Besides tobacco, Winston-Salem and surrounding Forsyth County owe its development to a small group of German speaking Protestants that settled in the area in the early 1700s. Called Moravians, or Unitas Fratum (United Brethren), these pioneers were spirtual descendents of the Czech priest, Jan Hus, who was burned at the stake as a heretic in the early 1400s for his attempts to reform the Catholic Church. The tenets of their faith and the church they founded were simple – live a productive and ordered life dedicated to Christ in unity, liberty and love. In the 18th century, the Moravian church began sending missionaries to all corners of the world including the American colonies. Initially arriving in Georgia, they ultimately moved north to avoid continuous conflicts between the English and Spanish, permanently settling in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and then pushing southwest into North Carolina.
Our immersion in Moravian history began in Old Salem, the central congregational town and cultural center of the Moravian community in North Carolina built in 1766. Today the town is a living history museum and National Historic Landmark. Operated by a local non-profit, the district includes both private residences and restored communal buildings open to the public and staffed by docents reenacting Moravian life in the 18th and 19th centuries. The early Moravians built a vibrant, self-reliant community for church members – commerce was controlled by the church elders and members worked in a variety of trades and occupations such as tinsmithing, cobbling, gunsmithing, baking, woodworking, farming, weaving, pottering, farming and teaching to ensure the community was self sufficient. Music was central to the Moravian way of life as was education – the sect was progressive for the time – both boys and girls were educated after which time they were apprenticed to learn a trade or skill. Children boarded at school, living away from their parents.
We paid admission at the visitor’s center and received a badge lanyard to gain access to the public buildings. Our first stop was the T. Bagge Pottery Shop on Main Street. Here costumed docents, who were actually local art students, demonstated the technique used to make tableware, pots and sculpted bottles. Just as in the 18th century, clay is still locally harvested from a nearby riverbed. The potters of Salem supplied the town with the ceramic items needed to run a household and also engaged in trade with non-Moravian communities. Moravian ceramics are distinguished by their unique brown and tan patterns, often decorated with wildlife images of fish, turtles and birds.
Continuing our self-guided tour, we visited the single brother and single sister residences. These were dormatory like houses where men and women resided after completion of their education but before marriage and establishing their own households. A docent demonstrated how women in the single sister’s residence were trained on the loom to weave textiles for clothing and bed linens.
Male and female children were educated together; one could tell from the room size, character, furnishings and resources in the school that education was valued by the Moravian community. Maps adorned the wall, a science carousel with small drawers of natural specimans occupied the main assembly room and children perched on stools at tables working on their slates as the teacher monitored their progress. While at school, children’s abilities were assessed and decisions made as to which trade would be pursued. Students were then apprenticed to begin learning their vocation.
We visited the Vogler house and shop next; John Vogler was both the town silversmith and clock and watch repairman. Wall to wall glass cases displayed intricately crafted jewelry, pins, cutlery, small frames and minature boxes as well as the types of pocketwatches and clocks he repaired. We followed the aroma of baking bread across the street to the Winkler Bakery. Docents had just put several loaves in the original wood fired domed bake oven. Others were preparing the renowed Moravian cookies – the ultra thin, round cookies originally made with spice and molasses but today with expanded flavors that include cinnamon, chocolate and lemon. Although houses had kitchens and smaller ovens for family cooking needs, just like today, it was a treat to visit the bakery for freshly made bread and cookies. We couldn’t resist buying a few packages of lemon, ginger and original Moravian cookies.
Before leaving Old Salem, we stopped for lunch at the old Tavern. This historic building was built in 1816 as an annex to the original town tavern; today it is a family owned restaurant that serves dishes made with local ingredients similar to those prepared by Moravian families in the 19th century. We had chicken pot pie with assorted vegetables and were served by a waiter in historic Moravian attire. Unlike the orginal tavern, though, the restaurant was air conditioned; it felt wonderful to escape the heat and humidity for an hour!
According to Wikipedia there are only 750,000 practicing Moravians worldwide. Given the number of Moravian churches we saw, it appears that Forsyth County still had a practicing religious community. The architecture of these churches, especially the roof lines and wood shake shingles, were reminiscent of the fortified churches I saw in Romania. This makes sense given that the first Moravians hailed from German speaking Bohemia, now part of the present day Czech Republic, and were descendents of the German speaking Saxons that populated much of eastern Europe. We stopped to photograph this beautiful church on the outskirts of downtown Winsten-Salem. The stained glass windows were particularly noteworthy, sparkling in the sun and illuminating the depicted scenes from the life of Christ.
Intrigued by our early Moravian cultural experience in Old Salem, we decided later that week to visit historic Bethabara Park. Now a museum intended to preserve and interpret the Moravian past, Bethabara was the first Moravian settlement in North Carolina established in 1753 when fifteen brothers walked from Pennsylvania. To celebrate their safe arrival, the men prepared a love feast, a traditional Moravian ceremony of sharing bread or cake and coffee, tea or wine; this tradition continues today and is the genesis of Moravian cookies. Bethabara means the House of Passage and was so named because it was intended to be a temporary settlement until a central town could be established. Over a 15 year period, this community grew to 150 people; 75 houses, buildings and churches were built. Bethabara became the center for religion, governance, trade, industry, culture, education and art until the planned town of Old Salem replaced it.
Today few of the original structures built at Bethabara remain; some remnants of the orginal fort walls still stand.
The most intact, well preserved building in Bethabara is the Gemeinhaus. Built in 1788, it is the last surviving example of an 18th century Germanic church with attached living quarters in the US. We were able to schedule a tour of its interior with a docent at the visitor’s center.
The nave was large and unadorned with rows of hard wooden benches and a small table and chair for the celebrant at the front. The large glass paned windows funnelled light into the space, softly illuminating the room and creating a spiritual ambience. There was an organ at the back of the room and as our docent played a few notes, we appreciated how the people in this simple, stark space could joyfully celebrate God and fellowship through the sound of music!
We toured the minister’s attached living quarters. These consisted of bedrooms, sitting room, kitchen and large dining room that doubled as a school room and meeting place. As our docent described life at Bethabara we celebrated a love feast – with juice and Moravian cookies! Afterwards we walked the nearby grounds, stopping to view a merchant house that was closed to the public and the open barn behind. Bethabara is now a National Historic Park and most people visit to hike or bike the ten miles of wooded trails.
Back at the visitor’s center, we perused the exhibits; one that was particularly interesting, highlighted the various articles of clothing worn by Moravian women. At first, the dress appeared rather complicated but as we continued reading, we began to appreciate that beyond modesty, many pieces were actually functional – for example, women tied a separate pocket garment around their waists, rather like a tool belt, since pockets were not typically sewn in garments. From hauling vegetables from the garden to carrying sewing implements to keeping sweat out of one’s face to showing one’s maritial status, Moravian clothing, like the people that wore it, were purposeful.
Having spent a few days immersed in early Moravian culture, we’d gained an appreciation for the industriousness, intelligence and service orientation of this community. We also recognized how the Moravians were at the forefront of providing more opportunities for female education and independence than was customary for the times. Winston-Salem still benefits today from the Moravian’s legacy of fellowship, art and education.