Alcohol, Trade, and The Lifeblood of Bethabara

Modern alcohol production around the globe is a booming industry. In 2023, about $1.6 trillion in profit was made on alcohol alone. It is as profitable of a business as it is extensive. Modern alcohol production can be done virtually anywhere and by anyone. Large steel vats, as seen in the image above (Fig. 1), bottles lining the shelves, and beer taps lining the walls (Fig. 2) are just some of the things you might expect when entering a distillery, bar, or brewery. What kind of alcohol you can get at any given place is almost limitless.

However, this hasn't always been the case. The global availability of many different kinds of alcohol, whether it be beer, wine, or spirits, is relatively new. For Bethabara, and more broadly, the United States, the kinds of alcohol present would have been much more limited. You couldn't actively get a beer brewed in Japan while drinking a vodka distilled in Iceland. Alcohol production tended to be localized or regional, with settlements having a single brewery/distillery, and tavern. Therefore from the 1750s to 1820s, alcohol production and consumption was widely present, but not in the way it is today.

This section of the exhibit highlights Bethabara's ties to alcohol and how they relate to trade, consumption, and the economic stability of the settlement. Additionally, it notes how alcohol was produced, consumed, and traded around the United States more broadly.

In colonial times, alcohol production was common in settlements across North America. Breweries, taverns, and distilleries were an indispensable priority for settlements as they made money and served as a drink for calories. In North America, people drank extensively, especially from 1790 to 1830. During this time, Americans consumed more alcohol per capita than any other time before or after. W.J. Rorabaugh calls America in the late eighteenth to early nineteenth century "The Alcoholic Republic," where drunkenness and disruption from alcohol was an American tradition. From 1760 to 1810, colonists and Americans consumed an average of 3.5 gallons per person. The annual average consumption of distilled spirits totaled 4 gallons by 1810.

Bethabara's alcohol production lasted most prominently from 1756 to 1802. During this time, several breweries/distilleries were built, two taverns were established, and thousands of gallons of alcohol were produced, sold, and consumed at Bethabara or in port towns like Charleston. Similar to America more broadly, alcohol was widely present. Unlike America more broadly, the Moravians had rules on the consumption of alcohol and had a difficult relationship with it being sold en mass at the settlement. Figure 4 demonstrates a chart from the temperance movement. This chart notes beverages that are okay for consumption, like water,

The production of alcohol by the Moravians did not begin in Bethabara. Instead, the Moravians had produced significant amounts of alcohol at Nazareth, specifically in Christian Spring (Fig 3). More alcohol was produced than in Bethabara, but that was likely because Nazareth and Bethlehem were larger. In Nazareth and later Bethlehem, breweries like Christian's Spring served the settlements as beer was used less for drunkenness and more for calories.

When Bethabara was established in 1753, it began the Southern denomination of the Moravians, and by 1757, the North and South denominations were easily identifiable. Bethabara was settled to make money for the Moravians, which later allowed for settlements like Salem to be founded. Bethabara's early years were defined by growing pains as the settlement established itself in North Carolina's trade.

Henrich Feldhausen came to Bethabara in 1753 with the first group of Brethren. Born on December 20, 1721, Feldhausen had skills as a shoe-maker, carpenter, mill-wright, cooper, sieve-maker, turner, and farmer. However, Feldhausen's most important skill was that of a brewer and distiller.

In December 1756, the Brothers built Bethabara's first Brewery/Distillery. Feldhausen was listed as the settlement's head brewer and remained in the role until 1762. Brewing and distilling in the 1700s was not a pleasant experience. Unlike alcohol production today, there was no specialized vats

1951 aerial map