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Wednesday, August 13, 2025

Lititz, Lancaster County

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.

In colonial Pennsylvania, the Moravians were very happy to heed William Penn's invitation to a land free from religious persecution, and began creating various settlements throughout the Province of Pennsylvania. Of these, the four most important were Bethlehem, Nazareth, Emmaus, and Lititz. To outsiders, Lititz may sound like a nonsense word, but it actually takes its name from Litice Castle, in the Czech Republic, which at the time was part of Bohemia; Lititz is just the German spelling. The castle, and the village around it, had sheltered persecuted Moravians in the 15th century.

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 original name given to the community was the Warwick County Congregation, but in 1756 Zinzendorf renamed it after the castle. The Gemeinhaus - literally, "community house" - was built in 1746 and served as the school, church, and parsonage, until these eventually acquired separate buildings. The Rev. Daniel Neibert was the first Moravian minister, while the Rev. Leonard Schnell and his wife Elizabeth were in charge of schooling. Boys and girls were enrolled jointly in the school, eventually reaching an enrollment of more than 70 students, at which point separate schools were established along gender lines. The boys' school eventually folded during the Civil War due to reduced enrollment, but the girls' school still thrives today; Linden Hall is the country's oldest still-operating resident school for girls. Shown here is the Pilgerhaus ("pilgrim's house"), built in 1754. It was the first private home in the settlement, as well as the first hotel.

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.

Among those survivors was 17-year-old Peter Sturgis, who afterward relocated to Lititz and remained there for the rest of his life. His grandson, Julius, went to work for a soft pretzel baker, and had the idea of making and selling hard pretzels. When his boss had no interest, he started his own bakery, and Julius Sturgis Pretzels has been selling the things ever since. It is the oldest commercial pretzel bakery in the country, and just one example of why Pennsylvania is "the snack food capital of the world." They have a big commercial bakery now, of course, but the original building (seen here) still stands and offers tours, showing people where they were made and giving them the chance to make (fake) pretzels themselves, hand-twisting like in the old days.

The center of Moravian life, of course, was the church, and the church in Lititz is still one of the biggest and loveliest buildings in the town's heritage center. General George Washington commandeered part of it for use as a hospital for soldiers of the Continental Army, and those who died in the Moravians' care are still remembered today with memorials. The church is the central figure in the Heritage Center, a collective of buildings in the central square established in 1757, which includes Linden Hall and the Pilgerhaus; it also used to include the Gemeinhaus and a few other buildings which were unfortunately destroyed in the great fire of 1838. A sign near the church displays a map directing visitors to each of the significant buildings throughout the heritage center square.

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.

Elsewhere in the borough, the streets enjoy a sort of bohemian charm, with older buildings sharing space with newer ones and unique shopping and dining experiences aplenty. The Wilbur Chocolate Company was founded here and still maintains operations on Broad Street, including an antiques museum and a store which offers free samples. (Somebody keep me out of there.) The Lititz Springs Inn and Spa is a four-story hotel which has been in continuous operation since 1764, when it was the community's first tavern named the Zum Anker ("Sign of the Anchor"). The Wolf Sanctuary of Pennsylvania also calls Lititz its home; this unique attraction is a hidden gem, providing more than 80 acres of preserved natural woodland dedicated to preventing the extinction of gray wolves. And for a simple, quiet day in nature, it's hard to go wrong with Lititz Springs Park, privately owned by the Moravian congregation and maintained jointly by the community's churches. The welcome center housed in a train station, pavilions, playgrounds, and general upkeep are all financed through resident contributions, and everyone is welcome to explore its tranquil grounds.

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.


Sources and Further Reading:



Zook, John G. Historical and Pictorial Lititz. Express Printing Company, Lititz, PA, 1905.



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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