Charter Day at Ephrata Cloister

In March 1681, young William Penn received a grant of land in America named to honor his father. Over time Penn’s “holy experiment” would grow to capture the nation’s immigrant stories of strength and diversity. Now, 339 years later the Historic Ephrata Cloister joins other state museums to celebrate the founding of Pennsylvania with free admission on Charter Day, Sunday, March 8. Historic Ephrata Cloister preserves one of the best examples of the Commonwealth’s haven for refugees seeking religious freedom. Continuing the historic community’s tradition of caring for its neighbors, visitors to the site on this day are encouraged to bring a donation of paper towels; laundry detergent and cleaning products; canned fruit (low sugar); high protein items like canned tuna, canned chicken, peanut butter; cereal; jelly; snack items (boxes of crackers, peanut butter crackers, etc.); canned Soup.