PINE GROVE - The long history and culture of barn stars, or hex signs, was explored Thursday at the American Legion in Pine Grove.
Patrick Donmoyer, site manager at the Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center at Kutztown University, gave an hourlong presentation titled "Hex Signs: Myth and Meaning in Pennsylvania Dutch Barn Stars."
Donmoyer began researching hex signs in 2007 and discovered the signs have a long history, he said.
"The ideas of stars on a barn are not at all that foreign. They were part of everyday life," Donmoyer said.
Donmoyer said the Rev. Wallace Nutting from New England was the first to mention hex signs in a book in 1924.
He said Nutting asked a farmer in Lehigh County why the strange signs were on his barn and the man replied they were "hexafuss."
"The word 'hex' is a German word for 'witch,' " Donmoyer said.
Since then, the translation has stuck in the collective mind set, he said, adding that does not mean it is true.
The number of points on hex signs on local counties' barns varies.
"In Schuylkill County, you find a lot more five point stars," he said, though he didn't know the reason for the number of points.
The signs can sometimes take on personal roles or have a local meaning. Because past civilizations used the nighttime stars to guide them, hex signs may have been used as a reminder of this.
"What could be more important to a farmer than understanding the order of the universe?" he said.
In Lebanon County, there are not a lot of stars on barns. They are mostly found on homes in a rectangular form and decorated.
Local identity can have something to do with this, he said.
As another example, he said, "The Amish never put stars on their barns" because that could be conveyed as being proud.
Knowing exactly when the stars were painted sometimes isn't possible because good records are often hard to come by.
"I think we need more barns painted," Donmoyer said, adding that displays of artistic creativity are an important part of our culture.
Donmoyer was invited by Judy Lengle, a member of the Pinegrove Historical Society & Historic Barn and Farm Foundation of Pennsylvania, to speak at the legion. Donmoyer is also a member of the farm foundation.
Tony Gurski Jr., president of the Pinegrove Historical Society, said he enjoyed the presentation.
"He took some of the mystery out of it," he said.
"I knew people would be interested in it," Lengle said of the presentation.