Conrad Beissel's cabin at Ephrata (foreground) PXL_20220904_180130971

Beissel left the Brethren to become a hermit in the wilderness near Cocalico Creek, but many from his former flock soon joined him. He divided the men and women (Solitary) into two celibate orders, the Brothers and the Sisters. Each had their own dorms and operated independently but relied on each other in their daily lives. The colony also had married members, the Households, who lived as regular farmers nearby but came to worship and supported the Solitary.