Lancaster County, PA

Baking Ham in the Dutch Oven

Our first stop today was the Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum. This is another historical village set primarily in the late 1800s. What set it apart was the people who described what they were doing and why. At the tavern, the woman was baking ham in her Dutch oven. The oven had feet underneath, a place for a ceramic bowl to hold the ham, and then a cover that was upturned so you could put coals above and below the pan. The shopkeeper in the country store gave a great explanation of the sections of his store: groceries, shoe section, lady’s and men’s apparel, cloth, tobacco, and the pharmacy. He pointed out that most of the medicines offered then either had a lot of alcohol, opium, or heroin with additional herbs. For example, the medicine to quiet a baby had two ounces of alcohol in it. Most of these medications just numbed the pain, but they could claim to be miracle drugs. In the textile barn, we learned the process of turning flax into thread. Afterwards you either gave that thread to a man who ran a loom, or you might make flax belts on a homemade contraption (so simple a 3-year-old could do it). As you can tell, it was the people who made this museum worthwhile. Rather than staying true to a period, they explained how things were done back then.

General Store's Pharmacy

Ephrata Cloister

Our second stop was the Ephrata Cloister. We had a great tour guide who told the story of religious community. Conrad Beissel was born in Germany and began his own search for religious truth. Because he believed in adult baptism, he was expelled from Germany. He came to Pennsylvania in the 1700s because William Penn promised religious freedom here. He was a deeply religious man who believed in a personal relation with God, but he was also a dynamic speaker and many people joined him over time in this community. He believed that Jesus had both a male and female side (Jesus and Sophia) and that Jesus’ second coming would occur in his lifetime. By remaining celibate, men and women could marry Jesus when he returned. His community had up to 40 men and 40 women as well as being supported by over 100 families in 1750. These men and women would work and pray most of the day. They had only one vegetarian meal a day. Slept on boards with a chunk of wood as a pillow for 3 hours, then had a 2-hour service waiting for Jesus’ return at midnight, followed by 3 more hours of sleep. After Conrad’s death the community started declining. After the last celibate woman died, the families took over the buildings. In the 1930’s the state took over the community buildings for back taxes and turned it into a museum. The buildings are in excellent shape given that they were built in the 1700’s. Well worth a visit but be sure to arrive in time for a tour.

We then took a ride through Intercourse and Bird in Hand, but they don’t seem to be as interesting as when we came here decades ago. Fewer unique shops, but still plenty of Amish in their horse drawn carts.

Cloister Bedroom