The Spirit in the Spring at Christian Spring

Christian Spring, outside Nazareth near the intersection of Rte. 248 and Daniels Road, was one of the original outlier communities of Nazareth. In that time it was common for Moravian communities to have separate residences for single men (brethren) and single women (sisters), but Christian Spring, also known as Christiansbrunn, was the only community that consisted almost entirely of single brethren.

The spring was named after Christian Renatus von Zinzendorf, much-beloved son of Ludwig Graf von Zinzendorf, patron and leader of the Moravian Church or the Unitas Fratrum as they preferred to be known at the time. Christian, or Christel as some who loved him called him, was by all accounts a joyous and flamboyant character, whose holy celebrations and pageants delighted many at the Moravian community of Hernhaag in Germany. He was even thought by some to be the embodiment of the spirit of Jesus Christ. When he died at the very young age of 24, many of his closest associates came to live at Christian Spring.

So what's weird? Some of those old friends came to believe that their beloved Christel's spirit lived in the spring after his death. Among other things they pointed out how tame the trout were. The spring is said to remain to this day in the general area of the Christian Spring Hotel.

An old shed nearby

Today the community of Christian Spring is remembered by people interested in the history of gun-making in America, and also by another male demographic, so much so that an intentional community modeled on Christian Spring, the Hermitage (whose original members call themselves Johannes and Christian Zinzendorf) exists in Schuylkill County.

If the spring were cleared and marked and opened to tourists, local people might be surprised to find how many people would come from far and wide to visit the spirit of Christian Renatus and the single brothers, who are better known in some circles than they are in Nazareth.

A note: Along the Christian Spring Road (there are 3) that runs from the Christian Spring Hotel to Route 248, there is at least one white mulberry tree. This kind of mulberry was imported for silk production. There is a very good chance that that white mulberry is a direct descendant of the mulberries planted by the single brethren in the 1700's in an effort to start a silk industry, so the tree may be another piece of their legacy that has survived until today.

Big Klan Rally at Fair Grounds (1924)

As the New York Times reported, a large rally was held in the borough in 1924. We were unable to find additional detail of the event beyond this short article. KKK membership peaked around this year with millions of members. Large meetings like this were common and Pennsylvania was one of the most active klan states.

.I have no knowledge or understanding of the political structure of Nazareth in the 1920's. But I have to ponder if permission from the borough government would have been needed to hold such a large gathering and what other support the borough gave.

Depending on which map you look at (e.g. from what year) the fair grounds are located in different places. Older maps show the fair grounds south of Prospect St., between Main and Broad Streets. However, I believe this rally was held further south, near the Speedway*.

If you have any additional information about this or can pinpoint more accurately where the gathering was held please leave a comment of e-mail us.

*Thanks to loyal Weird Nazareth reader Randall for clarifying the difference between the park and the fair grounds.

Note: the ferris wheel photo above is not actually from the Nazareth rally. However, it is representative of the types of events that were held during the klan's heyday.

The Skull in the Rocks at Jacobsburg

A few miles from Nazareth, in Henry's Woods at the Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center, this skull in the rocks can be seen if you stand in one certain spot in the Bushkill Creek. No one knows whether it is a natural formation or if it was carved out by people in the distant or recent past. The most curious thing about it is that from any other angle, the image isn't noticeable. There is also a small rectangular window in a wall-like stone on the same side of the creek

Note: the skull has been deteriorating. When we first saw it, the lower jaw was more complete than it is in this photo. This was taken several years ago and we have not been back to check whether deterioration has continued. [Photo by Earl Dundore]

How to get mentioned on Weird Nazareth...

There are various ways to deliberately get yourself mentioned on Weird Nazareth. It just takes some creativity and gumption. For instance, you could:
1) Repaint your house to resemble an Essroc cement plant
2) Create a statue of Mario Andretti out of scrapple
3) Attempt to break any number of world records
4) Stage an elaborate Sasquatch-sighting hoax in Black Rock woods
5) Or you could do what Sam Sanchez did and break into someone's house, naked and drunk.

As J.D. Malone reports in the Express Times:

A borough man was awakened by noises Monday night to find a naked intruder in
his car and his house broken into. The homeowner was nice enough to give Mr. Sanchez a bed sheet to cover up with. Unfortunately, Mr. Sanchez got tangled in
the sheet and tripped before being caught by police.

If you have achieved any of the above, or anything else weird-worthy, we want to know about it. E-mail us at weirdnazareth@hotmail.com

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Pencil Tree

There seems to be ample supply of weird trees in Nazareth. This tree near Cedar Street is carved to look like a pencil.

Thanks to: Loyal Weird Nazareth reader Ricky I. for the idea for this post

The Devil Chasers of Nazareth

In 1908 there was a very bizarre murder committed in the borough. The victim was a small child, May Smith. The murderer was a borough resident, Robert Bachman, head of a religious cult. According to our research, the girl's life was taken, by trampling, as a human sacrifice during a ritual of Devil Chasing within a house in the borough.

The religious group, called "Church of God," often met in Nazareth to worship. On April 26-27 the Smith's, Henry and his wife, traveled from Borough of Alliance (now Northampton) to Nazareth to worship at Bachman's home. In the evening, the 5 year old girl had been put to bed but had become restless. Bachman interpreted the girl's behaviour as the work of a devil...possession...and decided to kill her to rid her body of the spirits. This was with the alleged consent of the girl's parents, both of whom were followers of Bachman.

Accounts of the ritual from passers-by indicate that it lasted through the night and involved chanting, singing, and shouting and eventually escalated to near destruction of the house itself. A neighbor discovered the crime as the parents attempted to load the body onto the horse-cart, presumably to travel back home. The Bachmans and Smiths were arrested and chanted and sang as they walked to their cells. Bachman's wife and the Smith couple were eventually freed. Bachman and Mr. Smith we noted as seeming quite mentally mad during their initial incarceration; often flailing about and chanting and praying in their cells.

We found the house were the events occurred. It is an innocent looking two-family home on the west end of town. The front porch has since been removed and many families have come and gone...surely many were completely unaware of what had transpired within over 100 years ago.

News Articles (1908):

The Child Was Sacrificed (source unknown)
Fanatic Kills Little Girl (NY Times)

Fanatic's Child Sacrificed (NY Times)

Slain Girl's Parents Free (NY Times)

Child is Sacrificed (Wash. Times) Below:

Thanks to:

Loyal Weird Nazareth reader Sharon C. for the idea & Moravian Historical Society for a bit of research help

Weird Nazareth Mentioned in News Paper

Must be a slow news day. Our very own site was mentioned in the Morning Call today: LINK

Nazareth, the Knights Templar, and the Illuminati

Among the many theories about who inherited the legacy and treasures of the Knights Templar, one group mentioned is the Hussites, who rebelled against the Catholic Church and in the wars that followed, carried banners bearing the symbol of the chalice or grail. They did extraordinarily well in battle, and [interestingly enough] built an extensive system of tunnels in their main town of Tabor in what is now the Czech Republic. Later, when the radical remainder were driven out into the forests, they lived in caves and tunnels, keeping alive their faith and traditions.

As time went on the group became known as the Bohemian Brethren, the Unitas Fratrum, and eventually, the Moravian Church. For many years outsiders saw them as a shadowy, mystic sect, a reputation increased by their view of the Holy Spirit as female, and other unorthodox beliefs and practices, some of which scandalized people of the 1700’s.

Today, some conspiracy theorists claim that the Moravian Church has the Holy Grail and other precious or legendary treasures hidden away (Barony of the Rose . . . hmmmm ;-) ), and some imply they guard the bloodline of Jesus and Mary.

Above, the agnus dei, emblem of the Unitas Fratrum, or Moravian Church (note the cross in the halo)

Below, an example of a Templar cross. They also used the agnus dei as one of their symbols

The fact that their early settlements in North America had a high proportion of people of nobility, along with the church’s history of connection with Rosicrucianism and Freemasonry, has fed claims that the people of the church’s upper echelon are members of the Illuminati, a supposed secret society whose members run the world. Eerily, Gottlieb Demuth, an early resident of Nazareth (his grave at Schoeneck seen in the photo above) was an ancestor of former president George W. Bush.

Still, we don’t read too much into it. The Moravians we know seem like hard-working, upstanding individuals rather than international conspirators. Of course, if this reporter now disappears under suspicious circumstances, readers may want to reconsider!