TTRAG Open Conference & APT-DVC Symposium

The Guild is pleased to announce a Traditional Timber Frame Research & Advisory Group (TTRAG) conference in partnership with the Delaware Valley Chapter of the Association for Preservation Technology.

Mark your calendar and plan to join us May 17-19 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. REGISTER NOW.

This will be the first in-person, open TTRAG conference since the one held in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, in 2018. We are pleased to have the support and partnership of our good friends at APT-DVC for this event. We're excited to explore the vernacular buildings of the Lancaster region and broaden the conversation from timber framing to other historic trades.

Schedule now available! Click HERE to download the conference agenda.

Contact the Guild office at info@tfguild.org for more information.

Share Your Work: Conference Slideshow

The attendee slideshow is always a favorite event at our conferences. Through these images, we are inspired, instructed, and sometimes amused. We meet new people and are reacquainted with friends. Above all, we think about the work that we do as a community. Please consider sharing your work. Learn more about the slideshow HERE.

Book Your Accommodations

Book your stay at the conference venue, the Holiday Inn of Lancaster (26 East Chestnut Street, Lancaster, PA 17602) by calling 888-465-4329.

Alternatively, you can book online by clicking HERE.

Before the Conference: Tours

Lancaster County Timber Frames Open House & Covered Bridge Tour
Sponsor Lancaster County Timber Frames has invited conference attendees to an open house from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, May 17. Josh Coleman, VP of Design, will take participants on a tour of the shop, located at 4825 E. Prospect Road in York. Bookstore sponsor Rothoblaas will also be sharing insights on connector technology during this shop tour!

Josh has also developed a driving tour of covered bridges for attendees. You can access the map with points of interest HERE. For those interested in traveling together, a group led by Lancaster County Timber Frames Founder and Senior VP Joe McCarthy will be departing from the shop at 12 p.m.

Ephrata Cloister
The historic Ephrata Cloister engages diverse audiences as an example of religious toleration, creative expression, intellectual freedom, and the significant role Pennsylvania plays in contemporary human rights issues. The site is administered by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission and is actively supported by the Ephrata Cloister Associates, which is a non-profit community-based organization. Learn more HERE.

Hans Herr House (aka 1719 Museum)
At the 1719 Museum, you’ll experience a full-sized reproduction of a Native longhouse, and you’ll encounter buildings and exhibits tracing the formation of Lancaster County. The 11-acre campus hosts three historic farmhouses, barns, a blacksmith shop, a smokehouse, and an outdoor bake oven, among other things. The 1719 Herr House is the oldest building in Lancaster County and the oldest Mennonite meetinghouse in the Americas. Tours start at 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1 p.m., and 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 per person, and tours are limited to 16 people. Learn more HERE.

1757 Stiegel House (Schaefferstown)
The Stiegel House is a rare example of a true half-timbered (fachwerk) Continental Germanic House enlarged into a center-passage plan dwelling with a dove-tailed log wing. Contains evidence of unusual in situ decorative features. This is a structure of national significance, being the only fully-documented fachwerk Pennsylvania-German house of the 18th century.

The house will be open from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, May 17, and is located on the east side of State Route 419, north of the intersection of State Route 419 and State Route 897. You can find the location of the house HERE.

Open House: Quarry View
Quarry View Building Group invites TTRAG Open Conference & APT-DVC Symposium attendees to visit them during an open house on Friday, May 17, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Quarry View works throughout the Mid-Atlantic to build timber frame structures for a wide range of uses, from residences to barns and outdoor living spaces. Quarry View is located at 2603 Lincoln Highway East, Ronks, PA 17572.

After the Conference: Tours

Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum
About a 15-minute drive from the Holiday Inn, Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum is a nationally significant living history museum that collects, conserves, exhibits, and interprets Pennsylvania German material culture and heritage between 1750-1940. This is accomplished through the preservation and interpretation of the largest collection of Pennsylvania German artifacts in the country and through the presentation of authentic traditional farming, village and industrial life, skilled craft demonstrations, and historical animals and plants. The museum promotes education, research, programs, and events for the benefit and enjoyment of its visitors and the community.

We have reserved space for 30 people from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.

Entry fees will be paid by tour sponsor O'Donnell & Naccarato Structural Engineers. Email Kev Dalton to learn more or reserve your spot.

Bowmansville Roller Mill
In the 1700s and 1800s, Lancaster County was an important milling center due to the availability of water power along our many streams. The first, and most active mills, were located along main roads. The Bowmansville Roller Mill is an important example of this industry. It provided the farmers in this area with both animal feed and flour. It is the last remaining example of a combination of grist and sawmills in Brecknock Township. Machinery from the 1850 grist mill and the 1888 roller mill are fully intact. It is the only known mill in the area to have both still. Learn more about the mill HERE.

This tour is made possible by the Historic Preservation Trust of Lancaster County, and there is no limit on attendees. The site is approximately 35 minutes from the Holiday Inn. Email Kev Dalton to learn more or reserve your spot.

The house will be open from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 19, and is located on the east side of State Route 419, north of the intersection of State Route 419 and State Route 897. You can find the location of the house HERE.

Open House: Quarry View
Quarry View Building Group invites TTRAG Open Conference & APT-DVC Symposium attendees to visit them during an open house on Sunday, May 19, from 1 to 4 p.m. Quarry View works throughout the Mid-Atlantic to build timber frame structures for a wide range of uses, from residences to barns and outdoor living spaces. Quarry View is located at 2603 Lincoln Highway East, Ronks, PA 17572.

TFG Events & Workshops