Snow Hill Cloister Presentation

Join us for an afternoon presentation by Terry Barkley as he shares the fascinating history of the Snow Hill Cloister and the community that thrived there, not far from Waynesboro! After the presentation, take a short walk with Renfrew’s Executive Director to the Royer Museum House where a collection of original Snow Hill artifacts rest on display. Typically part of the General Farmhouse Tour, this peek into the Museum of the Snow Hill Exhibit is a special treat just for this presentation!

More about Terry’s fantastic work:

In 1732, Conrad Beissel established the Ephrata Cloister as a semi-monastic community of Pennsylvania German immigrants in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Beissel was a radical pietist who eschewed worldly comforts, embraced celibacy, and espoused a Saturday sabbath.

Thirty-two years later, an elderly Beissel visited the Antietam area of present-day Franklin County. Here, he ordained one of his followers, Georg Adam Martin, to establish a new congregation which Beissel would later dub the “only true daughter” of Ephrata.

Despite the fervor generated by Beissel’s visit, the Antietam congregation grew slowly before blossoming into Snow Hill: a vibrant, prosperous community of 45 celibate members. While the last celibate member passed away in 1895, married church members sustained the congregation well into the late 20th century.

Several authors have examined Snow Hill including Charles Treher (1968) and Denise Seachrist (2010). However, Requiem for Snow Hill (Nunnery): The Daughter of Ephrata Cloister, offers a unique perspective on the Snow Hill story, utilizing an approach that its author, Terry Barkley, describes as “a general overview… that will appeal to all readers.”

Barkley emphasizes several key differences between parent and daughter congregations, particularly Snow Hill’s less ascetic daily regimen. However, he also highlights myriad similarities, including the bifurcation of genders, an affinity for illuminated musical manuscripts, and the importance of love feast celebrations. Unfortunately, the congregations also followed similar patterns of decline, succession crises, and legal squabbles that required court intervention.

The Ephrata Cloister was ultimately acquired and preserved by the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission, and today it is a popular tourist destination. However, no such fate awaited Snow Hill, and by 1968, historian Frederick Weiser described the community as “all but forsaken.” Snow Hill’s demise culminated in a 1997 auction of historic relics, followed by a final real estate sale in 2013.

The last structural vestiges of Snow Hill are now a privately owned apartment complex, while the original meeting house is a residence, complete with a two-car garage. Very few people are acquainted with the thriving community that once existed at Snow Hill, making Terry Barkley’s treatise an important addition to the historical record. His compelling narrative will interest anyone who appreciates church history, historic preservation, or communal studies.

Bradley Smith, Curator of Historic Ephrata Cloister, October 2024

About the Author

Terry Barkley is a retired professional librarian, archivist, and Harvard-trained museum curator, and a former history teacher. He is the author or co-author of eight non-fiction historical books and one historical novel. Terry retired in 2012 as director of the Brethren Historical Library and Archives (BHLA) at the Church of the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Illinois. He formerly served as college archivist and museum curator at Bridgewater College in Bridgewater, Virginia. He holds degrees and a graduate certificate from the University of North Alabama, The Citadel, University of Alabama, and Harvard University. Terry is an independent scholar who lives in Bridgewater, Virginia.