Cocalico

Cocalico takes its name from a creek whose Lenape name was understood by German settlers as the “den of serpents”. Along its banks arose Ephrata, a religious community founded by the German Pietist Conrad Beissel in 1732. Seeking solitude, Beissel withdrew to a cabin by the creek, but followers soon joined him and built a settlement of their own.

The brothers and sisters of Ephrata lived under a demanding religious discipline, while families associated with them made homes and farms nearby. By the early 1750s the community included nearly eighty celibate members. They worked at farming, milling, papermaking and other trades, and became known for their music and decorated writing. Their printing press, begun in 1745, produced works for the community and for readers beyond it.