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In Pennsylvania’s conservative heartland, a historic cloister explores the immigrant struggle

It could be touchy for a small, state-owned site in Pennsylvania’s conservative heartland to explore so contentious a subject. But leaders here saw parallels between eras when newcomers with different ideas were not always welcomed.

Michael Showalter, the museum educator, stands in the interior of the Saal, the meeting house for the female Celibates that lived on the property of the Ephrata Cloisters, and talks about the history of the building, on November 19, 2019.
Michael Showalter, the museum educator, stands in the interior of the Saal, the meeting house for the female Celibates that lived on the property of the Ephrata Cloisters, and talks about the history of the building, on November 19, 2019.Read moreMICHAEL BRYANT / Staff Photographer