CORNER
The
Mystical Legacy
of Ephrata Cloister
Lancaster
County's
18th Century
Spellbinding Culture
By
Kay Jenkins Rew
Brothers and sisters of the group lived in dormitories that were built very narrow with doors far shorter than average adults. This design was intended to remind Cloister members to maintain a straight and narrow path in life and to teach them humility (by bending to enter).
Beissel was indeed a charismatic leader. He lectured the group for hours, leading them in harmonizing songs with mystical texts that were written by Beissel and other members.
Born in 1691 in Germany, Beissel became an orphan at age nine when his mother died. He moved to Pennsylvania in 1720, eventually building a small cabin beside Mill Creek in Lancaster County to seek a hermit's life. However, men and women felt naturally drawn to Beissel and followed him without question. In 1732, when he again tried to live a solitary life by moving to Cocalico Creek, his awe-struck followers were close behind. The intense devotion towards Beissel and his teachings sometimes ended marriages and broke up families.
The Cloister highly respected their neighbors as well as the surrounding land and environment. It was their belief that they could not turn away those in need, even those outside of the community. For a small tuition, they accepted poor children into their German-speaking schools and fed needy families by distributing crusty homemade bread throughout the area.
Beissel advocated a vegetarian diet, and the community mainly ate dishes of wheat and tuberous vegetables. However, there were periods when they used milk and butter and were later given the option of adding meat to their menus. Members slept on hard wooden benches, using a wooden block for a pillow. Visitors were treated to a more comfortable straw bedding.
A typical day within the Cloister began very early with personal devotions. They then went about their assigned tasks for two hours before stopping for prayer and possibly food.
Beissel's followers were talented calligraphers as well as printers, using linen paper and ink created of natural materials. At one point, Israel Eckerlin, a member who had been put in charge of overseeing their work, challenged Beissel's leadership and a power struggle ensued. Eckerlin was eventually asked to leave the community.
Beissel passed away in 1768 which contributed to a declining membership within the Cloister. Never-the-less, during the Revolutionary War, remaining Cloister members,(along with fellow-pacifists, the Mennonites), gave aid to troops of either army. Soldiers on both sides of the conflict carried with them deadly typhus and scarlet fever that took its toll on soldiers as well as those who came in contact with them. The religious fellowship suffered some loses as nearly 250 American soldiers were nursed by Cloister members.
As the 19th century dawned, people were no longer enamored of the strict religious life. The last celibate member of the Cloister died in 1812. In 1814, the handful of remaining Householders formed the German Seventh Day Baptist Church. The small congregation continued to hold services at Ephrata until 1934.
Visitors can tour the Ephrata community, which includes the Seventh Day Baptist Church. The buildings are European in design, having been constructed of logs, timber and stone. Educational guided tours are available, depicting life in the 18th century Cloister. A recording of the community's music (written by Beissel and his members) is played for interested visitors. Cloister members left behind beautiful music, poems and art work, painstakingly created by somewhat mystical people who were devoted to their work and worship.