SCHWENKFELDER LIBRARY & HERITAGE CENTER
105 Seminary Street, Pennsburg, PA 18073
Phone 215 679-3103 Fax 215 679-8175
info@schwenkfelder.com
www.schwenkfelder.com

October 5, 2007

Contact: David W. Luz
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
215-679-3103, phone
215-679-8175, fax

EPHRATA CLOISTER TOUR PLANNED

Pennsburg, PA ---

The Board of Directors of the Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center invites the public to participate in the schedule bus tour to the Ephrata Cloister on Thursday, November 1, 2007 at 8:15 am. The cost of the trip is $60 per person and includes all fees, gratuities, lunch, guided cloister tour and a second stop at the fascinating Ten Thousand Villages Store. The tour will return to the Heritage Center about 5:00 pm. Seats are limited and must be reserved in advance.

Conrad Beissel and others seeking a unique spiritual experience founded Ephrata in 1732. Their settlement was modeled after monasteries in Germany, and they wore special garb similar to that worn by monks and nuns in Germany. Large buildings were erected for the single sisters and brothers that served as living, dining, working, and sleeping quarters for them. This community flourished through the middle of the 18th century, and the members became famous for the Fraktur and music.

Before departing, Dr. Allen Viehmeyer, Associate Director of Research at the Heritage Center, will talk on the history of the cloister, contacts between them and the Schwenkfelder community, and the exciting discovery in 2004 of the "Brother Amos" Fraktur and the a manuscript hymnal.

For additional information or to reserve your seat for the tour, please call Debbie Dunkelberger at 215-679-3103.

The Schwenkfelder Library and Heritage Center was founded in 1884 as an informal collection in a private home to assure the preservation of the Schwenkfelders' cultural identity. Today the Heritage Center, a not-for-profit organization, is still preserving, interpreting and documenting the history of this German Protestant group, along with the history of the Upper Perkiomen Valley. The Schwenkfelder Library and Heritage Center is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm; Thursdays 9:00 am to 8:00 pm; Saturdays 10:00 am to 3:00 pm; and Sundays 1:00 to 4:00 pm. The Heritage Center is closed to the public on Mondays. For additional information call 215-679-3103 or visit our website www.schwenkfelder.com

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David W. Luz
Executive Director
Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center
105 Seminary Street Pennsburg, PA 18073
Tel. 215-679-3103 Fax 215-679-8175
email: info@schwenkfelder.com
www.schwenkfelder.com