The Ephrata Cloister or Ephrata Community was a religious community established in 1732 by Johann Conrad Beissel at Ephrata, in what is now Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. By the early 1750s, Ephrata Cloister was home to nearly 80 celibate Brothers and Sisters who lived in striking Germanic-style log, stone, and half-timbered buildings. Alongside them, nearly 250 family members, known as Householders, resided in nearby homes and farms. Ephrata became known for: the German calligraphic art of Frakturschriften; self-composed a cappella music written using Beissel's rules for four-part harmony; and an ambitious printing establishment creating works for the use of the community and neighbors. During the American Revolution, Ephrata served as a hospital for nearly 250 American soldiers, some of whom rest in the Mount Zion cemetery overlooking the historic grounds. The Society declined after the death of Beissel in 1768. The last celibate member died in 1813, and the next year the remaining Householders incorporated into the German Seventh Day Baptist Church. Members continued to live and worship in the Cloister buildings until the close of the Church in 1934. After that, the buildings were turned over the state and became the museum you can visit today. I learned all this and more, when I visited the Ephrata Cloister this past Sunday. When you arrive, there's plenty of parking and then a short walk over to the visitor center, where you can purchase a ticket. Inside the visitor center is a small museum, which provided plenty of history and helpful context for exploring the grounds - especially if you're not taking advantage of the excellent guided tour. With the map you receive when you pay for admission, you can explore the grounds, and there's also an phone-led audio guide that tells you about each building (they're numbered). On the day I visited, there were two guided tours (one at 1pm and one at 2:15pm), and I highly recommend joining the guided tour if you can. It starts with a video in the auditorium space in the visitor center, and then a very helpful guide (ours was Sue) walked us to the grounds and explained more about the history and architecture. After that, she walked us to two buildings you cannot enter without a guide (the Sister's House and the attached Meetinghouse/Saal the Sisters used). I learned so much about this community - which I knew almost nothing about before my visit - and they were fascinating: they ate one (vegetarian) meal a day, they slept few hours each night (with a break from 12-2am in case the second coming arrived), and lived as an religious, pious, and equal community. Sue our tour guide pointed out which buildings were recreations and which were original. There were several that were original to the 18th century, and the architecture is really stunning. There's plenty to learn about this historic community and society and no wrong way to do it (although I highly recommend the guided tour, which I got so much out of - Sue was great). Don't forget to stop by the gift shop on our way out, too! A fascinating piece of American history right near Lancaster. If you're exploring Lancaster County for a weekend, including a visit to Ephrata Cloister is well worth it! read more

See all

You have the option of touring it urself or with a group and an option of watching the 15 minute video before the tour. WATCH THE VIDEO. Good combination of informative & comedic & good acting. Tour guide was very information and kept a comfortable atmosphere for questions. I would recommend walking around in the yard to find the water (idk if it's a river) and these stairs that kinda stop in the forest read more

See all

The tour is amazing and they are so kind and very into detail which was very nice. Would definitely recommend. read more

Ephrata Cloister - The burial site of Georg Conrad Beissel (1691-1768) Age:77 - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Ephrata, Pennsylvania

See all

Interesting tour guide and hilariously low budget (but informative) video. Funny that the founder preached celibacy and then went to live in the women's dorm! read more

Wow this place was awesome if you like religious history and culture. We got to the museum which was very informative and watched video about their history. We got here too late for the last guided tour but could see the outside of the buildings. Staff nice and clean place. Would come back for the tour if I get back up here. read more

See all

When you walk through the gates, it feels like you've been transported back in time. Everything is rustic because everything except the visitor's center is original. You will witness German ingenuity in their architecture and you will see what it's like to live according to the severe rules Conrad Beissel had worked out for his followers. It is a testament that America was truly a place where people exercised religious freedom. The Brethren was also credited for copying and illuminating manuscripts, printing books, and composition of original hymns with at least three women credited as their first documented women composers. It is a peaceful walk along its grounds but make sure you have a tour guide to help explain the little details and share anecdotes that make a place truly come alive. read more

See all

First some history: Ephrata Cloister is the brainchild of a guy named Conrad Beissel. Beissel grew up in late 17th century Germany where ongoing wars and the ability of the monarchy to change the official religion of the country based on their personal preference led him to join a group called the Pietists who obviously were not sanctioned by the church. Beissel is eventually found in conflict with the law and gets banished from the motherland. The natural place for him to go was Pennsylvania with the religious freedom offered by William Penn's policies. After spending some time in the Germantown (go figure) area of Philadelphia, Beissel makes his way to the Lancaster area where he joins up a group called the Brethren. The Brethern were an Anabaptist group which offered admission to the faith to those individuals who had reached maturity. In today's world Anabaptist is usually the religion most associated with the Amish and the period of admission to the church around the time of maturity is known as Rumspringa. Eventually Beissel walks away from his leadership role in the group to live a hermits life by himself in the area that is now called Ephrata. What Beissel didn't count on was that his charismatic personality and teachings had drawn a small but loyal following that followed him to PA's frontier in essence starting the community that became known as Ehprata Cloister. From EC's website: " What began as a hermitage for a small group of devoted individuals grew into a thriving community of nearly 80 celibate members supported by an estimated 200 family members from the region at its zenith in the mid-18th-century. During that period much of the activity surrounded the charismatic founder and leader, Conrad Beissel. His theology, a hybrid of pietism and mysticism, encouraged celibacy, Sabbath worship, Anabaptism, and the ascetic life, yet provided room for families, limited industry, and creative expression. The community became known for its self-composed a cappella music, Germanic calligraphy known as Frakturschriften, and the complete publishing center which included a paper mill, printing office, and book bindery." Members ate one small vegetarian meal per day. Members slept six hours per night on small wooden blanks. Those six hours were from 9pm-Midnight then from 2AM-5AM while the two hours in between were spent on watch for the second coming of Christ since Beissel was convinced that would happen during his lifetime. The rest of their days were spent praying and doing their assigned work tasks. From EC's website: "With the death of Beissel in 1768 the society quickly declined. Peter Miller, successor to Beissel, recognized that the monastic life was no longer attractive to new generations. He wrote to Benjamin Franklin saying, "the mind of Americans is bent another way." By 1813 the last of the celibate members died, and the following year the remaining members of the married congregation formed the German Seventh Day Baptist Church. Poorer members of the Church moved into many of the original buildings on the Cloister property and altered the spaces to suit their needs. With these new residents came bits of furniture and household items; however they also made use of the furnishings that remained in the buildings. In many cases 18th-century furniture was given a coat of paint, cut down to fit a space, or repaired with disregard to original construction methods or materials." Eventually membership in the church devolved enough in the early 20th century plus lawsuits amongst the remaining members caused the charter of the church to be revoked by the commonwealth. The remaining 28 acres were sold off to the commonwealth and a twenty year restoration project on the remaining original buildings along with a few reproductions which eventually lead to the tourist attraction that exists today. If you go: Current hours are Monday - Saturday: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm with tours starting at 10:00 am, 12:00, 2:30, and 3:30 pm. Sunday: Noon - 5 with tours starting at 12:30, 1:30, 2:30 and 3:30 pm. During January and February the Cloister is closed on Monday & Tuesday. EC is open daily with the exception of Veteran's Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years Day. Adults (ages 12-64) $10.00, Senior Citizens (ages 65 and above) and motor clubs (such as AAA) $9.00, Youth (ages 3-11) $6.00, Children under age 3 are free. There are also a few special events throughout the year that have slightly modified admission prices. The tour starts in the visitor center which has some original from the era/community and then you get the fifteen minute video which is NPS caliber and overall does a good enough job explaining the community along with Beissel. After the video you are taken over to the Sister's House and the Meetinghouse (both original buildings from the 1740's) before being cut loose to see the rest of the grounds on your own. read more

See all

Service was nice each time we went. We just didn't care for the dishes we tried over several visits.

WOW!! I was not expecting the amazing tour and historical preservation that the Ephrata Cloister offers. The short video that kicks off the tour gives the background on the people who formed this community, but the tour painted the entire picture of why people came to PA (William Penn welcomed people to the state regardless of religious orientation, so everyone was welcome, leading to a lot of religious diversity), and what life was like. How would you lead your life if every day you were told God was coming to take you to heaven? Take the tour to find out! Our guide, Sanda, answered all of our questions, even the architectural ones which I kept asking. Nothing better than seeing how people lived in the mid-1700s and getting to poke around their homes and buildings, including the simple furniture they made themselves. I highly recommend taking the tour, and then wandering around the other buildings yourself afterwards - it was only $10, but worth so much more. Allow 2 hours total. read more

This area was settled by a German religious group that owned a large piece of property and had a conservative lifestyle that included sleeping on wooden boards with a wood block for a pillow. There were originally a number of buildings but some no longer exist but remaining ones can be viewed. The last member of the group died and the state of Pennsylvania took it over and it is open to the public. They offer a tour where you can go into a couple of the buildings and learn about the history and lifestyle as well as a short film that you view first. It was quite interesting and the grounds were lovely. Fee is $10.00, seniors and AAA is $9.00, youth 3-11 is $6.00 and under 3 free. There was a nice museum gift shop that had some local and unique items. read more

See all

Take a tour. The Cloister will not come to life for you without one. The buildings say little on their own, historical though they are. We got a tour guide who was also on the board of the Cloister, so she was extremely knowledgeable. She had much to say, also took our questions in stride with yet more detail. It is a fascinating story -- especially the "waking in the night" part -- and the presence of what was once such deep, committed faith makes an impression. The human side of all of it is also touching. A terrific experience when we did it one quiet day. read more

Great historical experience that brings you back in time. You get to walk inside 9 of the original buildings from the 1700's. read more

See all

My husband spent the majority of his live in Ephrata but it took him 30ish years to make it to the Ephrata Cloister. We went here over Christmas to attend a special evening tour put on by students of the local high school. The weather was quite cold but the tour was fantastic. The students played the parts of actual people who once lived in the cloister and took us on a tour of different buildings under the premise that we were looking for our cousin John Miller. The students brought the history to life and taught us a lot more about the people that once lived here. It was an interesting life style with prayer at midnight, one large meal a day, sleeping on wooden planks and celibacy for almost everyone. If you are passing through Ephrata when the historians from the high school have a tour, I'd HIGHLY recommend. For those of you passing through at other times of the year, I'd still recommend a visit here to learn about the people really started the town of Ephrata. read more

i cannot find the words for how beautiful this place is. it is simply one of the most fascinating and gorgeous yet haunting places i've ever visited. established in the early 18th century by a German Christian mystic it operated as an independent religious community in the Pennsylvanian countryside populated by celibate aesthetics alongside devout landowning families. many of the original buildings are still standing but the grounds itself apparently looks a lot different than it did in the 1700's (this happened in the 60's when it was turned into a tourist spot). if you have any interest in religious studies, American religious history or American history in general you'll find the Ephrata Cloisters an exhilarating experience. i'm now reading a book about the place and cannot get enough of it. read more

Ephrata Cloister - entering the grounds - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Ephrata, Pennsylvania

See all

We had a generally positive experience at the Cloister today; excellent craftsmanship, history, and well kept grounds. Staff was great with one exception.  The guy in the gift store was a total mask na-zi.  We chose to buy nothing and left, sadly, with a sour taste.  They might want to let him know he hurts their revenue efforts and really damages the reputation of the venue.  I would not recommend the Cloister at this point with this negative attitude. My recommendation, they should quickly adopt and live and let live spirt on the grounds. It will be worth visiting again for both historical value and a peaceful couple of hours once they pass on the mask attitude. read more

Pennsylvania was founded for religious freedom. Learn about one of such religion here! As one review I read put it, "the make the Amish look progressive." Regardless of religion, this is a must see! The grounds are gorgeous. The staff are subject matter experts and willing to go the extra mile to make sure all the questions are answered. I would recommend watching the 15 minute video before exploring the museum and grounds. Also, make sure your cell phone battery is charged because you can call a number and here a recording about the building you are looking at! read more

This is one of the coolest and most unappreciated treasures of pennsylvania. It was originaly established in the 1730's as a religous convent by Conrad Beissel. He had left the nearby settlement of lancaster. I first went there about two years ago. It is right on rt 222, but hidden by a large cluster of pine trees, you can notice the graveyard from the road though. Its next to the car wash. The members all basically pratyed 18 hours a day, slept on wooden benches at least 3 hours a day, and then basically went to church. they spoke german and sang all their songs in german. The colony was basically carved out of the woods, and the celibate men and women work all around the clock and produced nearly everything then needed, except glass. they had an amazing printing facility, where they printed bibles and texts and religious hymnals. they also owned farms nearby that were run by families that were also expected to be celibate. There is a large convent and monistary as well as a barn and some re-constructed buildings on the ground, such as an ampitheatre. read more

See all

I've been to Lancaster County on numerous occasions, but this was the first time I was able to explore the Ephrata Cloister to a great extent. Even though the religious community that gave rise to this town is no longer extant, the fact that there are still parts of their heritage that are preserved for future generations is something to cheer. The short documentary recounting the life and times of Mr. Beissel was a bit hokey in terms of production values, but edifying nonetheless. I urge anyone who passes through Pennsylvania to spend a few hours exploring the history of a unique religious community. read more

Really interesting historical site. Definitely recommend the guided tour - the tour guide was exceptional and really personable!

Ephrata Cloister is an interesting stop. Michael the historian and tour guide was great, very knowledgeable and passionate about his work. This was part of a day trip that included other stops in the area. We spent about an hour on the tour and then about 30 minutes walking around on our own, after that we left. I'm glad we went. read more