432 Tabernacle Model at Glencairn Museum (1921)

A central feature of Glencairn Museum’s Ancient Near East Gallery is a scale model of the Tabernacle of Israel. Built over a ten-year period, beginning in 1921, this model was an ambitious educational project designed for the benefit of, and with the help of, the children at Bryn Athyn Church School, in Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania. The Tabernacle project was conceived of and directed by the Rev. George de Charms, whose book, The Tabernacle of Israel (1969), describes in detail the building of the model and the religious significance of the Tabernacle.

The Tabernacle model was crafted through the efforts of the entire elementary school in Bryn Athyn. The children were first prepared with a yearlong series of special worship services, during which they learned about the Tabernacle’s structure and significance. At these services the children were asked to bring one piece of precious jewelry each, as a donation from their families to help fund the project. This event was intended to reenact the donations given by the Israelite families during the construction of the original Tabernacle (Exodus 35:20-29). The children’s donations, together with an initial contribution of $15, were enough to pay for the materials, including the gold, silver and brass metalwork. (The total cost was calculated to be around $1,500.) In later years, one participant recalled with humor the frustration she felt as a little girl at having to give up her favorite silver spoon for the project. Continue reading » » » »