Introduction to the Moravians and Bethabara

Moravians had been in the United States less than thirty years before founding Bethabra. Originating in what is today the Czech Republic but what was known at the time as Bohemia and Moravia (Fig 1.), the Moravians were a quickly growing religious denomination. Moravians have existed since the mid-fifteenth century and, in that time, expanded to many areas of the globe, including Europe, North America, and South America.

In 1735, the Moravians wanted to establish a permanent residence in North America and traveled to Savannah, Georgia, as part of General James Oglethorpe's expedition. The expedition was ultimately a failure. However, it allowed Moravians to continue to push for influence in North America.

1741 marked the year Moravians permanently settled in Pennsylvania. Naming their new settlement Bethlehem, Moravians quickly bought an additional 5,000 acres of land and named their second settlement, Nazareth. Bethlehem was established on Christmas Eve, and its namesake is believed to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ. Bethlehem, PA, was thus the birthplace of Moravians in North America. On the other hand, Nazareth is believed to be the home of Jesus Christ.

Bethlehem and Nazareth became two major hubs for the Moravians as they expanded their economic and religious influence to other places along the East Coast, notably Maryland and New Jersey. The two settlements were where many Moravian decisions were made and where religious service was held. Additionally, in 1749, just outside of Nazareth, in the town of Christian Spring (or Christiansbrunn), several Brethren built a brewery and malt house out of stone and wood (Fig 3.) and was 50-foot long by 21-foot wide. Records suggest that at this brewery, only beer and cider were made, but no liquor, as most of that would have been imported to Bethlehem.

By 1750, the Moravians had their eyes set on southern expansion. On August 25th, 1852, lead surveyor Bishop Augustus G. Spangenberg (Fig. 2) and several brothers from Bethlehem set out to find a perfect place to expand. After five months, the group returned, having traveled through many parts of the North Carolina mountains, piedmont, and coast. Spangenberg noted how North Carolina was hard to understand and similarly hard to navigate. Full surveys of North Carolina were rare before the establishment of the United States, with the first major one being completed in 1770 (Fig 4.).

Spangenberg surveyed land meant to make up exactly 100,000 acres. In reality, the fourteen tracts they selected for purchase totaled 98,985 acres. The purchased land, which came to be known as Wachau (Wachovia), was £500 and is located in present-day Forsyth County, North Carolina. In October 1753, fifteen men, of which most came Nazareth's lower portion (Fig 5), left for North Carolina with the goal of establishing a settlement.

The brethren arrived in modern-day Forsyth County on November 17, 1753. They officially established Bethabara and recorded their arrival and first day in the Bethabara diary. Bethabara is located in the northwestern part of what was Wachovia (Fig. 6). While Bethabara was the first Moravian settlement in Wachovia, it certainly wasn't the last. Other notable settlements of Wachovia include Salem and Bethania (Fig. 7).

Bethabara was meant to be a starting settlement but not a permanent one. Instead, Bethabara, according to Spangenberg, was "intended for nothing other than a Unity plantation." Bethabara, in other words, was a "place of passage." When the time was right, many operations would move out of Bethabara. However, the settlement's first twenty years were quite productive as the Moravians further established themselves in North Carolina.

The Brothers' first year at Bethabara was busy for the Brothers. They planted corn, built roads through the settlement, made a mill, and finally, in 1756, built the Gemein Haus (German for "Community House"), where Moravians would live, have religious gatherings, and educate themselves (Fig. 7). The Gemein Haus would be rebuilt in 1788 and still stands on Bethabara's grounds today! By 1760 Bethabara was small, but far from insignificant.

From its founding, Bethabara was meant as a place of trade rather than religious expansion. Making money allowed the Moravians to establish additional settlements, namely Salem and Bethania, throughout the mid to late 1700s. Items sold and traded included clothes, coffee, cobblestone, shovels, hoes, medicine, and most prominently, alcohol.

The Moravians quickly established themselves in the trade market. Using paths like the "Great Trade Path" and the High Point/Wilmington trade route (Fig 8.), they were able to reach different parts of North Carolina and Virginia, bringing their economic and religious influence with them. Trade slowed in Bethabara by 1774 as most operations moved to Salem, however, the production of alcohol and its distribution remained prominent at Bethabara into the 1810s.

To learn more about alcohol at Bethabara, go to the next section.