Experience 6orly Settlement's Rich -History LOU ANN GOOD Food And Family Features Editor BETHLEHEM (Lehigh Co.) “All these fabulous pieces I’d love to have them in my home,” said Linda Miller, one of the per sons who participated in the women’s tour of Historic Bethle hem. She was referring to the furn ishings in the oldest building in Bethlehem the 1741 Gemein haus. But the pieces are not for sale. Neither are guests able to photo graph the interior nor the many fascinating furnishings within its walls. When Miller and other visitors entered the building now known as the Moravian Museum of Bethlehem, it was like a step back in time. The 12 rooms of the former Gemeinhaus still contain many of the original pieces that the Moravian missionaries used in their daily lives. The Moravians came to the new world to evangelize the na- Although Linda Miller, Harrisburg, prefers the furnishings found in the Gemeinhaus, this rocker discovered in a nearby Bethlehem antiques shop Is much more affordable. The 1741 Gemeinhaus, Moravian Museum of Bethle hem, is one of the largest 18th century log structures in the U.S. Twelve exhibit rooms depict the life of Bethle hem’s early Moravian settlers. Lancaster FjU^mg tive Indians. The Moravians also excelled in education and musical training. They are said to have written more hymns than all other Protestants groups com bined in the whole world. The Moravians were the first to trans late the Bible in the language of the people. The early Moravian settlement built the five-level house now used as the museum to house up to 80 people at one time. The kitchen area was in the basement level. The second floor or the street level held offices and living space, the third floor was where church services were conducted, the fourth floor housed the dor mitories, and the attic was the fifth floor. Later the Moravians built more houses to meet the demands of their growing settlement. A tour of the museum offers a glimpse of the fascinating history of Pennsylvania’s Bethlehem, considered a closed community to anyone outside the Moravian faith until 1845. Unlike the majority of people during that era, the Moravians believed in the equality of men and women. They established the first girl’s school in America in 1742. Their artisans employed ad vanced technologies from their native Europe. About half of the settlement worked to enable the others to pursue missionary goals. As the group multiplied, houses were erected for single brothers, single sisters, and mar ried people. Most of these build ings are part of the historic town and available for tour. Seven acres of the original farm are being developed as a living histo ry museum to interpret farming between 1748-1848, a time of great change in agriculture meth ods. The colonial industrial quar ter shows the ingenious inven tions of the Moravians as they developed industry to support the community. For more information about Historic Bethlehem, call (610) 882-0450 or visit the Website, www.historicbethlehem.org. The Pilgrim Room, where temporary guests stayed, is one the 12 rooms that shows how the Moravian mission was furnished in the 18th Century. Items used in the everyday preparation of food takes visitors back in time. Early settlements were thought to be sparse and primitive. But the Moravians appre ciated intricate decorations and had some fine collections of silver and china that they brought to the new world.
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