time wandering through some of the historical displays, including Bibles and books that are hundreds of years old. Did I mention the gift shop? My summer reading list has grown. I even found a student workbook and teacher’s guide for a course, “Learning to Drive a Buggy Safely.” I devoured that last night and will donate both to Tillers International.
We wrapped up our visit visiting with Ray, another volunteer who is also an Amish Deacon and writer/publisher. We shared some thoughts about writing–and reading! Ray publishes a bi-weekly 50+ page newsletter: The Vendor–stories of family, life, and hope. You won’t find it on the Internet. I left with a sample copy and desire to subscribe when I get home and can write a check. Credit cards are not accepted.
Given the theme of Road Trip 2024 includes simplicity, it is interesting to note that their logo includes the tag line, “Simplicity with a rich history.” This is a place where you can learn a lot of history and discover the richness of simplicity.