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Ephrata Cloister, Ephrata PA

By Brian Schulman

Real Estate Agent with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, Lancaster PA RS134746A

October 28, 2007 02:59 AM

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...

Ephrata Cloister

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

Ephrata Cloister

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

Ephrata Cloister

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.

Ephrata Cloister

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.

Teh Cloister Academy

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...

Ephrata Cloister

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Fran Gaspari

Patriot Land Transfer, Inc. - Limerick, PA

"The Title Man" - Title Insurance - PA & NJ

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

Oct 28, 2007 03:08 AM

Brian Schulman

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, Lancaster PA - Lancaster, PA

Lancaster County PA RealEstate Expert 717-951-5552

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

Oct 28, 2007 03:26 AM

Jeff R. Geoghan

Coldwell Banker Realty - Lancaster, PA

REALTOR, Marketing Manager

Nice photos - I have not been through the tour yet - I suppose next year...

Oct 28, 2007 06:10 AM

Jo-Anne Smith

Oakville, ON

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.

((-:

Oct 28, 2007 12:39 PM

Brian Schulman

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, Lancaster PA - Lancaster, PA

Lancaster County PA RealEstate Expert 717-951-5552

Jeff, didn't you do a post on the Ephrata Cloister some time ago?

Oct 28, 2007 04:03 PM

Brian Schulman

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, Lancaster PA - Lancaster, PA

Lancaster County PA RealEstate Expert 717-951-5552

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

Oct 28, 2007 04:17 PM

Gary Woltal

Keller Williams Realty - Flower Mound, TX

Assoc. Broker Realtor SFR Dallas Ft. Worth

Pennsylvania has some of the coolest looking cemeterys. I love cemeterys. Strange, but true.

Oct 29, 2007 02:54 PM

Brian Schulman

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, Lancaster PA - Lancaster, PA

Lancaster County PA RealEstate Expert 717-951-5552

Somehow this cemetery seems quite serene and peaceful...

Oct 29, 2007 04:00 PM

Faina Sechzer

Henderson-Sotheby's International Realty - Princeton, NJ

Real Estate Expert - Princeton, Montgomery ,Hopewell, NJ

Brian - these are beautiful shots. I was looking at them and thinking "wow, what camera is he using". We have some early Dutch buildings, I even have one as a listing. BTW, thank you for commenting on my blog, which gave me an opportunity to visit your and find these gorgeous photos.

Oct 30, 2007 09:36 AM

Brian Schulman

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, Lancaster PA - Lancaster, PA

Lancaster County PA RealEstate Expert 717-951-5552

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

Oct 30, 2007 04:15 PM

Jo-Anne Smith

Oakville, ON

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...

Nov 02, 2007 06:23 AM

Brian Schulman

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, Lancaster PA - Lancaster, PA

Lancaster County PA RealEstate Expert 717-951-5552

"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...

Nov 02, 2007 03:35 PM

M A

Boston, MA

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.

Nov 05, 2007 09:29 PM

Brian Schulman

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, Lancaster PA - Lancaster, PA

Lancaster County PA RealEstate Expert 717-951-5552

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!

Nov 05, 2007 10:45 PM

BILL CHERRY

Bill Cherry, Realtor - Dallas, TX

Broker & Wealth Coach

Gee, I can't tell you how much I love this one. Thanks, Brian.

Bill

Nov 13, 2007 10:16 PM

Brian Schulman

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, Lancaster PA - Lancaster, PA

Lancaster County PA RealEstate Expert 717-951-5552

Thanks for stopping by, Bill. This was one of my own favorites, too!

Nov 14, 2007 12:00 AM

Judith Reppert

United Country Countryside Realty - Mount Vernon, MO

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.

Nov 28, 2007 04:07 AM

Brian Schulman

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, Lancaster PA - Lancaster, PA

Lancaster County PA RealEstate Expert 717-951-5552

Judith, I love the stonework as well. The cupola on the academy building is actually a bell tower, presumably once used to summon students into classes.

Nov 28, 2007 08:31 AM

Rebecca Chambliss

Vista Sotheby's International - Rolling Hills Estates, CA

What a beautiful place! We sure don't see that in California.

Dec 18, 2007 08:18 AM

Brian Schulman

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, Lancaster PA - Lancaster, PA

Lancaster County PA RealEstate Expert 717-951-5552

Rebecca, Ephrata Cloister is a uniquely early Pennsylvania style of settlement.

Dec 18, 2007 02:03 PM