EPHRATA, PA — The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission has named longtime historian and curator Bradley Smith as the new site administrator of the Ephrata Cloister, elevating a veteran insider to lead one of the Commonwealth’s most distinctive historic sites.
Melissa Mann, director of PHMC’s Bureau of Historic Sites and Museums, announced that Smith will assume the role immediately, transitioning from his position as curator of the Cloister. In his new post, Smith will oversee daily operations, visitor services, and preservation efforts while shaping public interpretation and strengthening community engagement.
State officials said Smith’s appointment brings continuity and deep institutional knowledge at a site rooted in Pennsylvania’s early history.
Smith brings more than 20 years of experience with PHMC to the position. Before joining the Ephrata Cloister staff, he spent 11 years at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania as curator and curator-supervisor and seven years at the State Museum of Pennsylvania, where he served as public program coordinator and later as chief of the curatorial division.
His earlier career included six years at the Berks History Center, where he worked as curator, archivist, and assistant director. Alongside his museum work, Smith has spent two decades as an adjunct professor of history at Alvernia University in Reading and is a frequent speaker for museums, libraries, and historical societies across the region. He has also taught Pennsylvania Dutch language courses for multiple organizations.
Smith’s work has earned statewide recognition, including a Governor’s Innovator Award in 2014, a Pennsylvania Museums Special Achievement Award in 2018, and the Outstanding Pennsylvania German Activities Award from the Deutsch-Pennsylvanischer Arbeitskreis in 2024.
A native of Lebanon County, Smith earned his master’s degree in American history from Shippensburg University in 1997. He has lived in Ephrata for more than a decade and said he is eager to deepen partnerships with local organizations and residents.
The Ephrata Cloister, founded in 1732 by Conrad Beissel, was a German Protestant monastic community known for its disciplined spiritual life, distinctive architecture, and internationally recognized music and printing. At its height, the community included nearly 80 celibate Brothers and Sisters and hundreds of families living nearby.
Today, the Cloister interprets themes of religious freedom, creative expression, and intellectual inquiry and is administered by PHMC with support from the nonprofit Ephrata Cloister Associates. It is one of 23 historic sites and museums within the Pennsylvania Trails of History network.
State officials said Smith’s appointment positions the Cloister to build on its mission of preservation and public education while maintaining strong ties to the community it has anchored for nearly three centuries.
For the latest news on everything happening in Chester County and the surrounding area, be sure to follow MyChesCo on Google News and MSN.