St. Philip's Moravian Church
Encyclopedia
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
. The building was constructed in 1861.
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 church building was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1991, and the building was fully restored in the late 1990s, and its predecessor, a log church raised in 1823, was reconstructed nearby.
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
Moravian church building on the east side of S. Church Street near Race Street, Old Salem
Old Salem
Old Salem is a historic district of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It features a living history museum that interprets the restored Moravian community. The non-profit organization began its work in 1950, although some private residents had restored buildings earlier...
in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
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...
. The building was constructed in 1861.
History
The site was the original location of an 18th century graveyard, and in 1823 the African American congregation constructed a log building on the grounds 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, the present St. Philip's Church building was constructed in a Greek Revival style. 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 ProclamationEmancipation 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 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 church building was added to 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...
in 1991, and the building was fully restored in the late 1990s, and its predecessor, a log church raised in 1823, was reconstructed nearby.