Old Salem
Encyclopedia
Old Salem is a historic district of Winston-Salem, North Carolina
. It features a living history
museum (operated by the non-profit Old Salem Museums & Gardens,organized as Old Salem Inc.) that interprets the restored Moravian community. The non-profit organization began its work in 1950, although some private residents had restored buildings earlier. As the Old Salem Historic District, it was declared a National Historic Landmark
(NHL) in 1966. The district showcases the culture of the Moravian settlement in North Carolina during the 18th and 19th centuries, communal buildings, churches, houses, and shops.
Two buildings are individually designated as NHL, the Salem Tavern
and the Single Brothers' House
. Additional buildings and properties have been added to the National Register that expand the historic area (see St. Philips Moravian Church below, Single Brothers Industrial Complex Site, and West Salem Historic District). Ownership of the buildings and land is currently divided among Old Salem, Inc., Wachovia Historical Society, private owners, Salem Academy and College, Home Moravian Church, and the Moravian Church Southern Province.
(1369–1415) in the Kingdoms of Bohemia
and Moravia
, now part of the Czech Republic
. In 1722, the exiles finally found protection on the estate of Count Zinzendorf, a Saxon nobleman, where he helped create the village of Herrnhut
as their home. First settling in North America
in Savannah, Georgia
in 1735, they eventually moved to Pennsylvania
in 1740, where they founded several communities (Bethlehem
, Nazareth
, and Lititz
). Due to development pressures, they looked for more space to create their church communities. Purchasing just over 98985 acres (400.6 km²) from Lord Granville, one of the British Lords Proprietor, in the Piedmont of North Carolina
in 1753, they sent groups down to begin construction from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
. They founded the transitional settlement of Bethabara, North Carolina (translated as "House of Passage," the first planned Moravian community in North Carolina in 1753, in Bethania, North Carolina
in 1759).
Salem was to be the central town of a 98985 acres (400.6 km²) (400 km²) tract named Wachovia
. Construction began in 1766 to build the central economic
, religious
, and administrative center of the Wachovia tract. The outlying communities, eventually five in all (Bethabara, Bethania, Friedberg, Friedland, and Hope), were more rural and agriculturally
focused. Salem and most of the other communities were controlled by the Church, which owned all property
and only leased land for construction. All people in the communities had to be members of the church and could be expelled from the town if they acted contrary to the community's regulations. The several governing bodies all kept meticulous records, of which copies were sent to the Bethlehem and Herrnhut archives. Most of this information has been translated and published in the "Records of the Moravians in North Carolina" by the NC State Archives, now comprising 13 volumes. This detailed information is part of the documentation used for the accurate restoration and interpretation of Old Salem.
In 1849, Forsyth County
was created, but Salem was unwilling to be the county seat
and sold property directly to the north to become the new courthouse town. This town became Winston, which quickly grew into a thriving industrial center.
In 1857, the Church finally divested control of the town and allowed the residents to purchase their property. Salem then became a legal municipality.
Salem merged with nearby Winston in 1913, becoming known as Winston-Salem. This was the only community to ever be officially designated as a hyphenated name for a Post Office by the US Postal Service
.
A local architectural review district was created in 1948 (the first in North Carolina and probably the fifth in the country) to protect the historic remains what had become a depressed area from encroaching development(Griffin, 1985). In 1950, Old Salem Inc. (a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation) was formed to protect threatened buildings, restore the town, and operate portions of it as a museum.
s, blacksmith
s, cobbler
s, gunsmith
s, baker
s and carpenter
s, actually practicing their trades while interacting with visitors. Approximately 70% of the buildings in the historic district are original, making this a truly unique living history museum.
Substantial historical and archaeological research has focused on Salem's historical African-American population. Moravians even educated enslaved members of their community, teaching literacy
skills and even some professional trades. Holistic studies directed towards understanding ethnicity and cultural identity of African-Americans in Salem have resulted in significant additions to the historical interpretation presented at Old Salem.
, painting
s, textile
s, ceramic
s, silver
, and other metal
wares made and used in Maryland
, Virginia
, the Carolinas, Georgia, Kentucky
, and Tennessee
through the early 19th century.
, where George Washington
spent two nights, May 31 and June 1, 1791, while passing through North Carolina; the Single Brothers' House; Boys' School; Winkler Bakery; and a host of restored homes and shops, and several stores including T. Bagge Merchant and the Moravian Book and Gift Shop.
Also of note is the St. Philip's Moravian Church
complex. Original site of an 18th century graveyard, the (now reconstructed) 1823 'Negro Church' was built following a congregational vote to segregate worship in accordance with North Carolina state law in 1816. Prior to that the African-Americans who joined the Moravian church attended Home Church. In 1861, St. Philip's Church was constructed. Now restored, the church was originally built by the Salem congregation for the enslaved
and free African-Americans of the community. It is the oldest surviving African-American church built for that purpose in North Carolina. Completed just before the Civil War in 1861, the Emancipation Proclamation
was read there to the congregation in 1865 by the chaplain of the 10th Ohio
Regiment. The Church continued to grow and was expanded in the 1890s. The congregation moved to a new location in 1952 (and still exists at a third location), and the building stood vacant until its restoration. The original St. Philip's Church is now individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
Partially within the Old Salem historic district is the campus of Salem College
and Academy, with Main Hall, the Single Sisters' House, the Inspectors House (with the President's office and the college book store) on the Square, and Gramley Library just down Church Street. High school students attending the Governor's School of North Carolina
stay in the college's dormitories each summer.
Home Moravian Church, while not a part of the official Old Salem tour per se, opens its sanctuary
to visitors on a regular schedule. Still owned by the Moravian Church Southern Province, Salem Square, in the center of the district, hosts many special events throughout the year, including a long-running band concert series in the summer. The famous water pump, a restored portion of Salem's c. 1778 waterworks, stands on the southwest corner of the square.
In Salem, the "Easter
City," the traditional Moravian Easter Sunrise Service has been held annually since 1773, and draws several thousand people to the Salem Square and Moravian graveyard
. The first two weeks of December play host to the Candle Tea, an annual fundraiser for local charities held by the Home Moravian Church Women's Fellowship in the Single Brothers' House.
Old Salem has a summer youth program called Five Yesterdays. It is a day camp
for children aged rising third graders to rising eighth graders; upon completion in the oldest grade, former campers are eligible to become counselors.
Organ.
The former 1964 Visitor Center and parking lot was demolished to allow partial reconstruction of the 18th-century Single Brothers' Garden.
The Old Salem community (and Winston-Salem as a whole) is popularly represented by a tin
coffee pot, originally built by Moravian brothers, Samuel and Julius Mickey, in 1858 as an advertisement for their tinsmith shop. Traditionally said to hold "740 gallons of coffee", it was originally located at the intersection of Belews Street and Main Street in front of his shop. That location was the border between Winston and Salem before the two towns merged. When the cities merged in 1913, it came to symbolize the joining of the two communities.
The pot was knocked down numerous times by traffic. Finally in 1920, after the pot was struck again by an out-of-control car and knocked from its spot, the city forced the coffee pot's removal from its place on the street for violating advertising
laws and for traffic safety reasons. An outcry from residents, led by Wachovia Historical Society head Henry Fries and Moravian Bishop Edward Rondthaler, had it restored, but placed in a much safer location, further back from the road.
The pot was finally moved for good in 1959 when Interstate 40
went through the location at Belews and Main. The Coffee Pot is owned by the City and is located at the north end of Old Salem at a traffic island formed by Old Salem Road, Main Street and Brookstown Avenue.
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Winston-Salem is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina, with a 2010 population of 229,617. Winston-Salem is the county seat and largest city of Forsyth County and the fourth-largest city in the state. Winston-Salem is the second largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region and is home to...
. It features a living history
Living history
Living history is an activity that incorporates historical tools, activities and dress into an interactive presentation that seeks to give observers and participants a sense of stepping back in time. Although it does not necessarily seek to reenact a specific event in history, living history is...
museum (operated by the non-profit Old Salem Museums & Gardens,organized as Old Salem Inc.) that interprets the restored Moravian community. The non-profit organization began its work in 1950, although some private residents had restored buildings earlier. As the Old Salem Historic District, it was declared a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
(NHL) in 1966. The district showcases the culture of the Moravian settlement in North Carolina during the 18th and 19th centuries, communal buildings, churches, houses, and shops.
Two buildings are individually designated as NHL, the Salem Tavern
Salem Tavern
Salem Tavern was a tavern in the 18th century town of Salem, North Carolina, now within the city of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It is part of Old Salem Museums & Gardens and open as an Old Salem tour building to visitors....
and the Single Brothers' House
Single Brothers' House
The Single Brothers' House was built to house the Single Brethren, the unmarried men, of the Moravian Congregation of Salem, now Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The first portion designed by Friedrich Wilhelm von Marschall, secular leader of the Moravian colony, was constructed of traditional...
. Additional buildings and properties have been added to the National Register that expand the historic area (see St. Philips Moravian Church below, Single Brothers Industrial Complex Site, and West Salem Historic District). Ownership of the buildings and land is currently divided among Old Salem, Inc., Wachovia Historical Society, private owners, Salem Academy and College, Home Moravian Church, and the Moravian Church Southern Province.
Historic Salem
Salem was originally settled by members of the Moravian Church, a Protestant denomination that first began in 1457, out of the followers of John Huss (Jan HusJan Hus
Jan Hus , often referred to in English as John Hus or John Huss, was a Czech priest, philosopher, reformer, and master at Charles University in Prague...
(1369–1415) in the Kingdoms of Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
and Moravia
Moravia
Moravia is a historical region in Central Europe in the east of the Czech Republic, and one of the former Czech lands, together with Bohemia and Silesia. It takes its name from the Morava River which rises in the northwest of the region...
, now part of the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
. In 1722, the exiles finally found protection on the estate of Count Zinzendorf, a Saxon nobleman, where he helped create the village of Herrnhut
Herrnhut
Herrnhut is a municipality in the district of Görlitz, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany.It has access to Bundesstraße 178 between Löbau and Zittau...
as their home. First settling in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
in Savannah, Georgia
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
in 1735, they eventually moved to Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
in 1740, where they founded several communities (Bethlehem
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Bethlehem is a city in Lehigh and Northampton Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 74,982, making it the seventh largest city in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie,...
, Nazareth
Nazareth, Pennsylvania
Nazareth is a borough in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The population was 6,023 at the 2000 census.Nazareth is located seven miles northwest of Easton, four miles north of Bethlehem and twelve miles northeast of Allentown...
, and Lititz
Lititz, Pennsylvania
Lititz is a borough in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, 6 miles north of the city of Lancaster.-History:Lititz was founded by members of the Moravian Church in 1756, and was named after a castle in Bohemia near the village of Kunvald where the ancient Bohemian Brethren's Church had...
). Due to development pressures, they looked for more space to create their church communities. Purchasing just over 98985 acres (400.6 km²) from Lord Granville, one of the British Lords Proprietor, in the Piedmont of North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
in 1753, they sent groups down to begin construction from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Bethlehem is a city in Lehigh and Northampton Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 74,982, making it the seventh largest city in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie,...
. They founded the transitional settlement of Bethabara, North Carolina (translated as "House of Passage," the first planned Moravian community in North Carolina in 1753, in Bethania, North Carolina
Bethania, North Carolina
Bethania is the oldest municipality in Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States, and was most recently incorporated in 1995, upon the reactivation of the original 1838/1839 town charter...
in 1759).
Salem was to be the central town of a 98985 acres (400.6 km²) (400 km²) tract named Wachovia
Wachovia, North Carolina
Wachovia was the area settled by Moravians in what is now Forsyth County, North Carolina, US. Of the six eighteenth-century Moravian "villages of the Lord" established in Wachovia, today, the town of Bethania, North Carolina and city of Winston-Salem exist within the historic Wachovia tract...
. Construction began in 1766 to build the central economic
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
, religious
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
, and administrative center of the Wachovia tract. The outlying communities, eventually five in all (Bethabara, Bethania, Friedberg, Friedland, and Hope), were more rural and agriculturally
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
focused. Salem and most of the other communities were controlled by the Church, which owned all property
Property
Property is any physical or intangible entity that is owned by a person or jointly by a group of people or a legal entity like a corporation...
and only leased land for construction. All people in the communities had to be members of the church and could be expelled from the town if they acted contrary to the community's regulations. The several governing bodies all kept meticulous records, of which copies were sent to the Bethlehem and Herrnhut archives. Most of this information has been translated and published in the "Records of the Moravians in North Carolina" by the NC State Archives, now comprising 13 volumes. This detailed information is part of the documentation used for the accurate restoration and interpretation of Old Salem.
In 1849, Forsyth County
Forsyth County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 306,067 people, 123,851 households, and 81,741 families residing in the county. The population density was 747 people per square mile . There were 133,093 housing units at an average density of 325 per square mile...
was created, but Salem was unwilling to be the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
and sold property directly to the north to become the new courthouse town. This town became Winston, which quickly grew into a thriving industrial center.
In 1857, the Church finally divested control of the town and allowed the residents to purchase their property. Salem then became a legal municipality.
Salem merged with nearby Winston in 1913, becoming known as Winston-Salem. This was the only community to ever be officially designated as a hyphenated name for a Post Office by the US Postal Service
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
.
A local architectural review district was created in 1948 (the first in North Carolina and probably the fifth in the country) to protect the historic remains what had become a depressed area from encroaching development(Griffin, 1985). In 1950, Old Salem Inc. (a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation) was formed to protect threatened buildings, restore the town, and operate portions of it as a museum.
Old Salem Museum and Gardens
Today, the town's restored and reconstructed buildings, staffed by living-history interpreters, present visitors with a view of Moravian life in the 18th and 19th centuries. The features include skilled interpreters such as tinsmithTinsmith
A tinsmith, or tinner or tinker or tinplate worker, is a person who makes and repairs things made of light-coloured metal, particularly tinware...
s, blacksmith
Blacksmith
A blacksmith is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal; that is, by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut...
s, cobbler
Shoemaking
Shoemaking is the process of making footwear. Originally, shoes were made one at a time by hand. Traditional handicraft shoemaking has now been largely superseded in volume of shoes produced by industrial mass production of footwear, but not necessarily in quality, attention to detail, or...
s, gunsmith
Gunsmith
A gunsmith is a person who repairs, modifies, designs, or builds firearms. This occupation is different from an armorer. The armorer primarily maintains weapons and limited repairs involving parts replacement and possibly work involving accurization...
s, baker
Baker
A baker is someone who bakes and sells bread, Cakes and similar foods may also be produced, as the traditional boundaries between what is produced by a baker as opposed to a pastry chef have blurred in recent decades...
s and carpenter
Carpenter
A carpenter is a skilled craftsperson who works with timber to construct, install and maintain buildings, furniture, and other objects. The work, known as carpentry, may involve manual labor and work outdoors....
s, actually practicing their trades while interacting with visitors. Approximately 70% of the buildings in the historic district are original, making this a truly unique living history museum.
Substantial historical and archaeological research has focused on Salem's historical African-American population. Moravians even educated enslaved members of their community, teaching literacy
Literacy
Literacy has traditionally been described as the ability to read for knowledge, write coherently and think critically about printed material.Literacy represents the lifelong, intellectual process of gaining meaning from print...
skills and even some professional trades. Holistic studies directed towards understanding ethnicity and cultural identity of African-Americans in Salem have resulted in significant additions to the historical interpretation presented at Old Salem.
Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts
Housed in a modern building on the site the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts (MESDA) is the only museum dedicated to exhibiting and researching the regional decorative arts of the early South. In its galleries, MESDA showcases the furnitureFurniture
Furniture is the mass noun for the movable objects intended to support various human activities such as seating and sleeping in beds, to hold objects at a convenient height for work using horizontal surfaces above the ground, or to store things...
, painting
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
s, textile
Textile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
s, ceramic
Ceramic
A ceramic is an inorganic, nonmetallic solid prepared by the action of heat and subsequent cooling. Ceramic materials may have a crystalline or partly crystalline structure, or may be amorphous...
s, silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
, and other metal
Metal
A metal , is an element, compound, or alloy that is a good conductor of both electricity and heat. Metals are usually malleable and shiny, that is they reflect most of incident light...
wares made and used in Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, the Carolinas, Georgia, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, and Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
through the early 19th century.
Town features
Highlights of the town itself include the Salem TavernSalem Tavern
Salem Tavern was a tavern in the 18th century town of Salem, North Carolina, now within the city of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It is part of Old Salem Museums & Gardens and open as an Old Salem tour building to visitors....
, where George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
spent two nights, May 31 and June 1, 1791, while passing through North Carolina; the Single Brothers' House; Boys' School; Winkler Bakery; and a host of restored homes and shops, and several stores including T. Bagge Merchant and the Moravian Book and Gift Shop.
Also of note is the St. Philip's Moravian Church
St. Philip's Moravian Church
St. Philip's Moravian Church is a historic African American Moravian church building on the east side of S. Church Street near Race Street, Old Salem in Winston-Salem, North Carolina...
complex. Original site of an 18th century graveyard, the (now reconstructed) 1823 'Negro Church' was built following a congregational vote to segregate worship in accordance with North Carolina state law in 1816. Prior to that the African-Americans who joined the Moravian church attended Home Church. In 1861, St. Philip's Church was constructed. Now restored, the church was originally built by the Salem congregation for the enslaved
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
and free African-Americans of the community. It is the oldest surviving African-American church built for that purpose in North Carolina. Completed just before the Civil War in 1861, the Emancipation Proclamation
Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation is an executive order issued by United States President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, during the American Civil War using his war powers. It proclaimed the freedom of 3.1 million of the nation's 4 million slaves, and immediately freed 50,000 of them, with nearly...
was read there to the congregation in 1865 by the chaplain of the 10th Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
Regiment. The Church continued to grow and was expanded in the 1890s. The congregation moved to a new location in 1952 (and still exists at a third location), and the building stood vacant until its restoration. The original St. Philip's Church is now individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
Partially within the Old Salem historic district is the campus of Salem College
Salem College
Salem College is a liberal arts women's college in Winston-Salem, North Carolina founded in 1772. Originally established as a primary school, it later became an academy and finally a college. It is the oldest female educational establishment that is still a women's college...
and Academy, with Main Hall, the Single Sisters' House, the Inspectors House (with the President's office and the college book store) on the Square, and Gramley Library just down Church Street. High school students attending the Governor's School of North Carolina
Governor's School of North Carolina
The Governor's School of North Carolina is a publicly funded six-week residential summer program for gifted high school students in the state of North Carolina....
stay in the college's dormitories each summer.
Home Moravian Church, while not a part of the official Old Salem tour per se, opens its sanctuary
Sanctuary
A sanctuary is any place of safety. They may be categorized into human and non-human .- Religious sanctuary :A religious sanctuary can be a sacred place , or a consecrated area of a church or temple around its tabernacle or altar.- Sanctuary as a sacred place :#Sanctuary as a sacred place:#:In...
to visitors on a regular schedule. Still owned by the Moravian Church Southern Province, Salem Square, in the center of the district, hosts many special events throughout the year, including a long-running band concert series in the summer. The famous water pump, a restored portion of Salem's c. 1778 waterworks, stands on the southwest corner of the square.
In Salem, the "Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
City," the traditional Moravian Easter Sunrise Service has been held annually since 1773, and draws several thousand people to the Salem Square and Moravian graveyard
God's Acre
God's Acre is an ancient Germanic designation for a burial ground. In his poem "God's-Acre," Henry Wadsworth Longfellow attributes the term to ancient Saxons.-In Christianity:...
. The first two weeks of December play host to the Candle Tea, an annual fundraiser for local charities held by the Home Moravian Church Women's Fellowship in the Single Brothers' House.
Old Salem has a summer youth program called Five Yesterdays. It is a day camp
Day camp
Day camps are geared for schoolchildren. They offer activities in a larger social setting, usually in the children's home town or nearby and the children return home in the evenings...
for children aged rising third graders to rising eighth graders; upon completion in the oldest grade, former campers are eligible to become counselors.
Visitor Center
Old Salem's Visitor Center was built in 2003, and is the main location where museum visitors purchase tickets. The building features a large concourse along a serpentine glass wall with interpretive panels about the history of Wachovia and Salem. The preliminary design was developed by Venturi Scott Brown and Associates, with local firm Calloway, Johnson, Moore, and West completing the project. The building also houses a food service, gift shops, and the James A. Gray Auditorium. The Gray Auditorium is home to the 1800 TannenbergTannenberg
Tannenberg may refer to* Tannenberg, Saxony, a town in the district of Annaberg in the German state of Saxony* The German name for the village of Stębark in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, Poland* Battle of Tannenberg or Battle of Grunwald...
Organ.
The former 1964 Visitor Center and parking lot was demolished to allow partial reconstruction of the 18th-century Single Brothers' Garden.
The coffee pot
The Old Salem community (and Winston-Salem as a whole) is popularly represented by a tin
Tin
Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn and atomic number 50. It is a main group metal in group 14 of the periodic table. Tin shows chemical similarity to both neighboring group 14 elements, germanium and lead and has two possible oxidation states, +2 and the slightly more stable +4...
coffee pot, originally built by Moravian brothers, Samuel and Julius Mickey, in 1858 as an advertisement for their tinsmith shop. Traditionally said to hold "740 gallons of coffee", it was originally located at the intersection of Belews Street and Main Street in front of his shop. That location was the border between Winston and Salem before the two towns merged. When the cities merged in 1913, it came to symbolize the joining of the two communities.
The pot was knocked down numerous times by traffic. Finally in 1920, after the pot was struck again by an out-of-control car and knocked from its spot, the city forced the coffee pot's removal from its place on the street for violating advertising
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
laws and for traffic safety reasons. An outcry from residents, led by Wachovia Historical Society head Henry Fries and Moravian Bishop Edward Rondthaler, had it restored, but placed in a much safer location, further back from the road.
The pot was finally moved for good in 1959 when Interstate 40
Interstate 40
Interstate 40 is the third-longest major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States, after I-90 and I-80. Its western end is at Interstate 15 in Barstow, California; its eastern end is at a concurrency of U.S. Route 117 and North Carolina Highway 132 in Wilmington, North Carolina...
went through the location at Belews and Main. The Coffee Pot is owned by the City and is located at the north end of Old Salem at a traffic island formed by Old Salem Road, Main Street and Brookstown Avenue.
Further reading
- Old Salem: An Adventure in Historic Preservation, rev. ed. Frances Griffin. Old Salem Inc.: Winston-Salem, NC, 1985.
- Old Salem: Official Guidebook. Hunter James & Frances Griffin. Old Salem, Inc.: Winston-Salem, NC 1977-1994.
- Old Salem: The Official Guidebook. Penelope Niven & Cornelia Wright. Old Salem Inc.: Winston-Salem, NC, 2000.
- Images of Old Salem: Then & Now. David Bergstone. Old Salem Museums & Gardens, and John F. Blair, Publisher: Winston-Salem, NC, 2010.
External links
- Old Salem Museums and Gardens
- Visit Historic Bethania, First Planned Moravian Settlement in North Carolina, c. 1759
- Archiplanet: St. Philip's Moravian Church http://www.archiplanet.org/wiki/St._Philip%27s_Moravian_Church