Living Legacies Issue 1 Volume 1(clone) | Page 4

Where We Came From:

A Brief History of The Community

In the early 1750s, John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville, a prominent British landowner, sold 98,985 acres of land to a group of Protestant Moravians. The Moravians of Pennsylvania slowly began to settle there, creating the first Moravian town of Bethabara in 1753. The town of Bethania followed soon after, the official “congregation town,” Salem was established in 1766.

Only a few hundred people populated the are by the time of the Revolutionary War. When the American Revolution (1776-1783) began, Moravians were often accused of being loyal to the British Crown, but they generally identified as pacifists, strongly believing that any kind of war or violence was unnecessary and wrong. After the war, Salem and the surrounding towns began to grow and build a strong community.

Economic pressure led the church to begin purchasing enslaved Africans, who were used to increase the labor force. These men and women often worked alongside their white brethren in a range of agricultural jobs and in Salem's shops and tavern.

Over time, the town became increasingly defined by business and other economic opportunities. By the eve of the American Civil War, Salem was a thriving center for industrial manufacturing and traditional crafts.

The focus on economic growth and personal wealth led Salem to stand out from the surrounding communities and others throughout the South, as several local businesses were depended on for War goods like cloth for uniforms and wagons for moving goods.