Expected Release Date: May 20, 2025

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.

Several authors have examined Snow Hill including Charles Treher (1968) and Denise Sechrist (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.”

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.

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