1776-1976 bicentennial commemorative Conestoga Valley plate. White earthenware body with brown transferprint. Front features map of the Conestoga Valley in center surrounded by different buildings and scenes. Back has story of bicentennial printed in green along with maker's mark.
Front depicts three buildings of the Ephrata Cloister (Almonry, Saal, and Saron) and reads "Ephrata Cloister" beneath image. Plate has a floral design along its rim.
Back reads "Historic Pennsylvania / Ephrata Cloister / This Protestant Monastic Community was / founded by Conrad Beissel in 1732. Comprising / the spiritual colonial community were a / brotherhood, a sisterhood, and householders. / The religious excelled in calligraphic art, / music, and printing-of books and broadsides. / During the Revolutionary War they cared for / hundreds of wounded soldiers from the / battle of Brandywine in 1777. / / Three of the original buildings still standing / are shown - Almonry (alms and bakehouse) / SAAL (Meeting house) and Saron (Sister's house)"
Green floral rim features several Mount Joy buildings (in order, clockwise from bottom left: "Old Fire House," "Red Lion Hotel," "first industry - 1829," "Cedar Hill Female Seminary- 1839, " "Old Post Office." Bottom of rim reads, "A Voyage through the century." Center reads "Mount Joy Centennial / May 26 - May 30 / 1851 - 1951 / Good Ship Mount Joy" around an image of a many-sailed ship crossing an ocean.
Back readsThis plate commemorates the incorporation / of the borough of Mount Joy in 1851. It is re- / produced on the 100th anniversary in 1951. / Prior to 1851, six small villages were in / existence, Mountjoy (Rohrerstown), Richland, / Mountjoy Continued (Wallickstown), Mountjoy Extended, Richland and Mountjoy Connected, and Richland Extension, / The name of Mount Joy was the name of a seventeenth century Irish Ship."
