Wachovia

As John Clewell stated (1902), the founding of Salem was an important epoch in the history of Wachovia. (p. 84) After all, it is what would provide the foundation for the Moravian community to thrive. Near the center of the tract of the slightly less than 100,000 acres, would lay the foundation for the community of Salem. The name Salem , meaning peace, was given by Count Zinzendorf in the year 1765 leading up to the rapid amount of work beginning in 1766 (Clewell, 1902, p. 86). According to Clewell (1902), several major events in Salem took place that year, beginning with the construction of the first house which began on January 6th, 1766 (p. 89; Old Salem, n.d). The following are more significant dates of that year for the town of Salem:

In 1766, a little later than that of the January date provided, a small house of logs, north of the first one constructed was built (Clewell, 1902, p. 89).

April 12, 1766, the area for God’s acre was chosen as well as the main square of Salem. (Thomas, 1994, p. 19)

June 6, 1766, the first hall meeting took place (Clewell, 1902, p. 89).

October, 1766, a dwelling house was constructed and later became the property of Fries (Clewell, 1902, p. 89) .

July 23, 1768 the lot was measured for the single brethren’s house, which was the largest building to be undertaken for construction in the town. This building was finished December 27, 1769 and was occupied by sixteen single men and four boys.

In 1768, a site for a hotel/tavern was selected (Clewell, 1902, p. 89).

In 1769 God’s Acre was enclosed by a fence (Clewell, 1902, p. 89).

Following these dates, the Gemein Haus otherwise known as the Congregation House as constructed. On November 13, 1771 the first meeting took place in the Gemein haus. On that same day, the Salem Congregation was formally organized (Fries, 1949, p. 34). Throughout the next year, Salem would see an increase within the population, particularly with individuals moving from Bethabara (Fries, 1949, p. 35). However, it would not be until 1783 that Salem would assume the spotlight of leadership, since which it has maintained in comparison to that of the other towns established by the Moravians.