Historic Bethabara Park - First Moravian Settlement - Winston-Salem, NC

On Tuesday September 19th we visited Historic Bethabara Park with a short stop to see the largest Coffee Pot. 

The Mickey Coffee Pot is a large tin coffee pot which is a local landmark in Winston-Salem.  It was created in 1858 by tinsmiths Julius and Samuel Mickey as an advertisement for their tin shop on South Main Street. The pot is considered to be a symbol of hospitality and an unofficial symbol of the city.

Bethabara is where a small group of Moravians settled a religious village and trade center. It's the site of the earliest Moravian settlement in the Piedmont, established in 1753. The park is nestled in a picturesque 183-acre wildlife preserve with 126 species of birds.

The site features the oldest standing Church with attached residence in North America, active archaeological sites, a reconstructed colonial village, French and Indian War palisade fort, and a Community and Medicinal Garden. It was always meant to be a temporary place while a larger settlement was built which was Salem. (now called Old Salem which we visited a couple of days ago) Unlike Old Salem which has been reconstructed, this site is primarily an archeological site with only the church in its' original state. Gemeinhaus built in 1788 is the only German Colonial Church with an attached Minister's living quarters remaining in the US. The Moravians kept very good records and historians painstakingly reconstruct each building. 

We watched a short film on the history which was very interesting and then a lady gave us a tour of the church. She gave us a lot of interesting information about the Moravians and what life was like for them.

 memorial marker 1806 was erected for the beginning of the settlement of the Moravians in Wachovia

 Gemeinhaus - German Colonial Church

 ministers always sat at the same level as the congregation - symbolizing all are equal

 pipe organ in the balcony

 in the parlor

One of the stories she told us was about the saying Pop goes the Weasel -  A spinner's weasel consists of a wheel which is revolved by the spinner in order to measure off thread or yarn after it has been produced on the spinning wheel. The weasel is usually built so that the circumference is six feet, so that 40 revolutions produces 80 yards of yarn, which is a skein. It has wooden gears inside and a cam, designed to cause a popping sound after the 40th revolution, telling the spinner that she has completed the skein. (though there are other theories from other countries on the meaning of the rhyme.)

 bedroom of the minister & family

 little girls bed

Master double bed

 kitchen

 Brother's school room

 bread used in the Lovefeast

 Log House 1816 A Federal House later modified in the Greek-Revival style

 Apothecary Shop - 1763

 Doctor's Laboratory 1759

 Well - 1807

Bethabara Fort 1756-1763 (prompted by the French and Indian War)

 Family House 1758

 Bell House (reconstructed)

 Well 1763

 The Brothers house - 1755

 Flour Bin - 1758

 Pottery Shop addition - 1763 - 1766

 Pottery Shop - 1755

 Pottery Dependency - 1756

 Smith's House - 1762

 Locksmith & Gunsmith Shop - 1759

 Mill-Wright's House 1762

 Tailor's Shop - 1764

 Tailor's Shop addition & Well - after 1766

fence

 community garden 

 Summer House 1759

 New Bethabara Tavern 1775

 Congregation Store Addition after 1766

 Savannah Sparrow

 1765 Calf Barn - displays the various trades of the time

Visitor's Center

 there were some graves outside of God's Acre

 First Moravian Missionary to Greenland

Tomorrow we leave for a town close to Raleigh, NC

One last sunset over Pilot Mountain

Greystone was an unusual 10 space park with no frills, but it has been one of my favorites. Beautiful view, spaces far apart and quiet. Close to many attractions in the area.