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. 

Image - Home Moravian Church - (Old) Salem

Home Moravian Church was established in Salem on November 13, 1771.The sanctuary building itself, with its distinctive belfry, was completed in 1800, 

Moravian Lovefeast

The first worship service in Home Moravian Church, Salem, was Sunday November 9th, 1800. The number of people that arrived for the inaugural liturgy was far beyond the seating capacity. The overflow went to the town square with men on one side and women on the other - just as they sat in the church itself. The trombones separated the two groups.

At days end there was a lovefeast. Beer and buns were served (remember they are Germans). One thousand buns were baked. They had to be halved to provide for all those that attended. 

As a side note there is no hard and fast rule about the refreshments served at a lovefeast. The Congregational Council, however, in 1789 determined that coffee shall be served. So it has been ever since. 

Brick

In 1797 serious discussion began in Salem about the building of a church. I have researched the brick used and came up with two results.

It does seem that Joseph Essic was contracted to make brick for the building project in 1797.

In one account it was estimated that 50,000 brick would be needed. Three years later the brick making was finished. He had made a total of 117,000.  

In a second account in the literature of Home Moravian Church I found the following: "In 1799, the walls 2'6" thick were laid up. This took over 300,000 bricks, which were made in the valley behind the church." 

Despite the disparate numbers the brick making is impressive. The making of the brick, whatever the number, is one more way the Moravians of old had grit and a "can-do" spirit. 

Ground was broken and the foundation was laid for the Salem Church in 1798. Today it is known as Home Moravian Church. All this to the glory of God.  

Image - History in Sound

High above Home Moravian Church there is abundant history represented by the clock and its bell. For more than 200 years, the tower clock has chimed on a bell the Moravians rang by hand for the first time in 1772.

Today as one walks the streets of Old Salem the sound of the clock and its bell is a historic sound. To maintain the sound the clock must be wound twice a day at 7 a.m. and about 3 p.m. It takes 49 turns to wind the time barrel and 200 turns to wind the striking barrel. This hand winding has not changed over the centuries.  

Back in 1772 when the "hand rung" bell arrived in Salem a decision was made with reference to the frequency with which it would be struck. It was decided that the bell should be rung three times a day: at 7 a.m. to let workers know when to begin work; at 11:30 a.m. in advance of the noon hour dinner break; and close to sunset, not later than 7 p.m. 

In 1787, the Moravians ordered a town clock from Germany. In 1800, the bell was raised to the belfry of Home Moravian Church where lives currently.  

The Salem tower clock at Home Moravian is one of the earliest mechanical clocks in the United States still in existence in its original form