A short ride through the Village of Hope immediately shows
visitors and residents that the community developed quite
differently from most nearby towns in the mid 1700's. This is
because Hope is one of the earliest planned communities in the
Country, having been established by German Moravians in 1769.
They knew what they wanted to achieve, which is shown on several
early planning maps which details streets, homes, wells,
businesses, farms, a school, tavern and church. 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 acreage and on John Samuel Green, Jr.'s
farm in the center of what is now the Village. Throughout the
1760's, Moravians from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania traveled through
this area on their way to New England to establish new
communities. They lodged overnight with the Green Family who
became very impressed with their religion and way of life. The
Moravians were a religious group whose formal nam