Virtual Ephrata Academy: Early Education and the Academy at Ephrata Cloister

The tall, white Ephrata Academy building at the entrance to the Historic Ephrata Cloister stands out as something different from the rest of the historic site.  Its mid-19^thcentury appearance certainly in contrast to the older gray buildings so often associated with the early Ephrata community. While different, the Academy’s purpose is only a continuation of nearly a century of schooling associated with the community. The religious ideas that informed the Ephrata community encouraged learning, making the education of children a priority. Conrad Beissel, Ephrata’s founder, taught school before the community began, and Brother Obed served not only as a teacher, but author of his own schoolbook that he published at Ephrata in the 1780s. There was even boarding school at the community as early as the 1740s. In many ways, the building of the Ephrata Academy in 1837 became the symbol of Ephrata’s educational legacy. Join Museum Educator Michael Showalter in exploring history of the Ephrata Academy and the tradition of education that preceded it at the next Virtual Ephrata Academy program on Thursday, September 8 at 7:00 p.m.  The program is free, but registration is required.  Register in advance for this meeting at:    https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYsceygrDoiEtzFcSZuvqVvF47CLg-IlTuA   After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

The Virtual Ephrata Academy program is presented on the second Thursday of each month except, December, by the Historic Ephrata Cloister. Recordings of previous programs can be found on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/EphrataCloister  Details for this and other upcoming programs others can be found on the website www.EphrataCloister.org.

Historic Ephrata Cloister, the place where Ephrata began, is a National Historic Landmark administered by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission with support from the Ephrata Cloister Associates.