Historic Hochstetler Mural Returns to Berlin, Displayed in German Village
A 4 by 8 foot mural depicting the 1757 Jacob Hochstetler family attack was purchased by members of the Jacob Hochstetler Family Association and placed on public display beginning November 1 at German Village in Berlin. The acquisition and display raise questions about preservation responsibilities and the role of local institutions in interpreting sensitive historical events for residents and visitors.
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A large painted panel that has circulated through Pennsylvania roadside attractions and campground buildings for decades is now on public view in Holmes County. The Jacob Hochstetler Family Association purchased a 4 by 8 foot mural painted on plywood in the 1950s, artist unknown, and installed it at German Village in Berlin starting November 1. The association plans to frame the panel for safer transport and to exhibit it at venues around the Midwest after its Berlin display.
The mural depicts the 1757 attack on the Hochstetler homestead, a story well known in Amish and Mennonite oral and written histories in which a house was burned and family members were taken captive. The historical episode is often cited for the pacifist response attributed to Jacob Hochstetler, a significance that continues to resonate with descendants and Anabaptist communities. “The Jacob Hochstetler Family Attack mural ... is revered by Anabaptists for its portrayal of a man who lived his faith.” The mural drew interest when it appeared recently at the Amish and Mennonite Artist Gathering in Winesburg, and board member Eli Small Hochstetler of Berlin arranged pickup for the family association.
Local leaders and residents are weighing both the cultural value of the work and questions about provenance and preservation. The panel’s prior public settings included displays at Roadside America and in a campground recreation building in Pennsylvania. Its movement through informal venues underscores the challenges that small communities face when stewarding historical artifacts that may lack clear ownership records or museum grade conservation.
For Holmes County the mural’s presence is more than a relic. German Village is a focal point for local tourism and heritage programming, and the mural gives the association an opportunity to present family history to visitors who come for the village atmosphere and local festivals. Family association officials have indicated plans for mobile exhibitions that could bring the image into churches, community centers and cultural events across the Midwest. Framing and conservation work is planned to protect the work during transit and display.
The display also raises questions for public institutions about how to contextualize violent episodes from frontier history while respecting the perspectives of descendant communities. Local officials and cultural organizations can play a role by supporting conservation, funding interpretive materials and facilitating community conversations about history and memory. The family association’s purchase and planned itinerary leave open the possibility for educational programming that links the mural to broader discussions of faith, conflict and the region’s early settlement era.
Full original reporting and additional context are available at the linked YourOhioNews article published November 3, 2025.
