President Washington Visits Salem, NC - June 1791

The tavern President Washington visited is the dark and closest image on the left behind the sign over the walkway. The tavern stands much unchanged and may be visited.

_________

"It is easy to imagine that Washington’s visit to Salem in June of 1791, while it was certainly the occasion of much enthusiasm was also the cause of a bit of anxiety. Throughout the south Washington’s tour was a celebration of the Revolution. He was hailed as the Father of his Country. Speeches and toasts memorialized his service in the war against Britain. Many of those who greeted and entertained him had been his fellow soldiers in that war. Salem was something of an exception.

The Moravians of Salem and the surrounding countryside — the old tract of Wachovia — had, at the time of the American Revolution, a tradition of pacifism going back more than three hundred years. When hostilities began between the British government and its colonial opponents the Moravians asked to be left alone. The official diary of the Moravian settlements records simply, “It does not accord with our character as Brethren to mix in such political affairs, we are children of peace.” To patriots or loyalists, who were sacrificing much for their cause, this was hard to accept. The Moravian settlements were persecuted by both sides as they tried to maintain their religious commitment.

Whatever concern there may have been, the meeting between the President and the Moravians went smoothly and pleasantly. We are fortunate to have several accounts of Washington’s visit to Salem, the most important ones being the diary of the President himself and the official diary of the Moravian community. Washington was impressed with the neat orderly appearance of the town as well as with the demeanor of its inhabitants. He considered it a well governed, hard-working community. The people of Salem were impressed with Washington’s simple, friendly manner, particularly with children." -- Text from the North Carolina Miscellany.

Moravians and the American Revolution

At the early ramping up to the American Revolution the Moravians in America sought to be both passive and aloof from the beating war drums. They were, after all, pacifists - but not totally. They did own guns for defense from robbers, Indians and wild animals. But they rejected participation in warfare against an army.

With the war at their doorstep they placed their fate in the hands of their Lord and Savior - Jesus. The Salem Diary captures this spirit well. Consider:

They praised “the many instances of His wonderful help, counsel and direction in the past year. Had he not been this to us, had the Guardian of Israel not watched over us and turned aside the evil which the enemy planned against us, we would have perished.”

The Salem Diary in 1776 read: “We must say with truth and humility that our dear Lord has not only lightened the heavy load, but when misfortune and harm was (sic) threatening, He either turned it aside or made it work to our advantage.”

These early Moravians were clear about what they should do - they must follow and obey their earthly ruler as Scripture teaches. The Moravians would comply with whoever made up the rightful government be it King George or the Colonial government.

Every coin has two sides

One side of the coin:

The 18th century Moravians turned upside down the existing social order with their radical spirituality and religion. There were four theological/moral positions the 18th century Moravians held that often put them sideway with the larger society. The four were:

• Pacifism, 
• The concept that all humans are of equal value and deserve equal opportunity,
• Living in community with shared responsibilities,
• And finally, the promotion of unity between Christian churches. 

Truth to be told things went beyond criticism. Count Zinzendorf, the father of the renewed Moravians, was exiled from his homeland for a decade. There were riots in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and England. Missionaries were banished from their foreign work. Great men such as George Whitefield and John Wesley inveighed against them through tracts. 

One of the several reasons the Moravians purchased land in North Carolina was to have a place of sanctuary.

On the other side of the coin.

Indeed the 18th century Moravians were radical and maligned. The irony is that all the negativity toward the Moravians did not negate their growth. In fact, the church grew fastest during its most radical period. Additionally, the message of peace and harmony inspired many - hundreds - to carry the message of Jesus Christ around the world in search of the lost. This radical period contributed to the inspiration to build communities, such as Salem, in the wilderness of North Carolina. 

Five Things to Know about the Moravians of Yesteryear

The official name was the Unitas Fratrum (Unity of Brothers);

In the twenty-five years before the Moravians settled in North Carolina in 1753 the Moravian church had grown from about two hundred members in Germany to several thousand from Latvia to Pennsylvania, from Greenland to South America; 

In 1749 the British Parliament recognized the Moravian church “as an ancient and episcopal church, with bishops in apostolic succession like those in the Anglican Church.”

Parliament exempted Moravians from bearing arms in the militia;

By the time that Salem was established in 1771 there were more black Moravians than white Moravians in the New World.