Perkasie Historical Society displays “new” Nativity

“What’s old is new again,” as the saying goes.
Nothing could be truer for the Perkasie Historical Society, which has spent months restoring several sections of an enormous Nativity tableau that was last fully part of the community’s holiday season in the early 1940s.
After discovering the long-forgotten work packed away in boxes and set out to be discarded in 2013, the historical society’s co-curators, Rick Doll and Matt Lynch, set about bringing it back to its former glory.
“It was in very good shape, considering its age,” said Doll. Even the light fixtures and wiring worked. But, much needed to be repaired, including the wooden frames and cleaning and protecting the pieces with linseed oil.
Last year, a group of eight historical society members carefully scrubbed the first few pieces of the sheet metal structure that, when fully assembled, measures 25 feet long and 15 feet high. A far smaller part was put on display during the 2020 Christmas season, explained Louise Doll, who manages the society’s website. It was the first time any part of striking tableau had been displayed in more than six decades.

This year, visitors can see a larger version of the 1939 nativity tableau, as the ambitious volunteers rehabbed and assembled an additional section over the fall. The latest version, which represents about half of the whole work, now stretches 15 feet and measures six feet high and can be viewed at 704 E. Walnut St.
Buzz Hazard created a finely stylized hand-painted sign that stands by the tableau.
Made in Allentown, Pa., by the William Wise Art Display company, the Nativity tableau was first shown to the public in front of the First Evangelical Church at Market and 5th streets in Perkasie. The Dolls said historical records indicate the town’s chamber of commerce paid about $200 for it.
Asked why the historical society took on the project, Rick Doll said, “It survived all this time and it’s part of our town’s history.”
Added, Louise Doll, “it’s so unique.”

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