The first Moravians in North Carolina settled here 250 years ago on 100,000 acres, known as Wachovia Tract. These German-speaking Protestants established the first colonial town in the Carolina Piedmont in an area known today as Historic Bethabara Park. Intended to be a temporary settlement from which the town of Salem and farming communities would be developed, Bethabara continued long after Salem was established. It consists of the 1788 church, reconstructed palisade fort and historic community and medicinal gardens; it is a National Historic Landmark. Guides in costumes offer tours. The archeological remains are intact and have contributed to a significant understanding of our Moravian culture, in particular the manufacture of Moravian pottery. Nearby Bethania, the second settlement, is a National Historic District. Also, see our past up close and person by checking out www.digitalforsyth.org.




Founded in 1766 to house professional Moravian craftsmen, Salem, a congregational town and trading center, was a haven for entrepreneurs. Now known as Old Salem Museums & Gardens, it is one of America's most authentic and well-documented colonial sites with 100 restored and reconstructed buildings. The new Old Salem Visitor Center serves as an orientation area, as well as gateway to the historic district. Ticketed visitors learn from costumed interpreters the household activities of European and African Americans who resided here through 1840. Skilled trades such as pewtering, pottery making, woodworking, shoemaking and tailoring are demonstrated. Be sure to visit the gardens of Old Salem described by Rudy Faveretti as the "best documented historic landscape in the United States." Two National Historic Landmarks are here, the Single Brothers' House and Salem Tavern.

Old Salem's newest restoration projects include:
St. Philips Moravian Church, built in 1861, is the oldest standing African American church in North Carolina. Adjacent to it is the newly reconstructed 1823 log church, where interpretations of the African American experience in Salem are available. The newly restored St. Philips Church opened in May 2003.

The Herbst House, built in 1821, was recently moved to its original street-front location.

The Old Salem Toy Museum contains a collection of toys, dolls and miniatures from European and American collections dating from as early as the third century. With more than 1,200 antique toys, including a small but rare group of Moravian toys, it is regarded by collectors as one of the world's most prestigious toy collections.

The Timothy Vogler Gunsmith Shop, built in 1831 and operated by father and son, is a fully operational gunsmithing facility. It is one of the oldest remaining gunsmith shops in America.

Other highlights include:
Salem Academy & College began in 1772 as a Moravian school for girls. Today it is the 13th oldest college in the nation, as well as the oldest dedicated to the education of women.

Winkler Bakery, established in 1800, still bakes their famous Moravian sugarcake, breads and sugar cookies daily and serves them hot from the wood-fired oven.

The Old Salem Children's Museum, for ages 4-9, features a child's size Miksch House, a Moravian home; a secret tunnel and a marble roll. Plus, children can try on costumes from long ago.

The Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts (MESDA), housed in Old Salem, is the only museum dedicated to exhibiting and researching the original decorative arts of America's early South. Guided tours of the 24 period rooms and seven galleries are offered and showcase the furniture, paintings, textiles, ceramics and metalwares made and used in Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Maryland, Virginia and the Carolinas through 1820.




African American residents have played a significant role in developing Winston-Salem. Simon Green Atkins conceived the idea of Slater Industrial Academy, which is today Winston-Salem State University. Our African American Historical & Cultural Guide focuses on the heritage, culture and artistic accomplishments represented by the National Black Theatre Festival, the Delta Arts Center and Diggs Gallery. One hundred years of African American church history is retold in the guide.

Named to the National Register of Historic Places, Reynolda House, Museum of American Art is the former home of tobacco baron R.J. and Katharine Smith Reynolds. Built between 1912 and 1917, it exhibits one of the finest public collections of American art in the South. The pieces date from 1755 to present and include works by Jacob Lawrence, Jasper Johns, Frederic Church, Thomas Eakins and Georgia O'Keeffe. Reynolda House showcases one of America's most authentic examples of a gracious country estate of its time.

View period fashions within a display of the Reynolds' collection. Three rooms in the attic are devoted to the exhibition of vintage clothing, accessories and toys belonging to members of the Reynolds family from 1889 to the 1960s. Mrs. Reynolds' hats, shoes and gowns (1905-24) comprise the major portion of the collection.

Reynolda House has been undergoing a restoration project, which will coincide with the opening of the new wing in spring 2005. Several rooms are being returned to their 1922 appearance, with fabrics carefully chosen to duplicate those used during Katharine Smith Reynolds' lifetime. A new visitor orientation area is under construction and space in the historic house will be recaptured for future exhibits.

The Hauser Farm began in 1830 as a huge tract of land owned by the Hauser family until the late 1950s. In 1987, more than 100 acres of the family's original land was transferred to the state of North Carolina and became Horne Creek Living Historical Farm. Thought to be one of the best preserved examples of a 19th century middle-class farm, it has been developed to demonstrate what life was like in the northwestern Piedmont in the early 1900s, specifically during the transition from fruit to tobacco crops. Programs include white oak basket making workshops, the Corn Shucking Frolic, traditional log construction techniques, and demonstrations on cutting grass with a scythe and making lye soap.