If you find yourself in the Winston-Salem, NC area, you don't want to miss going to the 18th Century Moravian village of Old Salem Museums & Gardens. Salem was established in 1766 by "Moravians, a group of Eastern European Protestants who first arrived in 1753. They were skilled artisans, cabinet-makers, tinsmiths, gunsmiths, gardeners, and cooks."
The historic area is very similar to Colonial Williamsburg (another favorite vacation site of ours) just not as large...a private home may be right next to the shoemaker shop or gunsmith shop.
I hope you enjoy my pictures. You can read more about Old Salem here. Please check it out.
The wooden covered bridge we walked through from the Visitors' Center to the historical district....
Our first stop was at Timothy Vogler Gunsmith Shop, 1831. It is the oldest working gunsmith in the country.
Next stop....
Inside the barn it was so cool. (Maybe because of the high peaked ceiling?)
Some pictures inside....
Next we visited the Smultz Shoemaker Shop, 1827
The living history docent was working on a new water bucket...she was explaining the "thread" they used.
(Shoes were made one shape and became right or left shoes after the person "broke them in".)
Salem's first Federal-style house built by John Vogler, 1819. This was his house and silversmith shop. He also repaired clocks and watches. This house stayed in the family until the 1950s so the furnishings were original. The person who bought the house then donated it to the museum. WOW!
The first example of a stove we saw often in the homes. The painted ceramic blocks would heat up and radiated heat to the room. This was the prettiest one we saw. Love the yellow.
By this time it was well past lunchtime. We decided to eat at The Flour Box Team Room & Cafe. Tasty!
It was so pleasant eating outside and the food was so delicious that we lingered a little too long over lunch and weren't able to spend a lot of time with the rest of the "sites".
Single Brothers' House housed the young single men. They lived here until they learned a trade that would support themselves and a family ... until they were probably 27.
Each morning the boys would meet for worship in this room which contained this Tannenberg pipe organ. This organ dates to 1798 and we timed it just right to hear this lady play it for us. It was beautiful!
Downstairs were the rooms where the boys learned their trade and ate. I didn't get any pictures of it. Their living quarters were upstairs on the second floor.
Our last stop was the Winkler Bakery, 1800. They still bake bread in the original dome shaped oven to sell. We bought some raisin oatmeal cookies that were to die for. Highly recommend them.
This was a scene behind the Miksch Gardens and House, 1771. The house was closed but I took the picture of the back yard from the street.
The sidewalks....
Back at the "newer" built covered bridge (it went over the highway below) and the visitors' center ...
It was a fun day with our friend and a fascinating day back into the early history of Salem before it became Winston-Salem, NC. (The two cities became one, but that's another story.)
The historic area is very similar to Colonial Williamsburg (another favorite vacation site of ours) just not as large...a private home may be right next to the shoemaker shop or gunsmith shop.
I hope you enjoy my pictures. You can read more about Old Salem here. Please check it out.
The wooden covered bridge we walked through from the Visitors' Center to the historical district....
Our first stop was at Timothy Vogler Gunsmith Shop, 1831. It is the oldest working gunsmith in the country.
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| Timothy Vogler Gunsmith Shop, 1831 |
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| A gun starts from this plank that ages 5 years |
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| Starting to take shape |
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| Looking more like it |
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| Finished |
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| The view down the street. Mostly private residences on the right side. |
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| Tavern Barn (relocated here) |
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| Salem Tavern Museum, 1784 - George Washington stayed here |
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| Gathering room downstairs |
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| Accommodations |
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| Dining room for guests |
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| A stove in a hallway |
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| The kitchen (oven on left to bake bread) |
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| Roasting coffee that day |
Next we visited the Smultz Shoemaker Shop, 1827
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| Shultz Shoemaker Shop, 1827 |
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| New water bucket in the background (at her hips) |
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| Water buckets |
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| Shoe forms on top shelf with finished shoes on bottom shelf |
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| Cool way to "confine" thread...and old hat nailed down and a hole cut in top |
The first example of a stove we saw often in the homes. The painted ceramic blocks would heat up and radiated heat to the room. This was the prettiest one we saw. Love the yellow.
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| Master bedroom |
By this time it was well past lunchtime. We decided to eat at The Flour Box Team Room & Cafe. Tasty!
It was so pleasant eating outside and the food was so delicious that we lingered a little too long over lunch and weren't able to spend a lot of time with the rest of the "sites".
Single Brothers' House housed the young single men. They lived here until they learned a trade that would support themselves and a family ... until they were probably 27.
 |
| Single Brothers' House |
Downstairs were the rooms where the boys learned their trade and ate. I didn't get any pictures of it. Their living quarters were upstairs on the second floor.
Our last stop was the Winkler Bakery, 1800. They still bake bread in the original dome shaped oven to sell. We bought some raisin oatmeal cookies that were to die for. Highly recommend them.
This was a scene behind the Miksch Gardens and House, 1771. The house was closed but I took the picture of the back yard from the street.
The sidewalks....
Back at the "newer" built covered bridge (it went over the highway below) and the visitors' center ...
It was a fun day with our friend and a fascinating day back into the early history of Salem before it became Winston-Salem, NC. (The two cities became one, but that's another story.)
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