The Tamaqua Area Historical Society Museum will be open for the Spirit of Christmas Festival from 5-8 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and for a special open house from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday.

The museum on West Broad Street will feature a unique Pennsylvania German Christmas putz, or village. The display consists of handmade, folk art buildings including some Tamaqua area landmarks as well as a coal mine and coal breaker.

The antique model buildings are mostly made of scrap wood, old wooden cigar boxes, dynamite crates and wooden fruit crates.

The Christmas putz includes authentic German stick leg animals, metal people, metal cars, a small manger scene and a 4-foot German goose feather tree decorated with antique German glass ornaments. It also features a 2-foot tree decorated with handmade paper Moravian stars.

A 1920s Lionel Standard Gauge passenger train circles the village.

It is a rare example with large handmade folk art buildings seldom found today and will be displayed only for the Christmas season.

The museum will be open from 5-8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays through New Year’s. Admission to the museum, its annex and Scott Art Gallery is always free.