In recent months, The Mennonite Heritage Center in Harleysville, Pa., has acquired four beautiful, colorful fraktur done by Samuel Gottschall (Godshall) of Franconia Township in the mid-1830s. One piece was donated, and three were purchased through the centers Artifact Acquisition Fund. Samuel Gottschall (1808-1898) was born in Franconia Township, a son of schoolmaster and Bishop Jacob Gottschall and Barbara Kindig Gottschall of the Franconia Mennonite congregation. Never married, Samuel apparently taught in a schoolhouse on his fathers farm (near present-day Morwood, Franconia Township) in the mid 1830s. His surviving fraktur all date from 1833 to 1836. Briefly engaged in weaving in the late 1830s, Samuel and his brother William built a sawmill on the Branch Creek in 1838. During the 1840s, they increased their holdings, adding a clover mill and chopping mill and building a house and barn and eventually a grist mill. By 1864, Samuel and his brother Herman moved their milling business and households to the growing railroad village of Souders Station (present-day Souderton, Pa). The Heritage Center sincerely thanks Brian K. and Barbara Hunsberger for donating the signed 1835 alphabet fraktur. It is pleased to add these pieces to its collection of Samuel Gottschalls work, which is now on display in the Fraktur Gallery. The Mennonite Heritage Center is located at 565 Yoder Road. For museum hours and other information, visit www.mhep.org.