A wine, cheese and cider open house later this month will celebrate the Mennonite Meetinghouse on Wise Road near Harmony being added to the National Register of Historic Places.

HARMONY — In celebration of the Mennonite Meetinghouse’s recent placement on the National Register of Historic Places, Historic Harmony and the Harmony Museum are sponsoring a wine, cheese and cider reception later this month.

The reception will be from 4 to 6 p.m. Sept. 30 at the meetinghouse on Wise Road. The structure was added to the Register late last year.

Besides the refreshments, the open house will feature music and a visit by Mennonite pioneer Abraham Ziegler as portrayed by Jack McMichael of Zelienople.

Admission is free, with donations encouraged.

“Being on the National Register of Historic Places is a well-deserved honor,” said Rodney Gasch, president of Historic Harmony. “The meetinghouse is believed to be the oldest existing Mennonite church building west of the Allegheny Mountains. And the interior is basically intact, with the original wooden benches.”

The meetinghouse was built in 1825, about 10 years after the original Harmonist settlers had sold their holdings in Butler County to Mennonites, who arrived from eastern Pennsylvania according to Historic Harmony records.

The meetinghouse was used by the Mennonites until the early 1900s.

An association of descendants of the original church leaders owned and maintained the building and cemetery until it was given to Historic Harmony in 1977.

The building is now used for concerts, and is rented out for weddings.

“In July we had a half-dozen different groups perform in the meetinghouse during the In-Harmony Heritage Music Festival,” Gasch said, “and they were all so impressed by acoustics and the feel of the building. It’s a magical place that many local people have never experienced.”

“Historic Harmony is all about preserving our local history, and telling incredible stories of those who came before,” Gasch said. “But old buildings and cemeteries take money and many volunteer hours to maintain. With this reception we hope more people can experience the simple charm and magnetism of this nationally honored building.“

The pacifist Harmony Society arrived from Germany in 1804, and created a thriving community of farms and small industries. When the Harmonists moved to Indiana Territory in 1815, resettlement was led by Mennonites.