The oldest Protestant church in the world founded several major cities and boroughs in the Lehigh Valley. Find out why the Moravians came to Pennsylvania, what they were here for, and what the network of communities were created to accomplish. Explore these partners:
1758 Sun Inn
The Moravian Sun Inn was an 18th-century inn built by the Moravian community at Bethlehem, Pennsylvania to provide accommodations for non-Moravian merchants who had business with the community. Many people prominent during the American Revolution stayed there.
1803 House, Emmaus
The 1803 House is very unique for the time period in many ways. The Federal-style home preserves the architecture of the Moravian culture of colonial Pennsylvania and embodies the lifestyle of colonial America.
Emmaus Historical Society
Learn the history of Emmaus, an old Moravian village. In 1742, a small group of Moravians moved ten miles southwest of Bethlehem to a place that the Lenape people called Macungie, or “feeding place of bears.” There they built cabins and a log church in a settlement they named Emmaus, after the place where Jesus appeared to two of his disciples on the day of his resurrection.
Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites
The Moravian Museum of Bethlehem complex includes some of the most important and oldest buildings in the Lehigh Valley including the 1741 Gemeinhaus, Single Sisters House, Nain-Schober House, and the 1752 Apothecary. These sites introduce guests to remarkable stories behind Bethlehem’s founders, early Moravian medicinal practices, communal living, missionary work, and a progressive education system.
Jacobsburg Historical Society
The Henry family joined the Moravian church in Lancaster in 1765. William Henry II (1757-1821) apprenticed at the church-run gunshop at Christian’s Spring and was later a leading citizen in Nazareth; his descendants at Boulton (1812-1989) were devoted Moravians. James Henry (1809-1895) founded the Moravian Historical Society in 1857 and served as its president for nearly forty years.
Liberty Bell Museum
The wagon carrying the Liberty Bell broke down in Bethlehem and was fixed by Moravians before continuing on to Allentown.
Moravian Historical Society
Visit the Moravian Historical Society in historic, downtown Nazareth, Pennsylvania, to explore Moravian contributions to American history, architecture, art, music, and culture. Admire the 1740-1743 Whitefield House and the 1740 Gray Cottage, the oldest Moravian structure in North America. Established in 1857, the museum features permanent and changing exhibitions and a gift shop.
