On Christmas Eve 1774, Henry William "Baron" Stiegel received a very special gift. He was released from debtors' prison in Philadelphia.

The original act and seal of the province of Pennsylvania - before Pennsylvania was a state - will be on display at the Manheim Historical Society's Harry B. Shearer Heritage Center, 88 S. Grant St., Manheim, during an open house. "1774: Stories From the Archives" will focus on events of the time period with exhibits at both the Heritage Center and the society's Fasig and Keath colonial houses, 30-32 E. High St. The event will run from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 7, and from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 8.

"We will highlight information about Stiegel's imprisonment, and on Sunday, we'll also be part of the Manheim Women's Club Holiday Tour of Homes," said Linda Frey, acting curator of the heritage center. "We'll have some Christmas ornaments that are handcrafted by Manheim artists. We have clocks on display - four tall case clocks and one mantel clock. We have some Christmas postcards from the 1910s and 1920s. We will have a quilt on display that we recently had appraised at being from the 1870s to 1880s. It's very colorful."

The star artifact of the open house will be the seal and document representing Stiegel's freedom, said Gene Engle, historical society volunteer.

"Stiegel came to Pennsylvania from Germany, and he worked for two years in Philadelphia," Engel said, noting that Stiegel then moved to Lancaster County, where he became an ironmaster at a local furnace and married the previous ironmaster's daughter, his first wife, Elizabeth Huber.

"He then decided to set up his own town and have a glass factory here," Engle said. The historical society displays an original map from 1762 that shows the plots owned by Stiegel and sold to local residents.

"Stiegel made money and he did well until about 1772," Engle said. At that time, lenders began to collect on Stiegel's loans, and he couldn't repay them. "He was sent to debtors' prison in Philadelphia in November of 1774. He petitioned the province of Pennsylvania three times for his release and was finally released on Christmas Eve 1774."

Although he found his freedom, Stiegel faced a difficult life post-prison before his death in 1785. "He was allowed to keep the clothes on his back, but that's really all he had," Engle said. "He died in poverty, and he has no marker for his grave."

Along with the seal and accompanying paperwork, the heritage center will display reproductions of clothing from Stiegel's era, Civil War firearms, historic artwork and more.

At the Fasig and Keath houses, visitors can enjoy "Whispers of Independence in Manheim," with tours and information about Colonial life as well as opportunities to look for the Belsnickel, a crotchety, fur-clad Christmas figure. Manheim author Mike Gerhard will also sign copies of his book, "Gentle Giant: A Story of Jack Fasig, Legend of Lancaster."

There is no charge for the open houses, although donations are always accepted.

"There are a lot of treasures in Manheim that are here and that people don't know about," Engle said. "We have something to interest people of all ages. Everybody finds something different that sparks their interest when they come in here."

For more information on the Manheim Historical Society, visit https://manheimhistoricalsociety.org.