Old Salem - Town Features

Town Features

Highlights of the town itself include the Salem Tavern, where George Washington spent two nights, May 31 and June 1, 1791, while passing through North Carolina during his "Southern Tour"; the Single Brothers' House; Boys' School; Winkler Bakery; and a host of restored homes and shops, and several stores including T. Bagge Merchant and the Moravian Book and Gift Shop.

Also of note is the St. Philip's Moravian Church complex. Original site of an 18th century graveyard, the (now reconstructed) 1823 'Negro Church' was built following a congregational vote to segregate worship in accordance with North Carolina state law in 1816. Prior to that the African-Americans who joined the Moravian church attended Home Church. In 1861, St. Philip's Church was constructed. Now restored, the church was originally built by the Salem congregation for the enslaved and free African-Americans of the community. It is the oldest surviving African-American church built for that purpose in North Carolina. Completed just before the Civil War in 1861, the Emancipation Proclamation was read there to the congregation in 1865 by the chaplain of the 10th Ohio Regiment. The Church continued to grow and was expanded in the 1890s. The congregation moved to a new location in 1952 (and still exists at a third location), and the building stood vacant until its restoration. The original St. Philip's Church is now individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Partially within the Old Salem historic district is the campus of Salem College and Academy, with Main Hall, the Single Sisters' House, the Inspectors House (with the President's office and the college book store) on the Square, and Gramley Library just down Church Street. High school students attending the Governor's School of North Carolina stay in the college's dormitories each summer.

Home Moravian Church, while not a part of the official Old Salem tour per se, opens its sanctuary to visitors on a regular schedule. Still owned by the Moravian Church Southern Province, Salem Square, in the center of the district, hosts many special events throughout the year, including a long-running band concert series in the summer. The famous water pump, a restored portion of Salem's c. 1778 waterworks, stands on the southwest corner of the square.

In Salem, the "Easter City," the traditional Moravian Easter Sunrise Service has been held annually since 1772, and draws several thousand people to the Salem Square and Moravian graveyard. The first two weeks of December play host to the Candle Tea, an annual fundraiser for local charities held by the Home Moravian Church Women's Fellowship in the Single Brothers' House.

Old Salem has a summer youth program called Five Yesterdays. It is a day camp for children aged rising third graders to rising eighth graders.