Ephrata Cloister, Ephrata PA
Nestled close to the intersection of Routes 272 and 322 lies an ancient compound that predates the modern roads by centuries...

The Ephrata Cloister was a Seventh Day Baptist community established by devout German settlers in 1732.

The Ephrata Cloister is now a museum run by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.

The community was run by "brothers" and "sisters". Today, "brothers" and "sisters" can be seen in period costumes as guides, and in activities that would have been typical of life 250 years ago.

Conrad Beissel, the founder of Ephrata, was born in 1691. Having experienced a religious awakening, he had established a following in Germany. His sect came into conflict with the state sponsored Protestant religion of Germany, and in 1720 he took advantage of William Penn's offer of land to those seeking religious freedom.

The Cloister Academy

Ephrata Cloister Cemetery

Walking the peaceful grounds of the Cloister, one can easily imagine one's self in a previous century - in the period of the 1740s and 1750s when the activity at the Cloister was at its peak...

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Brian,
Excellent presentation. As close as this is to where we live, I've never visited, but we're putting this on our 'short list'! Thanks, fran
Fran, I'm sure you and your family would enjoy the visit - and there are many other points of interest in Lancaster County as well. Thanks for stopping by!
Brian
Brian, I wish I could hang out with you on your travels. You go to all of the places I would most want to go....
these pictures are magnificent (not big on that word, however the only other word that comes to mind is glorious) ...I've already looked at them 3 times today, inbetween appointments here and there. Now I finally have time to comment.
My , how I would love to explore there....my ancestors were Pennsylvania Dutch, anabaptists....I was raised baptist...although I consider myself a pantheist with a touch of the essene, now.
((-:
Jo
Jo, nobody has ever called my pictures "magnificent" before, so I take that as a very high compliment! I just plug along, doing my best to compose nice photos with my trusty old 2 MB camera. I carry it everywhere. It doesn't have many bells or whistles, but I know how to operate it practically in my sleep. Some day I'll get a more sophisticated camera with adjustable lenses so I can do more specialized shots - but for now, I'm still amazed at the beautiful things that sometimes come out of this old camera...
P.S. - we don't get a lot of pantheists around here, but I think I understand where you're coming from - ;o)
Brian
Faina, it's funny that you were wondering what camera I was using - I guess you read my previous comment to Jo! I love the old Dutch styles, which you would actually be more likely to see upstate New York than in Pennsylvania. I would be privileged to get one as a listing like you did.
I did enjoy your sensitive and well written post about AR. See, some of us men are in touch with our feelings! - LOL - Brian
Brian, you're a lot like me that way. I still use my Sony Cyber-shot 2.0 megapixel camera for all my pictures too. It seems to work fine for my real estate and blogging needs, however I would like to upgrade to a higher number of megapixels so that I can take some better architecture and nature shots.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder...so any beauty that is coming out of your camera, is first coming out of you. ((-:
Pantheists believe that the entire universe is one being...most native american spiritualities as well as taosim, etc are pantheistic beliefs and practices. Many leading world scientists are pantheists as well as many who are now deceased. I believe that the majority of what constitutes the universe is unseen or felt or known by us. However , it still impacts on us daily...the subconscious mind is a prime example. Also, the soul...
Jo
"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder...so any beauty that is coming out of your camera, is first coming out of you."
Jo, I never looked at it that way. That's a very nice compliment. Thank you! :o)
P.S. - The entire universe may indeed be one being. Every atom may have a world inside. And every sun and planet may be just atoms in a larger universe we can't even imagine...
I love those old communities. We have 'Plymouth Plantation' and 'Old Sturbridge Village' up here. My kids like going there and seeing what it was like back then. They have a hard time believing that kids didn't have computer games and TV and had to make their own fun.
Again.... nice pictures.
Martin, some of my fondest memories are of going to Old Sturbridge Village on a sixth grade school trip, and again later with my parents. I loved seeing the old clock shop with the grandfather clocks, and the herds of sheep grazing in the fields.
Thanks for your comments and for stopping by!
Gee, I can't tell you how much I love this one. Thanks, Brian.
Bill
This is a lovely post. I particularly like the stonework, and the cupola? on top of the academy building.
A very enjoyable read, thank you.