Moravian Mournings
Having just returned from Bethlehem, this recently married, and medically trained, brother was one of the early, and most unfortunate, deaths of the 1759 typhus epidemic.
Hans Martin Kalberlahn
This Minister went into substantial debt funding the construction of the 1788 Gemeinhaus. This debt was passed onto to his wife who finally settled his debts with her estate after her passing in 1816.
Jacob Ernst
This Potter was the first master potter to practice at Bethabara. He's kind of a big deal, just like the giant dish that he used as a sign to mark his shop in Salem after he relocated there in 1771.
Gottfried Aust.
The first vorsteher of Bethabara. Given a Captains commission in the North Carolina militia.
Jacob Loesch
This liquor is the product of distilling wine and was a top seller almost every year at the Bethabara tavern and distillery.
Brandy
This Moravian potter, farmer, and beekeeper died in 1810 after becoming one of the few enslaved Moravians who were allowed to buy their own freedom.
Peter Oliver
A leaky bell tower has always been an issue in the Gemeinhaus, with the first mention of a leak appearing in this year.
1789
This potter's dedication to the production of fine-ware led him to make some of the most exciting and experimental pottery crafted by the Moravian potters. It also may have been a source of contention between he and his master.
Rudolph Christ.
A man of many talents, this Moravian man was lauded for his abilities as a farmer and hand selected all of the fruit trees that made up Bethabara's first orchards.
Hermanus Loesch
Non-importation and boycotts made it hard to find the Caribbean style of this liquor? Have no fear! The "New England" or lighter style of it was made right here in Bethabara and proved lucrative, which is not surprising since colonists drank an estimated 14 liters of it a year.
One of the most important Moravian women in Wachovia, this sister spent her final days deservingly retired from church leadership and residing in a story and-a-half framed house that still stands in the Old Salem Historic District until her passing in 1816.
Anna Catharina Antes
This well know architectural historian and preservationist wrote the first official preservation report of the 1788 Gemeinhaus in conjunction with the 1969 restoration.
Frank L. Horton
By far the most common ceramic type found at Bethabara, this "ware" could be in the form of utilitarian pieces, glazed and slip pieces, or even covered in white slip to imitate find imported pottery.
Despite their early success hunting this common eastern woodland fowl, the brothers quickly learned that they were not going to be relying on hunting to provide themselves meat.
Turkey
After it was decided that Bethabara could continue producing alcohol without cutting into Salem's profits, a larger distillery, which proved a constant source of anxiety during the ongoing War for Independence, was built in this year.
1778
This (debatably) successful dyer moved out of his home in Bethabara in 1789. He opted for a simpler and quieter life in Bethania, which he enjoyed until his death in 1803.
Johannes Schaub
The current Gemeinhaus Belltower is NOT the original bell tower, which was large enough for an entire Moravian brass section to stand upon it. That bell tower was replaced in this year in hopes that the smaller tower might fix a recurring leak.
1811
The discovery of this master potter's kiln by archeologist John Clauser Jr. marked the discover of the first attributed Moravian kiln in North America and caused more questions than it provided answers with its distinct English firebox style.
John Butner
This brother was described as "A man whom all animals love" but found himself also in charge of the garden and the laundry for all brothers.
Jacob Lung
This beverage would have been found brewing in taverns and homes throughout the American colonies. A favorite drink of Martha and George Washington at their home in Mount Vernon, Moravians and other Germanic peoples found it made an excellent ingredient in baked goods as well. I think we are all glad that practice caught on!
Chocolate
This Moravian Sister was renowned for her leadership throughout the global Moravian Church. In a somewhat abnormal show of exaltation for the church movement, Zinzendorf himself had a series of miniatures painted of her to honor her selfless leadership and countless sacrifices. Her passing in May of 1760 was mourned by congregations throughout the globe.
Anna Caritas Nitschmann, Countess von Zinzendorf und Pottendorf.
This enslaved Moravian was the first to have a "home going" in the new 1788 Gemeinhaus. The occasion featured a brass band playing form the newly made bell tower.
Christian
Johann Gottlob Krause was the third master potter at Bethabara, but is often credited instead for being a master this, and constructing numerous buildings in the Old Salem historic District.
Mason
The first Minister of the Bethabara congregation, but "upon occasion cook and gardener."
Bernhard Grube
Multiple stills, made of this material, were used throughout the breweries lifetime at Bethabara, including ones as large as 700 gallons.
Copper