Eugene E. Doll

The Ephrata Cloister was a community of three orders (sisters, brothers and married householders) founded by Conrad Beissel in 1732. Beissel was a German mystic and Pietist but turned to the Dunkers when he came to America, settling in Germantown. Later he moved to Cocalico (later known as Lancaster County) where he founded a community of Seventh-Day German Baptists. The community was known for its singing at services, its schools and Sunday schools. They also had one of the first printing presses in the area. The sisters made illuminated manuscripts, some still at the Cloister site. In the Revolutionary War, one of the Cloister buildings became a hospital for soldiers. However, by the early 1800's, the monastic way of life was over and the married householders maintained the congregation as Seventh-Day Baptist Church until 1934. At that time, the property was turned over to the State Historical and Museum Commission.

The booklet written by local historian Eugene Doll, with illustrations by the noted Ralph Dunkelberger, photos of the site, and a map for a self tour, is a tribute to a way of life long past.… (altro)