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US 322 WB at State Street EphrataPhoto: Dough4872 · CC BY-SA 4.0
A−History
History · Ephrata Township

Ephrata Township dates to 1732, and 4 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 84% of U.S. towns · #262 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. What drives it

Most of Ephrata Township was built recently: 9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1997. Below: 58 old photos and papers, maps from 1906 on, and the census since 1880.

1732founded
4on the National Register
9%homes built before 1940
58old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Ephrata Township’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Ephrata Township began

When was Ephrata Township founded?

1732

Ephrata Township dates its founding to 1732 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 392 in 18802020 census: 10,386294 years

How historic is Ephrata Township?

A−

More historic than 84% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1889.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Ephrata Township’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Ephrata Township is more historic than 84% of U.S. towns, #262 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Ephrata Township’s overall grade.
Founding era1732, from Wikipedia: founded before 1776, an older era than 96% of U.S. townsA+Homes built before 19409.1% of homes (±4.2) · typical PA town 17.7% · U.S. 8.4%C+National Register4 listings, 9 historic buildings, 8.5 per 10,000 residents · typical PA town 2.1 · U.S. 2.4B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 84%
NewerOlder
Pennsylvania towns of 2,500+ (1,035)Ahead of 75%

Pennsylvania towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Pennsylvania town has 2.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Ephrata Township’s 8.5 sits above most of its state (75% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 9 historic buildings outnumber those of 75% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikipedia alone; no second source gives 1732.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.2 points).

Founding year: Wikipedia (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Ephrata Township’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A town in old photos58 old photos, postcards and papers, 1880–1942.Shrank, then grewLost half of its people between 1960 and 1970, then grew 3-fold.Then and nowOne place photographed years apart. Drag to compare.Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Ephrata Township, and 4 old place names are still on the map.
★ What stands out · By decade

Ephrata Township, decade by decade

5 decades in the archive, from the 1880s to the 1940s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1880s–1890s20 items
1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Pennsylvania - Lancaster County - Ephrata - ED 36-43, ED 36-44, ED 36-45, ED 36…18801940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Pennsylvania …View of Ephrata, Pennsylvania1887View of Ephrata, PennsylvaniaView of Ephrata, Pennsylvania1887View of Ephrata, PennsylvaniaOld houses - Ephrata. Community house of the Ephrata Cloister1890Old houses - Ephrata. Community house of the Ephrata …Old houses - Ephrata. Doorway of old house at Ephrata1890Old houses - Ephrata. Doorway of old house at EphrataEphrata, Sister's House1890Ephrata, Sister's HouseEphrata - Sangmeister's House1890Ephrata - Sangmeister's HouseEphrata, Bake House. Front view of Bake House of Ephrata community1890Ephrata, Bake House. Front view of Bake House of Ephr…The Prior's House1890The Prior's HouseEphrata Sister and Brother Houses. Ephrata, Saron and Saal, view from s.w1890Ephrata Sister and Brother Houses. Ephrata, Saron and…Old houses - Ephrata. Another view of the community house of the Ephrata Cloister1890Old houses - Ephrata. Another view of the community h…Ephrata, interior of Widow Saal1890Ephrata, interior of Widow SaalOld houses - Ephrata. Bird's eye view of Ephrata from Berg Zion showing old houses1890Old houses - Ephrata. Bird's eye view of Ephrata from…Ephrata, Seventh Day Adventist Academy1890Ephrata, Seventh Day Adventist AcademyEphrata, end of Sister's House1890Ephrata, end of Sister's HouseEphrata, Saal and Sister's House1890Ephrata, Saal and Sister's HouseEphrata, end of Brother House1890Ephrata, end of Brother HouseEphrata, Schevestern Saal (Sister's House), exterior1890Ephrata, Schevestern Saal (Sister's House), exteriorEphrata, rear entrance to Sister House1890Ephrata, rear entrance to Sister HouseWidow's house, interior, main door1890Widow's house, interior, main door
1900s10 items
Main Street1905Main StreetThe Meadow1905The MeadowHotel Cocalico1905Hotel CocalicoThe Saal1905The SaalSoldiers Monument1905Soldiers MonumentRailroad Station1905Railroad StationThe Cocalico Creek1905The Cocalico CreekThe Brother House1905The Brother HouseThe old Cocalico bridge1905The old Cocalico bridgeSister House and Saal1905Sister House and Saal
1930s12 items
Dutchmaid Motel, In the heart of the Penna. Dutch country, 10 miles north of Lancaster on U.S. 222 at Ephrata, Penna. 5…c. 1930Dutchmaid Motel, In the heart of the Penna. Dutch cou…Ephrata Legion Club, Ephrata, Penna (85224)c. 1930Ephrata Legion Club, Ephrata, Penna (85224)Cloister Motor Court (3422)c. 1930Cloister Motor Court (3422)Cloister Motor Court (82836)c. 1930Cloister Motor Court (82836)Dutch Land Motel, U.S. 222 -- midway between Reading and Lancaster at the Reading and Lancaster Exit 21 of the Penna. T…c. 1930Dutch Land Motel, U.S. 222 -- midway between Reading …Dutchmaid Motel, U.S. Route 222 at Ephrata, Pennsylvania. Near historic Cloisters -- Midway between Lancaster and Readi…c. 1930Dutchmaid Motel, U.S. Route 222 at Ephrata, Pennsylva…DETAIL OF FRONT GROUND FLOOR WALL - Adam R. Buck Barn, Route 11933DETAIL OF FRONT GROUND FLOOR WALL - Adam R. Buck Barn…GENERAL VIEW - Adam R. Buck Barn, Route 11933GENERAL VIEW - Adam R. Buck Barn, Route 1GENERAL VIEW. NOTE WAGON SHED, FANCY ROOF VENTILATORS AND VERGEBOARDS - Victorian Barn, Conestoga Creek at covered brid…1933GENERAL VIEW. NOTE WAGON SHED, FANCY ROOF VENTILATORS…GENERAL VIEW. NOTE WOOD OVERHANG. TRIM PAINTED GREEN. ALSO NOTE WINDOW CASING - Victorian Barn, Conestoga Creek at cove…1933GENERAL VIEW. NOTE WOOD OVERHANG. TRIM PAINTED GREEN.…REAR AND SIDE ELEVATIONS - Adam R. Buck Barn, Route 11933REAR AND SIDE ELEVATIONS - Adam R. Buck Barn, Route 1STONE END WITH RED QUOINS - Adam R. Buck Barn, Route 11933STONE END WITH RED QUOINS - Adam R. Buck Barn, Route 1
1940s13 items
Draft Board Number 5 8d10692v1942Draft Board Number 5 8d10692vEphrata, Pennsylvania (vicinity). Barn decoration1942Ephrata, Pennsylvania (vicinity). Barn decorationEphrata, Pennsylvania. Harness repair man and shoemaker1942Ephrata, Pennsylvania. Harness repair man and shoemak…Ephrata, Pennsylvania. Harness repair man and shoemaker1942Ephrata, Pennsylvania. Harness repair man and shoemak…Ephrata, Pennsylvania (vicinity). Living room in Fry homestead1942Ephrata, Pennsylvania (vicinity). Living room in Fry …Ephrata, Pennsylvania (vicinity). Dining room in Fry homestead1942Ephrata, Pennsylvania (vicinity). Dining room in Fry …Ephrata, Pennsylvania (vicinity). Butchering pork on a Mennonite farm1942Ephrata, Pennsylvania (vicinity). Butchering pork on …Ephrata, Pennsylvania (vicinity). Butchering pork on a Mennonite farm1942Ephrata, Pennsylvania (vicinity). Butchering pork on …Ephrata, Pennsylvania (vicinity). Butchering pork on a Mennonite farm1942Ephrata, Pennsylvania (vicinity). Butchering pork on …Ephrata, Pennsylvania (vicinity). Detail of living room in Fry homestead1942Ephrata, Pennsylvania (vicinity). Detail of living ro…Untitled photo, possibly related to: Ephrata, Pennsylvania (vicinity). Living room in Fry homestead1942Untitled photo, possibly related to: Ephrata, Pennsyl…Untitled photo, possibly related to: Ephrata, Pennsylvania (vicinity). Butchering pork on a Mennonite farm1942Untitled photo, possibly related to: Ephrata, Pennsyl…Ephrata, Pennsylvania (vicinity). Eight generations were born and died in this bed in the Fry homestead1942Ephrata, Pennsylvania (vicinity). Eight generations w…
1950s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Date unknown3 to date
History of Ephrata, PennaDate?History of Ephrata, PennaBookBlack diamondsDate?Black diamondsDraft Board Number 5, which takes care of Lititz cases along with neighboring towns. 8d10641vDate?Draft Board Number 5, which takes care of Lititz case…
Today17 recent
Cocalico Creek north of US 3222025Cocalico Creek north of US 322American Legion in2015American Legion inVisitors Bureau and Chamber of Commerce2012Visitors Bureau and Chamber of CommerceVisitors Bureau and Chamber of Commerce, Ephrata PA - panoramio (1)2012Visitors Bureau and Chamber of Commerce, Ephrata PA -…Ephrata, Pennsylvania2011Ephrata, PennsylvaniaEphrata, Pennsylvania2011Ephrata, Pennsylvania1051 - Hinkletown - US322 near Cabin Dr20081051 - Hinkletown - US322 near Cabin Dr1048 - Ephrata - US322 near US22220081048 - Ephrata - US322 near US2221047 - Ephrata - US322 near US22220081047 - Ephrata - US322 near US2221046 - Ephrata - US322 near US22220081046 - Ephrata - US322 near US2221045 - Ephrata - US322 near US22220081045 - Ephrata - US322 near US2226040 - Ephrata - View from Maple St over Stephen Circle20066040 - Ephrata - View from Maple St over Stephen Circ…6039 - Ephrata - View from Maple St over Stephen Circle20066039 - Ephrata - View from Maple St over Stephen Circ…6025 - Ephrata - View from Spring Garden St20066025 - Ephrata - View from Spring Garden St6024 - Ephrata - View from Spring Garden St20066024 - Ephrata - View from Spring Garden St5990 - Ephrata - Doneckers20065990 - Ephrata - Doneckers2003 06 19 - Ephrata - Farmfields20032003 06 19 - Ephrata - Farmfields
People over time

Ephrata Township, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,00010,00012,00014,000188019001920194019601980200020207,688 in 1960Low: 3,532

Lost half of its people between 1960 and 1970, then grew 3-fold.

14 censuses, 1880–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Ephrata Township’s Wikipedia page.

Then & now

The same spot, 120 years apart

Drag across each photo to compare.

Cocalico Creek north of US 322The Cocalico Creek19052025
The Cocalico CreekMatched from the two captions
The story

How Ephrata Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Ephrata Township.

Read it all →

Ephrata is noteworthy for having been the former seat of the Mystic Order of the Solitary, a semimonastic order of Seventh-Day Dunkers. The community, which contained both men and women, was founded by Johann Conrad Beissel in 1732.

Many of the members were well-educated; Peter Miller, second prior of the monastery, translated the Declaration of Independence into seven languages, at the request of Congress. At the period of its greatest prosperity, the community contained nearly 300 persons.

The Ephrata Commercial Historic District, Ephrata Cloister, Eby Shoe Corporation buildings, Connell Mansion, Mentzer Building, and Mountain Springs Hotel are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Ephrata Township, 1732 to 2020

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 18th century
  2. 1732
    FoundingEphrata Township is established
  3. 19th century
  4. 1880In the archive1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Pennsylvania - Lancaster County - Ephrata - ED 36…
  5. 1889Post officeThe Hahnstown post office opens
  6. 1889Post officeThe Murrell post office opens
  7. 1890In the archiveOld houses - Ephrata. Community house of the Ephrata Cloister
  8. 20th century
  9. 1905In the archiveMain Street
  10. 1906On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  11. 1911Post officeThe Hahnstown post office closes
  12. 1919Post officeThe Murrell post office closes
  13. 1930In the archiveDutchmaid Motel, In the heart of the Penna. Dutch country, 10 miles north of Lancaster on…
  14. 1942In the archiveDraft Board Number 5 8d10692v
  15. 21st century
  16. 2020CensusPopulation peaks at 13,794
On the map

Ephrata Township on the map, 1906 to 1992

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Ephrata Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Ephrata Township on the 1906 USGS mapEphrata Township on the 1941 USGS mapEphrata Township on the 1956 USGS mapEphrata Township on the 1969 USGS mapEphrata Township on the 1974 USGS mapEphrata Township on the 1992 USGS map1906New Holland sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Ephrata Township.

On the National Register

4 historic places in Ephrata Township

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
4
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
9
each building in a district counts
first listed
1980
Hibshman Farm
Hibshman FarmKeller's Covered BridgeJacob Keller FarmReyer, Peter and Catherine, Farmhouse
BuildingsStructures

Architectural styles listings

Georgian1
Burr Truss1
Federal1
Pennsylvania German Vernacular1
Hibshman FarmGeorgian
Keller's Covered BridgeBurr Truss
Jacob Keller FarmFederal
Reyer, Peter and Catherine, FarmhousePennsylvania German Vernacular

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Hahnstown
1889–1911
Murrell
1889–1919
18801950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
FrysvilleHahnstownMurrellSpringville
13cemeteries and burying grounds inside Ephrata Township
BergstrasseBethanyErbHahnstown United ZionHauck - FryHessKellerLincolnMeadow Valley Old Order MennoniteMiddle Creek BrethrenMillway Mennonite ChurchMohler Brethren ChurchSpringville Mennonite

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Help out

Finish Ephrata Township’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
3 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo3 archive items have no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old view1940 Census Enumeration District Maps -…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Ephrata6 historic placesA+East Cocalico Township2 historic placesA−Warwick Township4 historic placesBAkronIts storyCWest Earl Township2 historic placesB−RothsvilleIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townEarl Township1 historic placeA−Clay TownshipIts storyCHinkletownIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townStevensIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Ephrata Township’s history

What year was Ephrata Township founded?

In 1732, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Ephrata Township’s post office opened in 1889, and the census of 1880 counted 392 people here.

How does Ephrata Township rank for history?

Ephrata Township is more historic than 84% of U.S. towns, #262 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Ephrata Township?

4 listings: 3 buildings, among them the Hibshman Farm (listed 1980, the first), and 1 structure. 9 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Ephrata Township?

9% of Ephrata Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.2 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1997.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (36), the Library of Congress (39), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (4), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.