Artifacts commemorating 500 years of Anabaptism on display in Bridgewater College exhibition

The Robert R. Newlen ’75 & John C. Bradford Special Collections at Bridgewater College will commemorate the 500th anniversary of Anabaptism with a new exhibition from Friday, April 11 to Friday, Oct. 3.

“A Showcase of Historic Brethren Artifacts: Celebrating the 500th Anniversary of Anabaptism” will display more than 20 artifacts selected from the Newlen-Bradford Special Collections and the Reuel B. Pritchett Museum Collection at BC. The artifacts, which date from the 18th through the 20th centuries, reflect the Christian movement’s core values of community, simplicity and service.

Items on exhibit include a 1776 Bible published by Christopher Sauer Press, the first German-language publisher in North America, and Brethren plain clothing worn by Rockingham County, Va., resident Katharine Flory Good around the turn of the 20th century. Other artifacts include a ruby-colored miniature pitcher that was a souvenir of the 1902 Brethren Annual Conference and decorative gifts and purchases collected by Brethren missionaries working abroad.

“I wanted to honor Bridgewater College’s Church of the Brethren roots on this 500th anniversary year of Anabaptism,” said Stephanie S. Gardner, Special Collections Librarian and exhibition curator.

The Anabaptist movement came about in the wake of the Protestant Reformation and has roots in 16th-century Germany and Switzerland. The Church of the Brethren is an Anabaptist Christian denomination. Bridgewater College is historically affiliated with the church, while welcoming all perspectives.

The exhibition is free to the public and will show on the lower level of the John Kenny Forrer Learning Commons during the hours that the building is open to the public: 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Fridays, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays, and noon to 9 p.m. on Sundays. Check the Forrer Learning Commons website before visiting for campus holidays and weather-related closures.

Founded in 1880, Bridgewater College is a private, four-year liberal arts college in the Central Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Bridgewater College is home to approximately 1,450 students pursuing degrees in more than 60 undergraduate majors and minors and four graduate programs housed within three distinct schools.