Itinerant Preacher's Map of Pennsylvania
The Moravian Church, also known in German as the Brüdergemeine, fully established itself in North America in 1740 in Nazareth, Pennsylvania and then shortly afterwards in Bethlehem, a few miles to the south. Its purpose, as envisioned by its founder Count Nicholas von Zinzendorf, was to set up missions to the Native Americans in New York and Pennsylvania and also to bring the Moravian message of universal love and salvation to the enslaved peoples on the Chesapeake Bay plantations.
In the 1740s and 50s, Moravian “itinerant preachers” traveled thousands of miles on foot around the areas of Moravian activity. This map was drafted by Matthias Hehl, one of the preachers, and is one of many copies in the Moravian Archives in Bethlehem, PA and the Unity Archives in Herrnhut, Germany that document the vast distances these men covered between upstate New York and Savannah, Georgia in the mid-18th century. The map also contains fascinating details about the Moravians’ strong network of allies in Pennsylvania. There is a key in the bottom right corner. All farm properties (green) Places of abode, churches, and schoolhouses (red) of the United Brethren names Unitas Fratrum and some of the single families who are connected with them (blue) as also several inns and waymarkers (yellow) Also note SCALE MARKER on bottom right hand corner Interactive map can be seen here
