I can't say for sure that creating an Instagram for the blog has definitely impacted the traffic. However, according to Blogger's stats, the numbers are much better than they were at this time last year, so at the absolute worst, the Instagram isn't hurting anything. Maybe these newfangled apps have their uses.
One thing that Instagram has definitely done, at least, is connect me with a lot of historical organizations across the state. The exciting part is that not only am I following them, but some of them are following me back! One of those, which is admittedly what kind of inspired me to do today's post, is the Lititz Historical Foundation. I've done all but one of the markers in Lititz, which was once voted the "Coolest Little Town in America," and by sheer happenstance the one remaining is the official marker of the community. I've only spent one day in Lititz, but I was completely delighted with it (apart from how cold it was, being late winter) and hope to go back.
Lititz has rather singular origins, as I mentioned when I wrote about the Moravian Gemeinhaus a while ago. The story is told on a different (non-PHMC) historical marker on North Spruce Street, which also details the names of many of those who helped to bring about the existence of the community and contributed significantly to its growth, as well as those who served in various wars. What happened was that Zinzendorf was touring the area and looking for a place to establish another Moravian community. It was 1742; Bethlehem had been 'born' just a year earlier, and he wanted to create a similar settlement. While on his travels, he visited the home of Hans Jacob Huber, where he preached a sermon to several local farmers. This sermon was deliberately skipped by Huber's neighbor, John George Klein, who was very critical of and rather opposed to Zinzendorf's teachings. However, after missing the sermon, it's said that Klein was kept awake all night by an attack of conscience, and he proceeded to follow the count to Lancaster. There, he listened to Zinzendorf preaching in the county courthouse, which so moved and inspired Klein that he completely changed his mind. He and his wife Anna donated a tract of 491 acres of land for the development of what we now call Lititz.
The settlement grew rapidly throughout the colonial years, although for the first century only Moravians were allowed to live there. By 1759, when the first map of Lititz was drawn, the community boasted several private homes, a sawmill, a gristmill, a doctor's office, and an apothecary shop. The next decade saw the addition of a general store, a gunsmith, a blacksmith, a tobacconist, a shoemaker, and two different instrument makers. One was John Antes, who made stringed instruments; the other was David Tannenberg, the renowned organ builder. He moved into the Pilgerhaus in 1765 and resided there until his death in 1804. The settlement was also sometimes home to David Zeisberger, one of the great Moravian missionaries to the Native Americans. Zeisberger, as my longtime readers may recall, had been traveling to the settlement at Gnadenhuetten in modern Carbon County when it was attacked by Native allies of the French, and went to aid the survivors the following morning.
The center of modern Lititz retains its Moravian roots, in part thanks to the Lititz Historical Foundation. Headquartered in the 1793 home of Christian Schropp, it maintains a museum featuring displays of needlework by Moravian women, information and artifacts related to Native American settlements, and many items which they proudly state can be "seen nowhere else in the world." This includes the John Sutter Room, a tribute to the founder of Sacramento, California, who spent the final years of his life in Lititz; the room contains many items from his home. The 1792 Johannes Mueller House, right next door, is a painstakingly restored example of a home in a closed Moravian settlement, kitted out with family heirlooms generously donated by the descendants of original settlers.
As usual, I'm trying my hardest not to overwhelm my readers with information. But it's really difficult when the subjects are as interesting as the ones I encounter in this blog, and Lititz is no exception. All I can say is that it's a place where history and modern sensibility are thoroughly mingled, and if you get the chance to experience it for yourself, I definitely recommend it.
Except where indicated, all writing and photography on this blog is the intellectual property of Laura Klotz. This blog is written with permission of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. I am not employed by the PHMC. All rights reserved.
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