Hex Signs: Pennsylvania Dutch Barn Symbols and Their Meaning

Helps us to understand hex signs as no other work on the subject ever has.-Simon Bronner, author of Following Tradition A landmark in the study of Pennsylvania Dutch folk art.-Henry Glassie, author of The Spirit of Folk Art

A revised and expanded edition of the classic work on hex-sign barn decorations, offering insight into their various forms, geographical spread, European origins, evolution in Pennsylvania, and current use in tourism, advertising, and regional art. The authors explore the meaning of the symbols by examining evidence from popular writers, scholars, and contemporary hex-sign painters. Full-color photographs display the grandeur of this Pennsylvania Dutch phenomenon.

Don Yoder was cofounder of the Pennsylvania Folklife Society, longtime editor of its journal Pennsylvania Folklife, and Professor of Folklife Studies at the University of Pennsylvania from 1956 to 1996. He currently resides in Devon, Pennsylvania.

Thomas Graves lives in Orwigsburg, Pennsylvania, and has written articles on hex signs, gravestones, and coal culture.