Download or read book The Pennsylvania Dutch Country written by Irwin Richman and published by Arcadia Publishing. This book was released on 2004 with total page 164 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Taking the name Pennsylvania Dutch from a corruption of their own word for themselves, "Deutsch," the first German settlers arrived in Pennsylvania in 1683. By the time of the American Revolution, their influence was such that Benjamin Franklin, among others, worried that German would become the commonwealth's official language. The continuing influence of the Church peoples-the Amish and Mennonites and others who constitute the still-vibrant Dutch culture-can be seen today in icons of Americana from apple pie to log cabins.