EPHRATA, PA October 1-2 2014

We had two nights at the Sun Valley Encore RV Park a Passport America stay and the only park we could find for two nights in the area, it was race week! It's amazing how many car races we've come upon as we travel this summer.  This one was in the town of Maple Grove a few miles away but we could sure hear the engines. Every empty field in the area becomes a campground with really inflated prices and no services. We only needed a Wed. and Thurs. stay so it worked out perfectly.  We spent the day away from the park to avoid the noise, but fun at night as we sat around the campfire with neighbors hearing everyone's stories. 

One of the most fascinating places we visited was the afternoon we toured Ephrata Cloisters in the nearby town of Ephrata.

It was once a unique religious community founded by Conrad Beissel, an immigrant from Germany. He came to Pennsylvania in 1720 interested with its offer of freedom of religion. By 1732 he had broken away from several religious groups in the Lancaster area, but his charismatic personality continued to attract followers. Though he was seeking a hermit's life, Beissel was followed by others who wished to follow his teachings which  promoted Saturday worship and celibacy. 

 What started out as a hermitage for a small group of devoted followers grew into a thriving community of 80 celibate members who were supported by about  200 family members from the region.  The community became known for its self-composed a cappella music, German calligraphy and a complete publishing center which included a paper mill, printing office and book bindery.

 The guided tour took us through the main dormitories which are in amazingly good condition, much of it original in a beautiful setting of trees and grassy spaces.  Between 1735 and 1746 the community constructed more than eight major structures and several smaller workshops and mills, bakery and smaller dwellings.

 The workroom where the calligraphy was done.

A bedroom cell in the women's dormitory, very sparse and simple, though you didn't use it much as the custom was to rise at midnight for prayer and then only 6 hours of sleep were allowed.

 Kitchen meals where the meals were prepared.

With the death of Beissel in 1768 the community declined and those that followed were not interested in the monastic life any longer. Conrad Beissel is buried in the original cemetery just south of the main buildings.

 It was such a peaceful setting the afternoon we were there.  The last of the celibate members died in 1813, and the last surviving resident of the Ephrata Cloister died in 2008 at the age of 98. Pretty amazing.

 The museum was filled with excellent displays of the clothing and explanation of life in the cloisters. Most impressive were the original calligraphic pieces of music.

We had intended to return another day to see more of the buildings but with so much to do in the area that never happened. Many original pieces of furniture and artifacts had been stored in a closed off area above the meeting hall and when renovations on the property began these provided the  important link to life so long ago. In 1941 the the 28 acres of the historic site were sold to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and restoration began.