Editor’s note: Welcome to the world of “Paranormal PA,” a PennLive series that delves into Pennsylvania-grown stories of spirits (like the ghost of a murdered girl whose cries can be heard in one of ...

Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X Dr. Alfred L. Shoemaker, celebrated authority on Pennsylvania Dutch hex signs, noted these (hex ...

Perhaps nothing symbolizes Pennsylvania Dutch culture more than the hex sign. Some believe hex signs were first added to barns as a kind of painted prayer, usually for blessings and as protection from ...

Dr. Alfred L. Shoemaker, celebrated authority on Pennsylvania Dutch hex signs, noted these (hex signs) folk art symbols were found locally on Christian made fraktur birth and baptismal certificates ...

Many barns in Pennsylvania are decorated with barn stars or hex signs, but not many people know their true origin and meaning.Photos: The hidden meaning of hex signs Why were these signs painted on ...

It was in her late 20s when Rachel Yoder realized she didn’t know much about her heritage. She yearned to feel connected to her roots, and for Yoder, art was a natural way to do so. “It was my ...

In the late 1980s, Pennsylvania could boast more than 400 barn stars — those circular, geometric designs painted on the sides of Pennsylvania Dutch barns that most people know as “hex signs.” Usually ...

READING — Eric Claypoole has been around hex signs since he was 5 years old, but there's one question he still can't answer: Why do the Pennsylvania Dutch paint hex signs on their barns? Claypoole, 47 ...

If you're lucky enough to have visited some parts of Pennsylvania Dutch country, you'll be familiar with what historians call "hex signs." These are large, often colorful, usually geometrical, and ...

In Pennsylvania Dutch country, the distelfink -- a goldfinch that eats thistle seeds and builds thistledown nests -- is a good-luck bird. It also symbolizes smooth sailing and tranquility and is often ...

Many barns in Pennsylvania are decorated with barn stars or hex signs, but not many people know their true origin and meaning. Why were these signs painted on barns in the first place? Patrick ...