Ephrata Cloister

The Ephrata Cloister or Ephrata Community was a

Ephrata Cloister
religious community, established in 1732 by Johann Conrad
Beissel at Ephrata, in what is now Lancaster County, U.S. National Register of Historic
Pennsylvania. The grounds of the community are now owned Places
by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and are administered
U.S. National Historic Landmark
by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.
Pennsylvania state historical marker
Marie Kachel Bucher, the last surviving resident of the Ephrata
Cloister, died on July 27, 2008, at the age of 98.[4]

History
The community descended from the pietistic Schwarzenau
Brethren movement of Alexander Mack of Schwarzenau in
Germany. The first schism from the general body occurred in
1728—the Seventh Day Dunkers, whose distinctive principle
was that the seventh day was the true Sabbath. Women's Building and Meetinghouse
In 1732, Beissel arrived at the banks of Cocalico Creek in
Lancaster County. Around this charismatic leader a semi-
monastic community (the Camp of the Solitary) with a convent
(the Sister House) and a monastery (the Brother House) was
established, called "Ephrata" after Biblical Ephrath. The
members of the order were celibate. Members were required to
sleep on wooden benches 15 inches (380 mm) wide, with
wooden blocks for pillows. They slept six hours per night,
from 9 P.M. to midnight, and from 2 A.M. until 5 A.M., with a
two-hour break to "watch" for the coming of Christ. They ate
one small vegetarian meal a day. The only time the followers of
Beissel were permitted to eat meat was during the celebration
of communion when lamb was served. The members of the
cloister spent much time at work or praying privately. Services
every Saturday were led by Beissel, often being several hours
long.

During the time that this group formed, there was a hint of
Location Jct. of US 322
dissatisfied intellectualism of churches. Many wanted to be
and 272,
away from state established churches. Strict religious lives
caused these brothers and sisters to come together to worship Ephrata,
God in other ways. Instead of practicing their religion, they Pennsylvania,
applied it by helping others to become more spiritual and United States
celibate. Area 30 acres (12 ha)
Built 1732
Among the sisterhood and brotherhood there included a NRHP reference No. 67000026 (http
married order of householders, which were families who s://npgallery.np
supported and engaged in the everyday activities. Other than s.gov/AssetDetai
practicing quiet lives by praying and doing charity work,[5] the l/NRIS/6700002
Cloisters had a duty to keep up with the tasks of living at
6)[1]
Ephrata. Farming and industrial work were the typical
workload on a daily basis. Although the Cloisters often Significant dates
practiced their religion by interpreting Biblical works, they also Added to NRHP December 24,
engaged in carpentry and papermaking. Other tasks included 1967[1]
gardening, preparing meals, and mending.[6] Not only were the
Designated NHL December 24,
cloisters famous for their writings and hymns on the printing
1967[3]
press but they became very busy people especially when it
came to chores. They manufactured clothing on a mill and kept Designated PHMC March 18,
their lives busy by creating duties and obligations. 1947[2]

The Cloisters had a positive outlook on life; they respected their neighbors, land and environment.
Education was also important in their society. It was important that every child maintain their education.
Children that came from families were also encouraged to be educated in the German school. Educating the
young was one of the charity works that the Cloisters accomplished. They also helped the poor by passing
around bread to the poor families.

Other believing families settled near the community, accepted Beissel as their spiritual leader and
worshipped with them on Sabbath. These families made an integral part to the cloister, which could not be
self-sustaining without them. The brothers and sisters of Ephrata are famous for their writing and publishing
of hymns, and the composition of tunes in four voices.[7] Beissel served as the community's composer as
well as spiritual leader, and devised his own system of composition. The Ephrata hymnal (words only) was
printed in 1747.

The Ephrata Cloister had the second German printing press in the American colonies and also published the
largest book in Colonial America. The book, Martyrs Mirror, is a history of the deaths of Christian martyrs
from 4 B.C. until 1660. Before the publication began at the request of a group of Mennonites from
Montgomery County, it had to be translated from the original Holland Dutch into German, which was
completed by Peter Miller of the Ephrata Community. Work began in 1748 and was finished about three
years later. Many of the books were purchased by the Montgomery County Mennonites who had initiated
the process.

Beissel died in 1768, and this contributed to a declining membership. The monastic aspect was gradually
abandoned, with the last celibate member dying in 1813. In 1814, the Society was incorporated as the
German Seventh Day Baptist Church (or The German Religious Society of Seventh Day Baptists).
Branches were established in other locations; two of them still exist today. In 1941, a 28 acres (110,000 m2 )
Ephrata tract of land with remaining buildings was conveyed to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for
use as a state historical site. The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission led excavations there
which, among other things, uncovered the Cloister's use as a hospital during the Revolutionary War (1775–
83). Of special note, the only glass trumpet of its kind in North America was unearthed by archaeologists in
1998 at the Cloister. The trumpet, which likely came from Germany, was found in excellent condition
which led archaeologists to believe it was intentionally buried. The mouthpiece was the only part missing
from the trumpet, so it is unknown if it has ever been played.
At its height, the Ephrata community grew to 250 acres (1.0 km2 ) inhabited by about 80 celibate men and
women. The married congregation numbered approximately 200.

Gallery

Buildings at Ephrata Tombs with inscription in Living quarters

cloister German

Praying room WPA poster,

1936–1941

See also
Pennsylvania
portal
Museums portal

Julius F. Sachse, major historian of the community and its members

List of the oldest buildings in Pennsylvania

Footnotes
1. "National Register Information System" (https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP). National Register
of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
2. "PHMC Historical Markers" (https://archive.today/20131207041235/http://search.pahistorical
markers.com/). Historical Marker Database. Pennsylvania Historical & Museum
Commission. Archived from the original (http://search.pahistoricalmarkers.com/) on
December 7, 2013. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
3. "Ephrata Cloister" (https://web.archive.org/web/20121007210131/http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/det
ail.cfm?ResourceId=756&ResourceType=District). National Historic Landmark summary
listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original (http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?
ResourceId=756&ResourceType=District) on October 7, 2012. Retrieved July 2, 2008.
 4. "Obituary of Marie Elizabeth Kachel Bucher" (https://web.archive.org/web/20080731202613/
http://obits.lancasteronline.com/index.php?p=2163139). Intelligencer Journal. July 29, 2008.
Archived from the original (http://obits.lancasteronline.com/index.php?p=2163139) on July
31, 2008. Retrieved July 31, 2008.
5. History, Ethnic – Ephrata Cloister (http://www.fieldtrip.com/pa/77336600.htm)
6. Ephrata Cloister (http://www.cob-net.org/cloister.htm)
7. Keatley, Avery. "A New Album Re-Creates The Work Of The 1st Known Female Composers
In America" (https://www.npr.org/2020/07/24/894685706/a-new-album-recreates-the-work-of-
the-first-known-women-composers-in-america). NPR. Retrieved July 25, 2020.

Further reading
Hinds, William Alfred (2004) [1908]. American Communities and Cooperative Colonies (http
s://archive.org/details/AmericanCommunitiesAndCo-operativeColonies) (Second ed.).
Honolulu: University Press of the Pacific. ISBN 9781410211521. OCLC 609764632 (https://
www.worldcat.org/oclc/609764632).

External links
Official website (http://www.ephratacloister.org/)
Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) No. PA-320, "The Cloisters (https://loc.gov/pictu
res/item/pa0508/)"
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (https://web.archive.org/web/200402241
33225/http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/ppet/ephrata/page1.asp?secid=31) – Ephrata Cloister
Ephrata Cloister (http://www.cob-net.org/cloister.htm) – information on the community at
Church of the Brethren Network
German Seventh-Day Baptists (http://germanseventhdaybaptist.com) – congregations
tracing their origins to Ephrata

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