The Historic Old Goshenhoppen Oyster Picnic
Held annually on the first Saturday after Labor Day, the Old Goshenhoppen Church in Woxall, Pennsylvania hosts its famous Oyster Picnic, a Montgomery County tradition that has continued for 148 years.
The picnic takes place in a grove across from the church, featuring a menu centered on oysters prepared three ways: fried oysters, perfectly-honed recipe oyster stew, and raw oysters freshly opened on the half shell for each customer. The church purchases 4,000 oysters in their shells the day before to ensure maximum freshness, with over 8,300 oysters served in total.
For those who don’t prefer oysters, hot dogs, hamburgers, fries, ice cream and other options are available. A special treat includes Smoked Salmon Sandwiches prepared with salmon that a church member smokes over an apple wood fire.
This cherished tradition began in 1877 as a Sunday School fundraiser. Visitors came from surrounding Montgomery and Bucks counties, with special excursion trains bringing Philadelphians along the now-abandoned Allentown line of the Reading Railroad. Local farmers would await arriving passengers at Salford Station with wagons, transporting city folk up the hill where food and a brass band playing marches and waltzes awaited them. At day’s end, the steam train would sound long whistle blasts, signaling revelers to return or risk being stranded in the countryside.
History enthusiasts can tour the 1732 log building that served the early settlers as both church and schoolhouse—the oldest standing German-built church on the North American continent. The Old Goshenhoppen Reformed Church, officially recognized as a New World church plant by Amsterdam in 1730, established itself on this current property in 1732 after purchasing it from William Penn’s sons. Visitors can also explore the present church building, constructed in 1858, and enjoy “Organ Reflections” performed by local organists on the church’s cherished organ.
To find Woxall, travel between Harleysville and Sumneytown. At the junction of routes 63 and 563, turn south on Old Skippack Road. After one mile, look for the church sign on the right. For more information or directions, call the church at 610-287-9781.
