Why Salem Was Laid Out The Way It Was

"The entire length of this place (Salem) does not amount to half a mile so that no one would have to walk more than a quarter of a mile or more than five minutes at a leisurely pace to attend the meetings of the congregation." -- Notes on a map of the proposed Salem Square by mapmaker Christian Gottlieb Reuter, July 1765.

Home Moravian Church
Old Salem, NC

The Moravian church, in Salem, would eventually be called Home Church. The distance to it from various points in Salem figured into the decision about the town layout. 

This is an worthy priority. It reminds one of the Hebrew Tabernacle that was situated in the center of the encampment of the tribes.