![]() Disease and a competitive gristmill also contributed to Moravian Hope's decline. Moravians worldwide were selling possessions and even some other entire communities to pay off debts incurred years earlier by Count von Zinzendorf, who heavily mortgaged his lands to give them opportunity back in Germany. ![]() The Church in Germany could no longer subsidize such a small village. The basic reason for closing the community was that it was never self-supporting and had declined from its height of population of 147 to under 100 people by the early 19th century. Īfter almost 40 years of the Moravian "experiment" in Hope, the community was sold and almost all of the Moravians returned to Bethlehem or Nazareth, Pennsylvania. The name derives from the "hope of immortality" of the early Moravian settlers. With the support of Count von Zinzendorf, the Church established over 200 missionary settlements.Īfter a formal survey of the village completed on November 26, 1774, the community was officially accepted by The Moravian Church and the name was changed by drawing lots on February 8, 1775, from Greenland to Hope. That settlement which remains as the center of the worldwide Moravian religion is called Herrnhut or "The Lord's Watch" inhabitants were not only "under the Lord's watchful care" but were also to be "on watch for the Lord". Count Nicolas Ludwig von Zinzendorf offered them refuge on his lands east of Dresden, Germany, and provided a base for them to regroup and pursue their religion. In the late 17th century this group began to be persecuted and sought shelter away from Bohemia. These followers continued to practice his views in Moravia and Bohemia in what is now the Czech Republic, hence the common name "The Moravians". They were followers of Jan Hus, the reformer from Prague who protested against the Roman Catholic Church in 1415 and was finally burned at the stake for his rebellion. The Moravians were a religious group whose formal name was the "Unitas Fratrum" or Unity of the Brethren. They lodged overnight with the Green Family who were impressed with their religion and way of life. Throughout the 1760s, Moravians from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania traveled through this area on their way to New England to establish new communities. Prior to the arrival of the Moravians, there was no distinct town, but several families farmed on Jenny Jump Mountain, to the south of Hope, in surrounding area and on John Samuel Green Jr.'s farm in the center of what is now the Village. Early planning maps detail planned locations of streets, homes, wells, businesses, farms, a school, tavern, and church. Hope Township is one of the earliest planned communities in the United States, having been established by German Moravians in 1769. ![]() History The Moravian Church in Hope Township is now the headquarters for the Bank of Hope. Liberty Township was created on March 25, 1926, from portions of the township. Hope Township was incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 8, 1839, from portions of Knowlton Township and Oxford Township, based on the results of a referendum held that day. The 2010 population of 1,952 reflected an all-time high since the 1,903 recorded in the 1840 census, the first recorded population after the township was formed. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 1,835, a decrease of 117 (−6.0%) from the 2010 census count of 1,952, which in turn reflected an increase of 61 (+3.2%) from the 1,891 counted in the 2000 census. Hope Township is a township in Warren County in the U.S.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |