Skip to agency navigation
Skip to main content

Official Website

of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

    The .gov means its official.

    Local, state, and federal government websites often end in .gov. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania government websites and email systems use "pennsylvania.gov" or "pa.gov" at the end of the address. Before sharing sensitive or personal information, make sure you're on an official state website. 

    Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission Awarded $488,816 from the Federal Semiquincentennial Grant Program for Ephrata Cloister

    July 26, 2023

    ​Harrisburg, PA - The Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission (PHMC) is pleased to announce that the National Park Service has awarded $488,816 for the rehabilitation of Ephrata Cloister in Ephrata, Lancaster County.  The grant for Ephrata Cloister is one of 20 grants across 14 states totaling $10 million awarded in the second round of funding from the Semiquincentennial Grant Program commemorating the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. The program was created by Congress in 2020 and funded through the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF).

    “The Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission is thrilled to be awarded this grant for Ephrata Cloister,” said PHMC Executive Director Andrea Lowery. “The funds will be used to repair and preserve this unique monastic settlement whose varied history includes serving as a hospital for nearly 260 American soldiers during the Revolutionary War, some of whom rest in the Mount Zion cemetery overlooking the historic grounds.”

    German immigrants fleeing religious persecution in Europe founded the community of Ephrata Cloister in 1732 where they practiced a lifestyle of discipline and self-deprivation. Grant funds will support the preservation of the architecture at the site through the rehabilitation of exterior components on six of the 18th-century buildings, including the repair, replacement, and protective finish of hand-hewn wood siding and side-lap shingle roofs. Grant funds will also support updates to the National Historic Landmark documentation for the property. 

    Ephrata Cloister is one of 23 state-owned Pennsylvania Trails of History sites administered by the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission.  Recently accredited for a fourth time by the American Alliance of Museums, the institution is actively supported by the Ephrata Cloister Associates, a nonprofit community-based organization.

    The Pennsylvania Trails of History comprises museums and historic sites administered by the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission, organized along four theme-based “trails” crossing the commonwealth: Military History, Industrial Heritage, Historic Homes, and Rural Farm & Village.

    The Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission is the official history agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Learn more by visiting PHMC online or following us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or LinkedIn.

    ###

     Contact: Howard Pollman, 717-705-8639, hpollman@pa.gov