Goshenhoppen
PENNSYLVANIA
Between 1747 and 1752, Rev. Theodore Schneider purchased 495 acres of land in four separate tracts, which came to be known as Goshenhoppen.
There is no evidence of enslavement at Goshenhoppen. Free laborers and possibly indentured servants cultivated crops such as flax, rye, and corn—there is no evidence that tobacco was cultivated here. They also raised livestock, which included cows and sheep. Many of the missionaries and farm laborers were German-speaking immigrants.
Numerous historic buildings still stand at Goshenhoppen, including the ca. 1740s-50s Most Blessed Sacrament Church, the ca. 1840s brick rectory, and several farm buildings. Learn more about the history of Most Blessed Sacrament, written in a 2016 volume by Ron Thren and Michael Miller.
The town of Bally is built on the former boundaries of the farms at Goshenhoppen. A portion of the town was surveyed archaeologically in 2005 in advance of subdivision and development. The survey did not find any significant evidence of well-preserved archaeological sites within the survey area.
Learn more about Goshenhoppen
Learn more about the history of Goshenhoppen through the Maryland Province Archives at Georgetown.
Today, portions of Goshenhoppen are owned by the Diocese of Allentown as Most Blessed Sacrament Church. The remaining land is owned privately.
