From meeting in a cave came the founding of Germantown

In October 1683, 13 families from Krefeld, Germany, arrived in newly founded Philadelphia. After a harrowing 75 days at sea aboard the Concord, the new immigrants met in a cave to select the plots of land for their new homesteads.

The cave "owner," Francis Daniel Pastorius (1651-1720), had negotiated directly with William Penn to secure 5,700 acres northwest of Philadelphia for his compatriots to share in the "Holy Experiment." And so Germantown began.

Born to a wealthy aristocratic family in Sommerhausen, Pastorius earned a doctorate in law from the University of Nuremberg before joining the Pietists, a reform movement within Lutheranism.

After arriving in Philadelphia on Aug. 16, 1683, Pastorius made his first home, like many early Philadelphia residents, in a cave 30 by 15 feet wide. He later moved with the Krefeld settlers to the new township of Germantown.

Pastorius was involved in many professions in the fledgling community, performing the duties of lawyer, teacher, and mayor. Outside of his professional responsibilities, Pastorius wrote constantly. His writings included the first protest against slavery written in the United States, a detailed description of Pennsylvania geography, an English-language primer, and guides on farming and beekeeping.

He also recorded his life in Germany and journey to Pennsylvania. These memories and others were compiled in the "Bee-Hive," a thousand pages of history, philosophy, poetry, and laws written in seven languages intended for his sons. Pastorius also found time to dash off seven published books.

In 1688, Pastorius and three others composed a "Germantown Quaker Petition Against Slavery," one of the earliest written declarations of universal human rights.

Pastorius remained a central figure in Germantown political, social, and judicial affairs. From 1698 to 1700, he was a teacher at the Friends School of Philadelphia. When Germantown opened its own school in 1702, he taught there until at least 1716, when his deteriorating health forced him to retire.