This Religious Town in Pennsylvania Was Built by Germans with Strange Social Rules & Rituals

The Moravian Settlement of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

In 1741, a group of Germans sailed to Pennsylvania with big dreams and unique religious customs.

They built a town where everyone shared everything, married by lottery, and women ran businesses. The Moravians turned Bethlehem into America’s first planned community.

Here’s how they built their perfect world in the woods.

The Religious Refugees Who Created a Utopian Community

In 1741, a group of Moravians bought 500 acres where the Monocacy Creek meets the Lehigh River.

These religious refugees from what is now the Czech Republic wanted to build a perfect community.

Bishop David Nitschmann led the purchase for the church. The first 80 members shared everything they had. No one owned private property.

Count Zinzendorf, their leader in Europe, helped shape the new settlement to support missionary work among Native Americans.

The Christmas Eve Naming in 1741

Count Zinzendorf arrived in December 1741 to visit the small settlement. On Christmas Eve, he led the settlers into the stable part of the First House.

As they sang a hymn with words about “lowly Bethlehem,” Zinzendorf felt moved to name their new home. He called it “Bethlehem” after the birthplace of Jesus.

The name means “House of Bread” in Hebrew. This Christmas naming started a tradition that continues today in what’s now known as Christmas City, USA.

America’s First Industrial Park Along Monocacy Creek

The Moravians built their workshops along Monocacy Creek just two years after arriving.

By 1747, they had started 35 different trades and crafts. They built a sawmill, soap mill, tannery, blacksmith shop, and brass foundry.

They later added a pottery, dye house, bakery, and oil mill. At first, they used simple log buildings. Later, they replaced them with strong limestone structures.

They used the creek’s water to power their tools and machines. John Adams visited in 1777 and was amazed by their mechanical skills.

The 1762 Waterworks – America’s First Municipal Water System

The Moravians built something no one else in America had in 1762 – a water system that pumped fresh water uphill.

They used a wooden waterwheel to power wooden pumps. The system carried spring water from the creek up to the main settlement.

The clever design kept drinking water separate from water used in their workshops. This system worked for over 150 years until 1913.

Today, it’s a National Historic Landmark that shows how advanced the Moravians were for their time.

The Revolutionary Choir System of Communal Living

Instead of living in family homes, Moravians lived in groups called “choirs” based on age, sex, and whether they were married.

Single men lived in the Brethren’s House. Single women stayed in the Sisters’ House built in 1744. Married couples lived apart and met only at certain times.

After weaning, children moved to the Children’s Choir houses. Each choir had its own rules, hymns, and daily schedule.

This way of living was completely different from how other colonists lived. Each choir building had dining halls, workrooms, and sleeping areas.

Women’s Education Unlike Anywhere Else in Colonial America

In 1742, Count Zinzendorf’s daughter Benigna started a school for girls that was far ahead of its time.

Girls learned the same subjects as boys – math, science, and foreign languages. This was unheard of in colonial America where most women couldn’t read.

Single women could choose to stay unmarried and work for the community. Some women became Deaconesses and Acolytes with leadership roles.

The girls’ school grew into Moravian Seminary and College for Women, now part of Moravian University – the sixth oldest college in America.

The General Economy System That Supported Missions

Everyone in Bethlehem worked for the common good without getting paid. This system was called the “General Economy” or “Oeconomy.”

Instead of wages, members got food, housing, clothing, and medical care from birth until death. The church owned all land and buildings.

This setup helped the community make extra goods they could trade or sell. The money funded missionaries who spread their faith to Native Americans.

The Moravians didn’t focus on getting rich. Instead, they used their skills to support their religious work throughout North America.

The Multicultural Haven in Colonial Pennsylvania

While most colonial towns were divided by race and nationality, Bethlehem welcomed people from many backgrounds.

By the mid-1700s, people spoke 15 different languages in the settlement. Europeans worked alongside African Americans and Native Americans.

Everyone lived, worked, prayed, and went to school together. The Nain-Schober House built in 1758 was home to Native Americans who had joined the church.

In the God’s Acre cemetery, Lenape converts were buried next to European settlers. This mix of cultures was rare in early America.

When George Washington’s Wounded Soldiers Arrived

During the Revolutionary War, the Moravians’ peaceful community changed.

The Continental Army took over the Brethren’s House for a military hospital. Over 500 soldiers died there and were buried on a hillside in Bethlehem.

The famous Marquis de Lafayette healed from his battle wounds in the settlement.

Though Moravians wouldn’t fight because of their beliefs, they doubled their leather production to help the American cause.

George Washington visited, and Continental Congress members stayed here when the British took Philadelphia.

The End of the Communal Experiment

By the 1760s, the Moravians’ shared way of life began to change.

Count Zinzendorf died in 1760, leaving them without their main leader. The Seven Years’ War had hurt their finances.

The church had taken on too much debt from building new settlements. In 1761, leaders started shifting from communal living to family homes.

The General Economy ended in 1762. Married couples began living together by 1758.

By 1806, when they finished Central Moravian Church, Bethlehem looked much more like a regular American town.

Music at the Heart of Moravian Life

The Moravians started one of America’s first orchestras in 1744. Sometimes people sang hymns in their own languages all at once.

The Moravian Trombone Choir, started in 1754, still plays its tunes. The Bach Choir of Bethlehem continues this musical tradition into the present day.

They brought a keyboard instrument from England in 1744 and added a pipe organ in 1746. They played the horns, brass, and stringed instruments.

Visiting Moravian Settlement of Bethlehem

You can walk through history at Historic Moravian Bethlehem, named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2024.

The 10-acre site includes nine original buildings, four ruins, and the historic cemetery. Start at the Moravian Museum in the 1741 Gemeinhaus.

Explore the Colonial Industrial Quarter to see the 1762 Waterworks and 1761 Tannery. Tour the Single Sisters’ House and catch old wive tales at the Sun Inn.

The Central Moravian Church still holds services, carrying on traditions that began almost 300 years ago, along with Sunday school sessions for the little ones.

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