Aurora – Over ten years in development, the Amish Heritage Center, in collaboration with the Florian K. Lawton Foundation, will provide a rich visual and historical program that will encourage a better understanding of the Amish and English visitors that migrated from 18th century Europe, spanning all the way to present day North East Ohio. The Amish Heritage Center is projected to open in mid – June 2012, in Settler’s Village on Old State Road adjacent to the Swiss Cheese facility.
The Amish Heritage Center will focus on presenting the story of the Geauga and Northeastern Ohio Amish Settlement to a diverse audience, including local residents and international visitors, through education and exhibits. The story of this Amish Settlement will be presented from its roots in Europe through their migration and settlement throughout the United States, finally ending on the reasons and motivations for settling in Geauga County. The Amish Heritage Center will increase awareness through the collection, preservation, and presentation of the Geauga Amish Settlement story.
“It’s time Ohioans, and people around the country, realize more clearly the contribution these modern day pioneers have made to our state and give them the respect their culture deserves,” said Kenneth Lawton, Director of the Florian K. Lawton Foundation.
With a clear vision toward education, the Amish Heritage Center will provide educators, scholars and the interested public an opportunity to see changing seasonal programs that provide an understanding of how the North Eastern Ohio’s Amish community has contributed to this state and country. One of these great accomplishments is turning Ohio into the third-largest maple sugar producer in the United States.
About the Florian K. Lawton Foundation
The Florian K. Lawton Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the art of Florian K. Lawton, who spent his time portraying the world of Amish America through his artwork. The organization offers museums and institutions around the world the opportunity to share the beauty of Lawton’s oeuvre, created over a fifty year span of his career. The foundation will provide a medium for scholars and the public interested in the Amish culture to continue the legacy of the Amish people and Lawton’s vision of beauty as seen in nature and the simplicity of the Amish culture. For more information, visit www.fklfoundation.org.
