Easter Bunny’s American origins can be traced right back to Pennsylvania

German settlers brought the tradition with them centuries ago, and the first known depiction of the Easter Bunny in the United States was painted by Johann Conrad Gilbert. His artwork is housed at the Winterthur Museum and Library in Delaware. (WPVI via CNN Newsource)

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- The Easter Bunny may travel the world every spring, but the holiday hare’s American roots can be traced right back to Pennsylvania.

German settlers brought the tradition with them centuries ago, and the first known depiction of the Easter Bunny in the United States was painted by Johann Conrad Gilbert. His artwork is housed at the Winterthur Museum and Library in Delaware.

“What he’s known for is his Fraktur artwork, and he did the earliest known renditions or drawings of the Easter Bunny in the United States,” said Donna Gerber, Gilbert’s fifth great-granddaughter.

Gilbert emigrated from Germany and brought with him the folklore of the holiday hare.

“It’s something that has a lot of Pennsylvania roots. Easter and our idea of the Easter Bunny really got started in the 1680s with Germans, who then brought their traditions over to Pennsylvania,” said Andrew Greene, the director of sales with the East Broad Top Railroad.

Today, industrial heritage sites like the East Broad Top Railroad are helping keep those traditions alive.

At the nation’s oldest continuously operating railroad, visitors learn about the Pennsylvania origins of the Easter Bunny while enjoying a scenic train ride and participating in an Easter egg hunt.

By Christie Ileto