Where the united souls live,
Let no one more from there escape,
For God Himself among them now is reigning.
Their joy blooms in the united love-filled flame,
Because from God and His own love they came.
HISTORy,
THEOLOGY, AND INTERPRETATION:
THE
EPHRATA CLOISTER, A CASE STUDY iN PUBLIC HISTORY
DARIN D. LENZ
Department
of History
Historic sites in the
hold
some aesthetic or spiritual value that is limited to a particular
community,
are intuitively dismissed from being perceived as legitimate historical
sites
worthy of commemoration.[4] The conflict between religious and historical
value becomes even more troublesome with the proposition that a
religious site
could receive public funding for preservation simply because of its past
religious function. Americans prize
highly the ideal of church and state separation to reinforce their
concepts
about a national secular-civic identity, as well as the historical
artifacts
that give agency to that identity.[5] Yet, publicly funded and preserved religious
sites that challenge the contemporary separationist thesis regarding
religion
and civic space do exist.[6] The Ephrata Cloister,[7]
located in the borough of Ephrata among the Amish and Mennonite tourist
havens
of
Though
the Ephrata Cloister has been part of the Pennsylvania Historical and
Museum
Commission since 1941, in recent years the site has yielded a plethora
of new
information that expands upon the everyday life of the original
inhabitants, as
well as their theological constructions and motivations.
This case study will examine the innovative
revision of interpretation the Ephrata Cloister implemented in 2000 with
the
influx of new research that examines historical, theological, and
material
evidence. Hopefully, this case study
will challenge interpretative limitations imposed upon sites whose value
is not
simply defined in terms of patriotic nostalgia or political ideology but
encompasses the public practice of religion.
Ephrata’s religious community was a direct
byproduct
of the theological diversity that erupted as a result of the Protestant
Reformation.[8] With the aid of the ruling elite, European
state churches of the seventeen and eighteenth century, including,
Lutheran,
Reformed, and Roman Catholic, began to reassert authority, with the aid
of the
ruling elite, within their principalities and territories to demarcate
orthodox
Christian beliefs and practices. Fringe
religious groups, such as the Pietists and Anabaptists, began to leave
the
Continent in search of religious freedom.[9] Georg Conrad Beissel, the founder of the
Ephrata Cloister, immigrated to
Beissel’s faith journey provides the basis of
public
interest in the Ephrata Cloister.[12] The Cloister’s historical significance as a
religious site, at least initially for the
In 1814 after the death of the last celibate
member of
the church, the Householders formed themselves into the
the
site also holds importance as a source of “original art and music,
distinctive
medieval Germanic architecture, and [as a] significant publishing
center.”[17] For most of the Cloister’s interpretative
history under the Museum Commission, quantifiable attributes, such as
folk art
and architecture, have been the dominant vehicle for establishing
historical
legitimacy and site significance.[18] The historic park that operates today,
however, has experienced an explosion in scholarship about the original
religious community who lived on the site in the eighteenth century. This knowledge about the Cloister has
resulted in broadening the interpretation and strategy for presenting
the site
to the public.
The Ephrata Cloister in recent years
has drawn upon community and academic resources made available through
various
sources.[19] In 1991 a conference was held at the Ephrata
Cloister in honor of the 300th anniversary of Beissel’s
birth. This conference inspired renewed
interest
in the Cloister’s unique religious,
social, cultural, and material significance.
Partially in response to the conference,[20]
the Ephrata Cloister Archaeology Project, initiated in 1993, has been
“collect[ing] new information, which can be used to mark original
building
locations on the land surface and provide a more meaningful interpretive
experience for thousands of tourists who annually walk the property.”[21] The new archaeological dig on the site began
to provide fresh data about everyday life at the Cloister.[22] According to Stephen G. Warfel, lead
archaeologist at the site, “an artifact assemblage in excess of one
million
objects has been unearthed, cleaned, labeled, and inventoried.”[23] This influx of new material evidence along
with traditional academic research began the process that altered
Ephrata’s
interpretative themes.[24] Building locations have been given more
accurate interpretations according to their function and the discovery
of
additional material evidence obtained from archaeological exploration.[25] Likewise, this material evidence has provided
a deeper understanding of the conflicts within the community and the
impact of
these struggles on the community as it attempted to survive in a
colonial
environment antithetical to the asceticism embraced by the Cloister.[26]
In 1995 Jeffrey Bach, at that time a
doctoral student in the Religion Department of Duke University, was awarded a grant from the Pennsylvania
Historical and Museum Commission “to serve seven weeks as scholar in
residence
at the Ephrata Cloister.”[27] Bach has been called the “Rosetta Stone” of the
Ephrata Cloister for the insights his research provided in comprehending
the
religious community that Beissel led.[28] Bach’s dissertation furnishes a complete
overview of the religious practices found at Ephrata.
Beginning with the social and religious
contexts surrounding the development of the Cloister, Bach extends his
research
into Beissel’s religious thought, other Cloister writers’ thought,
religious
practices, gender issues, architecture, time, language, music, folk art (Frakturschriften), and magic. Based
on research in the original sources,
almost all of which are in German, Bach reconstructs the identity of the
Cloister’s inhabitants with an exegesis of the unique religious language
employed by the community to conceive their rituals.
Bach’s ability to define the theological
purpose behind the rituals of Beissel’s community enabled the museum
staff to
add a new dimension to the Cloister’s interpretation—the reasons
behind the sect’s ascetic lifestyle.
One example of how Bach’s research
provided insight into the motivations for the behavior of Beissel and
his
followers can be found in his exploration of their fasting practices. Bach points out that Beissel and many of the
other members of the community held to a strict diet of only one meal
per
day. Some of Beissel’s instructions
regarding food were as follows: “Keep a
clean table provided with well disciplined meals; yet eat at all times
of God’s
holy essence.”[29] Bach highlights that Gottfried Arnold’s
thought had a major influence on the community’s practice of fasting.[30] He also explains that Beissel and, most
likely, other members of the community who suffered as “religious
refugees” may
not have found the fasting ritual outside of their experience on the
Continent.[31] But what makes Bach’s research unique is that
he examines how Ephrata writing “links diets and the spiritual life.”[32] Boehme, Beissel’s philosophical mentor,
taught that “[biblical] Adam’s paradisic body needed no bowels nor
elimination.”[33] Beissel, Bach argues, “may have believed that
spiritual rebirth and asceticism could restore the body to the paradisic
state
of Adam.”[34] In other words, according to Bach, Beissel
subscribed to the notion that by denying the body food, and therefore
limiting
“elimination,” he could achieve a “paradisic body.”[35] Bach goes on to argue that fasting “provided
an important avenue by which Ephrata’s celibates sought the fullness of
God’s
presence.”[36] By disciplining their earthly need for food
the community was encouraged, explicitly by Beissel, to fill that bodily
void
with “God’s presence.” Prior to Bach’s
revelations, the information about the celibates one meal per day
routine was
presented as one of many odd facts about the Cloister devoid of any
meaning or
logical causation. After Bach’s research
was incorporated into the interpretation, fasting was placed into a
theological
context. This context clarified that the
celibates were attempting to “be like God” by denying their earthly need
for
food.[37] Needless to say, Bach’s research
demonstrates
a connection between the celibates’ daily routines and theological
motives that
revolved around the desire to enter into a mystical union with God.
Michael Showalter, who now serves as
the Museum Educator at the site, also began in 1995 “rereading [source
material] for tiny details of everyday life” at the Cloister.[38] Showalter’s research was instrumental in
constructing an interpretative exhibit that would permit the public to
place
the full narrative of Ephrata’s history into a broader cultural,
historical,
theological, and material context.
Showalter’s thesis shares the majority of its title, “Prelude to
the
As a result of the insights furnished
by contemporary scholars and researchers, investigating the how and why
of the
Cloister’s unique religious culture, a shift was made in the official
interpretation of the site. Though the
foundational elements of the 1941-2000 interpretation remain, there has
been
the addition of theological praxis in everyday life combined with the
acquisition of material culture recovered through either purchase or
archaeology, and a revival of “personalism” added to the interpretation.[44] Bach and Showalter’s academic research was
vital to the interpretation of day-to-day life at the site and Warfel’s
archaeological exploration continues to offer material data. The desire to present a holistic
interpretation of the site was made possible by incorporating ongoing
research
into a thematic presentation of how the Cloister community thought and
lived in
the eighteenth century.
The guided tour of the Cloister begins
in the visitors’ center with an introductory video of fifteen minutes.[45] An actor playing Peter Miller, Beissel’s
successor at the Cloister, speaks with a thick Pennsylvania Dutch accent
as he
narrates the history of the early Cloister.[46] The video provides an interpretation of the
Cloister similar to that found in the visitors center orientation
exhibit with
the exception that it does not bring the visitor up to the present day. At the conclusion of the video a guide enters
the room clad in a white robe reproduced to match the eighteenth century
Peter
Miller character in the video. From this
point the tour proceeds outdoors where visitors flow from building to
building
examining the Germanic architecture of Beissel’s house, Saal (the
Meetinghouse),
and Saron (the Sisters’ House), while learning more about the religious
beliefs
and practices of the Cloister.[47] The information provided by the guides varies
to some degree with their historical knowledge and their time on staff. Within each of the buildings there has been
an attempt to locate material artifacts that best give a sense of what
happened
in that space during the eighteenth century.
This integration of “personalism” is readily apparent in the
women’s
dormitory rooms and common eating area.
Throughout Saron the rooms are outfitted with the appropriate
furnishings. The common eating area has
tables, dishes, cups, and utensils consistent with the number of women
who
would have eaten there, along with suitable kitchenware.
The items on display are presented with as
much historical accuracy as possible (though many, if not most, of these
material artifacts are reproductions).
Throughout the tour the guide explains the daily life of the
celibates
in terms of theological motivation. The
artist expression of the Cloister, the harsh work ethic, the lack of
food, the
lack of sleep, and the practice of having devotions six times per day
are all
explained within the context of practicing theology.
At the end of the guided tour the visitor can
walk the grounds of the Cloister and examine other historic buildings on
the
site. Most of the buildings have an
exhibit that explains the building’s function in the community and
usually
includes some form of an artifact, whether historic or modern
reproduction, to
covey this meaning. All of the buildings
and their exhibits contribute to developing the narrative of the
Cloister from
the eighteenth century until the present.
Clearly, the Cloister has attempted to present
a
narrative of this historic site in terms that
resonant
with the public at large, the region, and vested local interests. However, the challenge of offering new
stories about any site, especially when it affects a traditional
interpretation
of the space, is whether those stories can fit into the mission and
vision for
the site. The change of interpretation
motivated by ongoing research meshes easily with the mission statement
of the
Cloister: “The mission of the Ephrata
Cloister is to preserve and interpret the site and it [sic] history as a
meaningful example of religious toleration and intellectual freedom in
the
“Today,
only a fraction of the Cloister’s 18th century heritage
remains. Yet, the story of a people
anticipating
The
redefined mission and expanded interpretation of the Cloister is readily
identifiable in this simple paragraph.
There is a clear recognition of the theological imperatives that
motivated the commune’s mystical desire for oneness with God. Even more interesting is the designation of
Beissel and his followers as “pioneers.”
This selection of wording implies that the individuals who called
the
Cloister home were actively engaged in a distinctly American struggle
against
prevailing social mores regarding religion, consumerism, and living
arrangements. The paragraph closes with
the hopeful reminder that “the desire for a better life rests within
everyone.” This phrase too conjures up
the American patriotic idealism about foreign people coming to the
CONCLUSION
The Ephrata Cloister provides an
unique case study of how theology can facilitate the historical
interpretation
of a religious site. Though archaeology,
reinterpretation of historic texts, and the recovery of material
artifacts are
common in developing site interpretation, the implementation of a
historical
theologian’s findings appears to be unique, especially at a state-funded
site. Interestingly, the committee involved
in
approving the Cloister’s revised interpretation chose not to move
towards a
more objective, secular story. Instead,
the decision was made to provide explanation and theological grounding
for the
behavior of Beissel’s community.[52] William J. Lewis, in his book Interpreting
for Park Visitors, argues
that history becomes more compelling “when its human aspects are
emphasized.”[53] Lewis encourages park interpreters with the
advice that the, “more specific you can be about the people who were
once
involved in your site’s history, the more effective you will be.”[54] By telling a more holistic story of Ephrata,
the museum offers visitors more than an interesting visual, material,
and
social experience. The museum provides
the visitor with an opportunity to understand the reasons for the
Cloister’s
existence, lifestyle, and decision to live as a community.
Furthermore, by placing the story of the
Cloister within the larger context of Anabaptist and Pietist church
history,
the site provides visitors a glimpse into religious thought of early
modern
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by
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_____.
_____.
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Conrad. Some
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J. Interpreting
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James M. “‘A New Departure in Historical
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_____. Ephrata
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_____. Guide
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Cloister, A Bibliography: 1945-2000.
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[1]
Diane Barthel argues that in
[2] Two prime examples of patriotic historic
preservation
are evident in the selection of George Washington’s
[3] William T. Alderson and Shirley Payne-Low
explain
that “[s]eldom are historic buildings saved because a group of
knowledgeable
people, armed with detailed research reports, has reached a
dispassionate and logical
conclusion that a building ought to be acquired.” Rather,
more often than not, historic sites
are saved by preservationists in response to the proposed sale or
destruction
of a property that has an “old and revered” status within the community. William T. Alderson and Shirley Payne
Low, Interpretation
of Historic Sites, 2nd ed.
(Walnut Creek, CA: Alta Mira
Press, 1996), 8.
[4] It should be noted that the National Register
for
Historical Places limits the selection of a religious site to its
quantifiable
qualities such as “architectural or artistic distinction or historical
importance,” and limits the historical significance of “properties owned
by
religious institutions or used for religious purposes” on religious
merit
alone. National Park Service, Department
of the Interior, Code of Federal
Regulations: Title 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property, Part 60
National
Register of Historic Places,
(Washington, D.C., 1981).
[5] Martin E. Marty and Jonathan Moore describe
the
common arguments against public religion or recognition of religion in
the
political-civic sphere as founded on the idea that religion “has no
place in a
democratic republic” because of its divisiveness, its disruptive
qualities, and
its tendency towards violence. See,
Martin E. Marty and Jonathan Moore, Politics, Religion, and the Common
Good: Advancing A Distinctly American
Conversation About Religion’s Role in Our Shared Life
(
[6] James W. Skillen, when commenting on the role
of religion
in the public square, argues “[a] strict spearationist position on
religion . .
. insists that religion can be predefined as a private affair and that
the
public order is neutrally secular. While
this position aims to shut out other views of religion from public life,
it
remains unselfconscious about the deep religious character of its own
comprehensive point of view, which it wants to impose.
The fact is that what underlies the
religious/secular division of life is a comprehensive view of reality,
with
roots in the Enlightenment, that designates traditional religion as
private and
modern politics as secular.” James W.,
Skillen, “The Theoretical Roots of Equal
Treatment,” in Equal Treatment of
Religion in a Pluralistic Society,
ed. Stephen V. Monsma and J. Christopher Soper
(Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1998),
73. Also see, Roy A. Clouser, The
Myth of Religious Neutrality: An Essay on
the Hidden Role of Religious
Beliefs in Theories (Notre Dame,
IN: University of Notre Dame, 1991).
[7] Despite the fact that the original religious
community located at Ephrata never referred to the site as a cloister or
commune, throughout this paper I will refer the community established at
Ephrata in 1735, as well as the current historical site managed by the
Pennsylvania
Historical and Museum Commission as the Ephrata Cloister for geographic
and
literary clarity.
[8] The main material culture exhibit in the
Cloister’s
visitor center titled, “Prelude to the New World: An
Introduction to the Ephrata Cloister,”
builds upon the European turbulence that brought Beissel to the New
World when
it states, “The illustrations in the Martyrs
Mirror [the famous religious publication of the Cloister] speak of
the
persecution and turmoil in the Old World.
[9] Mark A. Noll, A
History of Christianity in the
[10] Beissel was introduced by friends to several
different theologically experimental groups.
He was first exposed to Pietist thought that focused on “inner
devotion”
and ethical living, combined with a “fresh study of the Bible and the
early
church.” Later, Beissel came under the
influence of Inspirationists who believed that they were “possessed by
the Holy
Spirit” and provided evidence of their peculiar pneumatology by having
“visions, speaking in tongues (glossolalia), miracles, and prophecy.” The next and greatest influence on Beissel’s
religious thought was the writings of fellow German, Jakob Boehme, a
renowned
mystical philosopher. E. G.
Alderfer, The Ephrata Commune: An Early
American Counterculture (Pittsburgh,
PA: University of Pittsburgh Press,
1985), 18-19. Also see, Walter C.
Klein, Joann Conrad Beissel: Mystic and
Martinet, 1690-1768 (Philadelphia,
PA: University of Pennsylvania Press,
1942), 41-42.
[11] Christian Endress, “History of the Society,”
in An Account of the Settlement of the Dunkers
at Ephrata, in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania By Redmond Conyngham, Esq. To Which is Added A Short History of That
Religious Society By the Late Rev. Christian Endress
(Publisher Unknown, 1826), 151.
[12] Michael S. Showalter, Anticipating
[13] The guide for the Cloister published jointly
with the
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission and Stackpole Books (2000)
still
contextualizes the Ephrata Cloister within Penn’s vision of religious
freedom
for the colony. John Bradley,
Ephrata
Cloister: Pennsylvania Trail of History
Guide (
[14] John Bradley, Ephrata Cloister: Pennsylvania
Trail of History Guide,
10. Interestingly, in contrast to the
positive narrative associated with most official literature of Penn’s
vision,
Daniel B. Shea argues that the “history of early Pennsylvania, whoever
tells
it, records the failure of Penn’s Holy Experiment.”
Shea points out that Penn’s Quaker vision of
“applying the Sermon on the Mount to the governing of men” was difficult
to
manage when the dislike of political power, ideals regarding public
morality,
and pacifistic convictions came face to face with the everyday realities
of
corrupt power struggles, immoral human actions, and “Indian attacks.” Daniel B. Shea, Spiritual
Autobiography in Early
[15] Interestingly, John B. B. Trussell, Jr.
argues that
for Penn “religious toleration did not mean that he agreed that there
could be
different ideas of truth, but only that in spiritual matters all people
had the
right to be wrong.” Therefore, though
Penn may not have agreed with Beissel’s spiritual experiment he would
have
embraced it as a valid expression of faith similar to his own Quaker
belief. See, John B. B. Trussell
Jr. William
Penn: Architect of a Nation
(Harrisburg, PA: Pennsylvania
Historical and Museum
Commission, 1998), 70.
[16] “Congress shall make no law respecting an
establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof . .
.” Vincent Wilson, Jr. ed., The
Book of Great American Documents (Brookeville,
MD: American History Research Associates,
1998),
48.
[17] Pennsylvania Historical and Museum
Commission, Cloister [brochure] (Harrisburg, PA,
1997).
[18] Michael S. Showalter, Museum Educator,
interviewed by
author,
[19] Bruce J. Noble, Jr. argues that “Parks
throughout the
nation offer fertile terrain for countless books and dissertations, and
park
managers should try to supplement scarce research funds through
collaborative
projects with neighboring academic
institutions.” Bruce J. Noble, Jr., “At
Historical Parks: Balancing a Multitude
of Interests,"” in Public History: Essays
From the Field, ed. James B.
Gardner and Peter S. LaPaglia (Malabar,
FL: Krieger Publishing Company, 1999),
283. Also see, Freeman Tilden,
Interpreting
Our Heritage, 3rd ed.
(Chapel Hill, NC: The University of North Carolina Press, 1977),
23. To the Cloister’s credit, and in
accord with Noble’s suggestion, several institutions have close links
with the
museum. The Church of the Brethren
denomination has two higher educational institutions under its
influence,
[20] In 1989-1990 there was test archaeology done
on the
site for a future fire suppression system that led to the discovery of
building
foundations. This information coupled
with the renewed interest in the Cloister’s material evidence led to
establishment of an annual summer archaeological dig at the site. There were, however, previous archaeological
explorations at the Cloister in 1963, 1964, 1965, and 1966. Michael S. Showalter, Museum Educator,
interviewed by author,
[21] Stephen G. Warfel, Historical
Archaeology at Ephrata Cloister: A Report on
2001 Investigations (
[22] Hardesty and Little point out that the oral
and
literary record of a site may not provide information beyond “the
insiders’
view of just a few literate people from a socially and politically
dominate
group that may or may not correspond to with the grassroots data about
actual
behavior coming from archaeology.”
Therefore, archaeological evidence can provide a unique
perspective on
the actual everyday lives of individuals who lived on the site that may
conflict with the written record, but could provide important insights
into
actual living conditions and behaviors.
Donald L. Hardesty and Barbara J. Little, Assessing
Site Significance: A Guide
Archaeologists and Historians (
[23] Stephen G. Warfel, Historical
Archaeology at Ephrata Cloister: A Report on
2001 Investigations, 2.
[25] The best example of this new interpretation
is found
in the exploration of the
[26] Warfel believes that the evidence from the
[27] Jeffrey A. Bach, “Voices of the Turtledoves: The Mystical Language of the Ephrata
Cloister” (Ph.D. diss., Duke University,
1997), 485. Jeffrey A. Bach to author,
[28] Michael S. Showalter, Museum Educator,
interviewed by
author,
[29] Georg Conrad Beissel,
Some Theological Maxims or Rules
of the Solitary Life, trans. Michelle S. Long, ed. Nadine A.
Steinmetz (Ephrata, 1752;
reprint, Ephrata, PA: Ephrata
Cloister Associates, Pennsylvania
Historical and Museum Commission, 1991), 40.
[30] Jeffrey A. Bach, “Voices of the Turtledoves: The Mystical Language of the Ephrata
Cloister,” 200.
[31] Ibid., 201.
[32] Ibid., 203.
[33] Ibid., 202.
[34] Ibid., 201.
[35] Ibid., 202.
[36] Ibid., 206.
[37] Michael S. Showalter, Museum Educator,
interviewed by
author,
[39] Michael S. Showalter,
“Prelude to the
[40] Pennsylvania Historical and Museum
Commission, Guide Manual: Ephrata Cloister
[unpublished manuscript] (
[41] William J. Lewis indicates in his approach to
presenting history that providing “excerpts from diaries, letters and
poetry
they wrote; singing songs they used to sing or listen to;
describing a meal they might have eaten; revealing
the concern they had for political
and social issues; portraying their
energy situations; discussing familial
relationships; showing blowups of old
photos, prints and artwork” offer the visitor a humanized portrait of
the site
that can be “carried back home.” William J. Lewis, Interpreting
for Park Visitors (Philadelphia,
PA: Eastern Acorn Press, 1980), 98.
[43] This history of the historical site is useful
because
it allows visitors the opportunity to see that even tourists of one
hundred
years ago came to the Cloister grounds to gawk at the remnants of this
religious community. One exhibit station
has a newspaper article from the era that reads, “The society would be
pleased
to have no cranks with Kodak cameras and [people with]
misrepresentations
publish glowing newspaper reports of any matters of the ancient Cloister
at
Ephrata” (“Fair Play,” The Daily
Intellegencer,
[44] According to James M. Lindgren “personalism”
was the
19th century approach to historical interpretation that was
utilized
by women before the professionalization of historic preservation by men. “Personalism” focused on “those old-time
interiors, crafts, and manners that seemed most associated with the
revered
founders of the nation, leaders of their town, or patriarchs (and
matriarchs)
of their family. With its focus on the
interconnectedness of spirit, body, and nature, personalism placed
importance
on an artifact’s ties to such values as individual character, love of
family,
respect for community, personal intimacy, and humility before God. Put simply, personalism stressed the material
and immaterial bonds that made people human.”
James M. Lindgren, “‘A New
Departure in Historical Patriotic Work’:
Personalism, Professionalism, and Conflicting Concepts of
Material
Culture in the Late Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries,” The
Public Historian 18,
no. 2
(Spring 1996): 44.
[45] Anticipating
[46] Key to the interpretative strategy of the
Cloister is
Freeman Tilden’s Interpreting Our
Heritage. Tilden’s six
interpretative principles are the foundation of all that the museum has
endeavored to accomplish in presenting the story of the Cloister. Michael S. Showalter, Museum Educator,
interviewed by author,
[47] During my interview with Michael Showalter he
mentioned that tour guides are often mistaken for members of the
original
church, which has long been defunct. On
my last visit to the Cloister, prior to writing this case study, I
witnessed an
interaction between a tour guide and a visitor that reveals how
confusing the
robes and video are to visitors who have no context in which to place a
historical religious site. Upon entering
the visitors’ center a tour guide and visitor entered directly after me,
the
visitor asked the guide, “So, how long have you lived here?” At which time the guide smiled and explained
that he was a retired teacher who volunteers at the site.
Needless to say, having guides dressed as
authentically as possible does present some problems for interpretation
if
there are not clear markers to help the guests understand that the
Cloister is
not a functioning religious commune.
[48] Pennsylvania Historical and Museum
Commission, Guide Manual: Ephrata Cloister
[unpublished manuscript] (
[49] Kenneth L. Ames argues that most museum
mission
statements “pay homage in some form to the museum profession’s own
trinity:
collecting, preserving, and interpreting” without evidence that these
activities are even “sufficiently empowering.”
See, Kenneth L. Ames, “Finding
Common Threads: An Afterword,”
in Ideas
and Images: Developing Interpretive
History Exhibits, ed. Kenneth L.
Ames, Barbara Franco, and L. Thomas Frye
(Nashville, TN: American
Association for State and Local History, 1992), 314.
[50] David Glassberg,
Sense of History: The
Place of the Past in American Life (
[51] Pennsylvania Historical and Museum
Commission, Ephrata
Cloister: Anticipating
[52] In my interview with Museum Educator, Michael
Showalter, he indicated that four themes drive the interpretation of the
Cloister for the public: theology,
economy, community, and legacy. Though
not reflected in the mission statement of the site, these thematic
impulses are
easily seen in all the exhibits, the cultural landscape, and guided
tours of
the site. Michael S. Showalter, Museum
Educator, interviewed by author,
[53] William J. Lewis,
Interpreting for Park Visitors
(Philadelphia, PA: Eastern Acorn
Press, 1980), 98.
[54] Ibid.
[55] Freeman Tilden, Interpreting
Our Heritage, 3rd ed.
(Chapel Hill, NC: The University
of North Carolina Press, 1977), 44-45.
[56] Linda Shopes indicates that most public
history sites
suffer from a “public stance of ‘optimism’” that prevents an open and
honest
criticism of the site’s history. The
Ephrata Cloister may be unique in their approach to providing a balanced
historical narrative. The tour guides do
not paint an overly positive picture, the introductory video raises
questions
about a volatile situation within the eighteenth century commune, and
the
revision of the official interpretation of the site indicates that the
history
of the Cloister is open to scholarly and critical re-evaluation. See, Linda Shopes, “Building
Bridges Between Academic and Public
History,” The Public Historian
19, no. 2 (Spring
1997): 54.
[57] Catherine Howlett states that “Extraordinary
educational and interpretive models are emerging at sites around the
country,
particularly where curators and administrators are willing to take
risks.” The Ephrata Cloister museum
definitely fits
within Howlett’s praise because of the site’s willingness to address
issues,
such as theology and tradition, by utilizing recent research. See, Catherine Howlett, “Integrity
as a Value in Cultural Landscape Preservation,”
in Preserving Cultural Landscapes in
America, with a foreword by Dolores Hayden,
ed. Arnold R. Alanen and Robert Z. Melnick (Baltimore,
MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press,
2000),
206.