celebrating moravian christmas in the south

C e l e b r a t i n g M o r a v i a n C h r i s t m a s i n t h e S o u t h

Fall/Winter 2007

2 Old Salem Museums & Gardens

On The Cover:

Belsnickel candy container, 1880,

Sonneberg, Germany. Old Salem Toy Museum

Collection, acc. 4561, Anne P. and Thomas A.

Gray Purchase Fund.

Old Salem Museums & Gardens

PO Box F, Salem Station

Winston-Salem, NC 27108-0346

Phone (336) 721-7350

Fax (336) 721-7335

Website www.oldsalem.org

administrationLee French

President & CEO

Eric Hoyle

Vice President & CFO

Gary Albert

Vice President of Publications

John Caramia

Vice President Education

John Larson

Vice President Restoration

Robert Leath

Vice President Collections & Research

Paula Locklair

Vice President Education

Programming and Research

Michelle Speas

Vice President Development & External Relations

Lauren Werner

Director of Marketing

Bill Young

Director of Retail Operations

This Publication is produced by Old Salem Museums & Gardens, which is operated

by Old Salem Inc., a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit educational corporation organized in 1950 in

Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The Old Salem Museums & Gardens logo and name are

registered trademarks, and may not be used by outside parties without permission.

© 2007 Old Salem Museums & Gardens

Edited by Betsy Allen, Editorial Associate

Publication Design by Hillhouse Graphic Design, LLC

Photography by Wes Stewart, except when noted otherwise

The Historic Town of Salem is a restored Moravian congre-

gation town dating back to 1766, with costumed interpreters

bringing the late 18th and early 19th centuries alive. Restored

original buildings, faithful reconstructions, and historically

accurate gardens and landscape make the Historic Town of

Salem one of America’s most authentic history attractions.

The Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts

(MESDA), founded in 1965, contains 24 period rooms and six

galleries showcasing the regional decorative arts of the early

American South. MESDA also supports research on southern

decorative arts and material culture.

The Old Salem Children’s Museum provides hands-on fun

especially for children ages 4-9, and for their adults to learn and

play together. The Children’s Museum is designed to encour-

age exploration, imagination and play as a pathway to learning

about life long ago.

The Old Salem Toy Museum exhibits a significant collec-

tion of toys from the third century through the 1920s made in

Europe, Britain, and America. At the core of the collection are

toys owned and played with by Moravian children who lived in

Salem, North Carolina, during the 1800s.

Fall/Winter 2007

Old Salem Museums & Gardens consists of four museums:

Fall/Winter 2007� 3

Volume 2, Number 2 Fall/Winter 2007

From the President • 5

Moravian Church Anniversary • 6

Celebrating the 550th Birthday

World War I Puppet Show • 8

New at the Old Salem Toy Museum

New Books from Old Salem Museums & Gardens • 11

Moravian Christmas in the South excerpt • 13

StoryCorps • 21

MESDA Think Tank • 22

Gordon Conference Announcement

New to the Collections • 23

New acquisitions by Old Salem Museums & Gardens.

Chicago Garners Rave Reviews • 26

Donor Trip

Where do Gunsmiths go on Vacation? • 27

New Board Members • 28

1766 Society and Planned Giving • 29

Highlighted Events • 30

Calendar of Events • 32

Contents

Christmas in the

Trenches. A World War I

story of common ground.

Page 8

Christmas comes early:

New to the Collections

Page 23

Explore all Old Salem

Museums & Gardens

events and activities on

pages 30–35 or online at

www.oldsalem.org.

Old Salem releases

Moravian Christmas

in the South by Nancy

Smith Thomas.

Page 13

t

t

t

As a Friend of Old Salem Museums & Gardens, your personal commitment to historic preservation, restoration, collections, and educational programming is creating a legacy for future generations. This holiday season, why not share your passion for local history with your family and friends?

A membership to Old Salem Museums & Gardens makes a unique and thoughtful gift for anyone who understands the importance of history in today’s world. It offers a full year of free general

admission, shopping discounts, and special invitations to be a part of the Old Salem family.

For more information, or to purchase a Gift Membership, please contact Member Services at (336) 721-7328 or [email protected], or visit www.oldsalem.org

try the gift ofgot someone hard to shop for?

time travel

give the gift of membership

Gift Ad 05.indd 1 8/29/07 2:22:41 PM

Fall/Winter 2007 5

from the President

D e a r F r i e n d s ,

since I began my adventure at Old Salem

Museums & Gardens and what an exciting one it has been! I continue to be amazed and inspired

by the passion that I see for the various elements of the institution both internally with our

exceptional staff and among our many supporters.

As you know, fall is our busiest time for visitation but we had an extremely active summer as we

prepared programs for the fall and faced the ongoing challenges of building and landscape

maintenance. The gardens were in terrific shape as we hosted the Southern Landscape

Conference in September and many of our buildings received needed repairs and

improvements. Throughout the institution our professional staff and scholars are devel-

oping programs and museum outputs that feature our great historical assets: structures,

landscapes, object collections, and knowledge. We have several initiatives underway that

will define MESDA and Old Salem Museums & Gardens in the twenty-first century by

exploring innovation in exhibits, publications, the research library, and the collections

themselves. You will find a story inside on the think tank held at MESDA in August.

Also in this issue you will learn about three new books published this fall and our

upcoming project with StoryCorps to gather oral histories about Salem. Part of our great

heritage revolves around the Moravian Church, which celebrates its 550th anniversary this year and is

captured in an article by Johanna Brown. Autumn and the holiday season are lovely times in Salem and

this year will be no exception, so we hope you will plan a visit.

An exciting event you’ll want to make note of and save the date for is our upcoming Founders

Gala. On January 19, 2008 we will honor the citizen leaders who founded Old Salem Museums &

Gardens with an evening of Broadway entertainment featuring legendary singer-actress Barbara

Cook, who has filled Carnegie Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, the Kennedy Center, and London’s Albert

Hall during her career. The Gala also celebrates the first anniversary of MESDA’s exhibition at the

Winter Antiques Show in New York.

Finally, these next several months represent a critical time of year when our retail operations and

membership drive are in full swing. I invite you to visit our stores in the district or the Old Salem

online store to see some of the great merchandise our team has put together to complement our

standard line up. I think that you will find a fresh array of reproductions and historically inspired items

that make for a wonderful selection of unique and beautiful gifts. We are experiencing an exciting trend

of new memberships along with renewals from friends whose interest had lapsed. Memberships are an

important benchmark of support and critical to our operating budget. If you are a member already, I

hope that when you renew your membership gift with us this year that you will consider upgrading to

the next level of membership. A gift of an Old Salem membership is also the perfect holiday present for

those very important friends and family on your shopping list! If you are not yet a member, I hope that

you will consider joining our family of friends and supporters as we continue our mission to preserve

and present the heritage and history of Wachovia, Salem, and the early American South.

I look forward to seeing you soon.

—Lee French, President & CEO,

Old Salem Museums & Gardens

Lee and tradesman

Chet Tomlinson at

the experimental

wood-fired kiln

A year has flown by

As a Friend of Old Salem Museums & Gardens, your personal commitment to historic preservation, restoration, collections, and educational programming is creating a legacy for future generations. This holiday season, why not share your passion for local history with your family and friends?

A membership to Old Salem Museums & Gardens makes a unique and thoughtful gift for anyone who understands the importance of history in today’s world. It offers a full year of free general

admission, shopping discounts, and special invitations to be a part of the Old Salem family.

For more information, or to purchase a Gift Membership, please contact Member Services at (336) 721-7328 or [email protected], or visit www.oldsalem.org

try the gift ofgot someone hard to shop for?

time travel

give the gift of membership

Gift Ad 05.indd 1 8/29/07 2:22:41 PM

Celebrating A Birthday F i v e - a n d - a - H a l f C e n t u r i e s o f t h e M o r a v i a n C h u r c h


This year marks the 550th anni-

versary of the founding of the Unitas Fratrum, or

Moravian Church, in 1457. The church fraktur

illustrated here celebrates the vitality and growth

of the Moravian Church

following its renewal under

the leadership of Count

Nicholas Von Zinzendorf

in 1727 and serves as a vivid

and tangible reminder of

the worldwide impact of the

Moravian Church throughout

its history.

There can be no better

image to illustrate the success

of the worldwide Moravian

Church by the third quarter

of the eighteenth century than

the fraktur commissioned

by Friedrich Von Watteville

and painted by P.J. Ferber

in Herrnhut, Germany, as

a gift for Frederic William

Marshall. Marshall, the agent

of the Unitas Fratrum for

the Wachovia Tract in North Carolina, was in

Barby attending the Unity Synod in 1775 when

Von Watteville had this important gift made for

him. Likening the successful missionary efforts

of the renewed Unitas Fratrum to a flourishing

grape vine, the fraktur is a powerful interpreta-

tion of John 15:5 in which Christ declares to his

disciples, “I am the vine, ye are the branches.

He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same

bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can

do nothing.”

Each individual Moravian settlement and mis-

sion is depicted as a leaf on one of several thriv-

ing branches emanating from a central vine. The

branches are laden with bunches of ripe grapes

dispersed among the leaves. Integral to the base

of the vine is a portrayal of Christ crucified. The

foot of the cross on which Christ hangs acts as

the deepest root of the vine.

The blood of Christ springs

forth from the wounds in his

hands, feet, and side to moist-

en and nourish the ground

in which the roots of the vine

abound, a vivid reminder of

the centrality of Christ’s sac-

rifice to the teachings of the

Church.

Strictly speaking, fraktur

is an ornate type of written

or printed German, but the

term has come to be used to

describe illuminated docu-

ments created in the

eighteenth and nineteenth

centuries such as birth and

baptismal certificates (some-

times called Taufscheine) that

employ similar writing. Often, the documents

themselves are called “frakturs,” even if they

have no fraktur lettering at all. The fraktur

described here is one such example.

The MESDA and Old Salem collections com-

bined have a total of thirty such documents,

five of which are on loan. While most of the

fraktur in the collections document births,

some of members of North Carolina Moravian

communities, one especially poignant example

documents both the birth and death of little

Anna Hott, who lived only three days after her

birth on the 31st of October 1820 in Frederick

By Johanna Brown

Each individual

Moravian settle-

ment and

mission is depicted

as a leaf on one

of several thriving

branches

emanating from

a central vine.

Fall/Winter 2007 7

Celebrating A Birthday F i v e - a n d - a - H a l f C e n t u r i e s o f t h e M o r a v i a n C h u r c h

Fraktur (1775) Watercolor and ink on paper. Designed by Friedrich von Watteville and painted by P.J. Ferber. Herrnhut, Germany. HOA 27”; WOA 37”. Acc. 506.1


Men, Mud, and a Miracle

It was a beautiful moonlit night, frost on the ground, white

almost everywhere; and . . . there was a lot of commotion in the

German trenches and then there were those lights — I don’t know

what they were and then they sang Silent Night, Stille Nacht.”

This account was written by seventeen year-old Albert Moren as

he recalled Christmas Eve night 1914 while was serving as a British

private during World War I.

Albert, his allied counterparts, and the German combatants on

the battlefields of France in that first winter of the Great War put

aside their nationalistic and ideologi-

cal differences and stopped the war,

albeit briefly and temporarily. The

muddied trenches from the recent cold

rain was “home” for all those boys that

Christmas Eve.

The 400-mile front stretched through

France, running north to south from

Belgium to the Swiss border. Between

the trenches lay no-man’s land—a

wasteland about the size of two football

fields in some areas of the front but the

distance of only thirty feet in others.

Most believed that the war would be

over before Christmas, but as the holi-

day approached peace had not come

and all combatants were reminiscing

about this very festive time of year and

yearning for hearth and home. To ease

the hardship and suffering, the Queen,

the Kaiser, and families from home sent

Christmas packages to their troops at

the front. The German people even sent

Christmas trees.

Then on this special night, Christmas Eve 1914, as recalled by

Albert Moren, the brutality of war was miraculously suspended. No

one would die and no one would be wounded on this night. As the

slippery mud turned to frozen earth, the differences between the

County, Virginia.

continued on page 8

The artists who created the fraktur in the

MESDA collection were often apparently itiner-

ants for the most part who traveled around the

Backcountry offering their services to parents

who wished to have decorative documentation

of the births of their children. Some artists, such

as Johann Carl Scheibeler of Frederick County,

Maryland, a schoolmaster with connections to

the German Reformed Church, have been iden-

tified by name. Others remain anonymous and

are known only by groups of their work.

A gift of Mrs. Charles Griffith to Old Salem

Museums & Gardens in 1956, the grape vine

fraktur of the Moravian Church descended

in the family of Christian Ludwig Benzien,

Marshall’s successor in Salem. When presented

to Old Salem Museums & Gardens, the fraktur

was pasted to the inside of a trunk. Subsequent

conservation removed the work from the

trunk for its own preservation and safekeeping.

Although the original is too fragile and light

sensitive to remain on exhibit for long periods

of time, a reproduction of the fraktur is on

exhibit in the Boys’ School Museum. m

Johanna Brown is Director of Collections and

Curator at Old Salem Museums & Gardens.

Author John McCutcheon will

read his book Christmas in

the Trenches while the story is

performed in puppetry.

Celebrating a Birthday continued from page 6

Fraktur detail: Note the entry for Salem, 1766.

Pho

to c

ou

rte

sy o

f Jo

hn

Mcc

utc

heo

n

Men, Mud, and a Miracleby Peggy Parks

Fall/Winter 2007 9

troops on both sides of the conflict melted away

as they came together in no-man’s land to cel-

ebrate their common faith.

There may have been as many as 100,000

troops who participated in the unofficial

Christmas Eve truce. The events are true but the

accounts differ as to how long the truce lasted

along the entire length of the front. For some,

the truce lasted only a few hours, but for oth-

ers the truce lasted several days before the grisly

business of war resumed.

On December 15th, the Old Salem Children’s

Museum will present a puppet show about one

of those accounts from the book, Christmas

in the Trenches, written by John McCutcheon.

Although this is a fictional account, the story is

not unlike Albert Moren’s true experience.

Mr. McCutcheon will be with us to read his

book while we perform his story in puppetry.

The Children’s Museum is looking forward

to presenting John McCutcheon’s story of a

Christmas miracle during a war we were

fighting far from home long ago. It is a

story, as the dust jacket of his book sug-

gests, that answers the question “What

does it take to stop a war?” And perhaps

also shares “the seeds of insight that

might show us all what it really takes to

wage peace.”

Performances of Christmas in the

Trenches will be in The Gray Auditorium

in the Old Salem Museums & Gardens

Visitor Center, December 15, 2007, at

1:00 pm and 3:00 pm. A singing concert

and book signing will follow both

puppet performances. Reservations

are recommended. m

This holiday season, you’ll fi nd unique gifts for everyone on your list at the retail shops of Old Salem. Give a wreath hewn from the branches of a North Carolina mountain Fraser fi r tree. A beautiful Moravian Star. A handmade toy, some kitchen-fresh treats, or a Christmas pyramid, like the ones in the period rooms at MESDA. To fi nd out how our holiday traditions came to be, pick up a copy of our new book, Moravian Christmas in the South. With so much history and signifi cance, the gifts you give from Old Salem are ones that will be remembered for a long, long time. Come share the

holiday feeling in the shops of Old Salem today. Or visit us at www.oldsalem.com.

holiday gifttraditions start here.

In fact,they started here generations ago.

Retail Ad 02 to Mech.indd 1 8/21/07 3:17:40 PM

New Books

This fall is a good time

to be a book lover and

a friend of Old Salem

Museums & Gardens.

Three exciting new

books with ties to

Old Salem are now

available in our retail

shops and through our

website…just in time

for Christmas shopping!

a b o u t O l d S a l e m M u s e u m s & G a r d e n s

Old Salem Brought to Life: The Paintings and Story of Pauline Bahnson Gray

by Aurelia Gray Eller and Paula W. Locklair, Old Salem Museums & Gardens | $49.99

Old Salem Brought to Life is an elegant, comprehensive tribute to the spirit and

artistry of one of the North Carolina town’s most steadfast visionaries, Pauline

Bahnson Gray (1891–1955). Her talent with a brush created the visual context

for preserving and restoring Salem at a time when the town was in danger of

being destroyed by encroaching industrialization. Whether you have ties to the

Moravian community, are a preservationist, or are simply drawn to the charming

paintings Pauline created, her unique story and her art will captivate your imagi-

nation and will resonate throughout the ages. This richly illustrated book was

made possible through a generous gift by Pauline’s descendents and was

written by Pauline’s daughter, Aurelia Gray Eller, and Old Salem’s Paula

Locklair, Vice President, Education Programming and Research.

Aurelia Gray Eller shows her new book Old Salem Brought to Life: The

Story of Pauline Bahnson Gray to her mother’s great granddaughter and

her great niece Lisette Gallaher.


Winston & Salem: Tales of Murder, Mystery and Mayhem

by Jennifer Bean Bower, The History Press, $19.99

A young man

charged with

murder is marched

through the streets of Winston and Salem

and hanged on the outskirts of town . . . .

A tragic event carries several citizens into

a raging river and to their deaths . . . .

An eccentric with a fascination for

chemicals blows himself up at the Salem

Hotel. . . .

Through the use of primary docu-

ments these and other fascinating sto-

ries of Winston and Salem’s past are

vividly brought to life. Jennifer Bean

Bower, Old Salem’s associate curator

of photographic collections, has spend

many years collecting accounts of the

extraordinary historic events that have

occurred in her hometown of Winston-

Salem. This book covers 118 years of

history and introduces readers to real-

life characters and stories not soon to be

forgotten.

N e w B o o k s f r o m O l d S a l e m M u s e u m s & G a r d e n s continued

$??.99

Winston &

Salem: Tales of M

urder, Mystery and M

ayhem

Winston & Salem

Tales of Murder,

Mystery and Mayhem

Bower

Winston & Salem

Tales of Murder,

Mystery and MayhemFelonies, dark deeds and mysteries

from Winston and Salem’s past.

A young man charged with murder is marched through the

streets of Winston and Salem and hanged on the outskirts

of town…

A tragic event carried several citizens into a raging river

and to their deaths…

An eccentric with a fascination for chemicals blows

himself up at the Salem Hotel…

Through the use of primary

documents these and other

fascinating stories of Winston and

Salem’s past are vividly brought to

life. Jennifer Bean Bower, associate

curator of Photographic Collections

at Old Salem Museums & Gardens,

has spent many years collecting

accounts of the extraordinary

historic events that have occurred in

her hometown of Winston-Salem.

Winston and Salem: Tales of Murder,

Mystery and Mayhem covers 118

years of history and introduces

readers to real-life characters and

stories not soon to be forgotten.

hist

oryp

ress

.net

Jennifer Bean Bower

Moravian Christmas in the South

by Nancy Smith Thomas, Old Salem Museums & Gardens, Distributed by The University of North Carolina Press, $29.95

Many of the Christmas traditions that we know today did not appear in

America until well into the nineteenth century. This inviting book explores the

Christmas celebrations of the Moravian Church in the South, whose members

were marking the holiday as early as the 1780s in ways recognizable to modern

Americans. The Moravians’ emphasis on a family-centered Christmas grew

greatly through the nineteenth century and served as a model for social change

in secular America.

This abundantly illustrated volume

explores the many facets of traditional

Moravian Christmas celebrations, includ-

ing decorations (such as the idiosyncratic

“Putz”), food and beverages, gifts, ser-

vices, and music. Nancy Smith Thomas,

a long-time Old Salem educator and

guide discusses how these traditions

evolved over time, within and outside

the Moravian communities, as well as

how certain non-Moravian traditions

were incorporated into the Moravian

customs. See pages 13–17 for an excerpt

from this book.

12� Old Salem Museums & Gardens

Jennifer Bean Bower


What was an early southern

Moravian Christmas like?

Nowhere did anyone write down in one

place a detailed description of all of the

activities at church and at home leading

to the celebration of one of the most

important events in Moravian church

history: the birth of the baby Jesus.

However, through diaries, journals,

church reports, and letters, along with

an informed speculation, we are able to

piece together a narration. So, to begin,

let us part the curtains to the past on an

early southern Moravian Christmas.

It is a brisk, cold day in late November

about two hundred years ago in Salem,

North Carolina. The cacophony of

tradesmen’s tools, the creaking of wagon

wheels, and the rhythmic clip-clopping

of horses’ hooves mingle with the shrill

squeals of pigs being readied for butch-

ering in several backyards along Main

Street. Children scurry about to help

their parents in this arduous, but neces-

sary task, a job so essential that it takes

precedence over school. In readiness for

the making of cider, wine, and brandy,

the pungent odor of fermenting apples

wafts from the direction of the brewery

and distillery west of town. Faint sounds

of music issue from the church where

the organist practices a special Advent

anthem. The first whisper of Christmas

is in the air.

As December 25th approaches, a

rosy-cheeked girl, excused by her par-

ents from school for the day, rushes

importantly from one of the clapboard

Moravian Christmas in the South By Nancy Smith Thomas

“The Moravians know how to keep Christmos [sic].” — The Wachovia Moravian, December 1894

Editor’s Note: The following is an

excerpt from Moravian Christmas in the

South, written by Nancy Smith Thomas

and published by Old Salem Museums &

Gardens. See page 12 for more informa-

tion about this beautiful new book.

“Salem Street Scene in Winter” by Pauline

Bahnson Gray, 1940s. Private collection.


M o r a v i a n C h r i s t m a s i n t h e S o u t h continued

houses, quickly returning with a small

collection of the neighbor’s tin cookie

cutters bundled in her checked apron.

Eventually the spicy aroma of freshly

baked Christmas cakes drifts from

the outside oven sheltered in a lean-

to at the back of the narrow lot. The

mouth-watering smell mingles with

the honeyed odor of warm beeswax

emanating from a nearby shed where

several women are dipping candles

for the lovefeasts. Two young men

emerge from the community store with

some loosely wrapped sugar candies,

purchased for their godchildren, and

walk briskly down the dirt street. As

they stride along, deep in conversa-

tion, indistinct German phrases float

upward, linger, and fade. All through

town households are being tidied and

doorsteps and yards swept (if the mud

is not too great). In between their

everyday chores some mothers, older

sisters, aunts, and grandmothers find

time in their orderly houses to hem

a small woolen petticoat or cut out a

striped short gown for a little girl, knit

some warm socks or sew up a new linen

shirt for a growing boy. If they finish in

time, these useful gifts may be placed on

a table in the sitting room to be distrib-

uted when the family returns from the

Christmas Eve lovefeast at the church.

A few days before Christmas the

schoolteacher and some of his pupils,

all wearing closely knit warm caps, pass

by on a borrowed horsedrawn wagon

bound for the country where they will

seek out a supply of pine, cedar, laurel,

and moss to use in the church decora-

tion. When they return, the teacher and

several adult friends from the Single

Brothers’ house begin to construct

their essential Christmas decoration,

the Putz. During the construction they

hang some bedsheets to conceal the

unfinished project. They painstakingly

build a framework to be placed at the

back of the minister’s table and then

piece together the green garlands, fes-

toons, and swags, attaching to them

large cut-out paper letters of German

words that when translated read “Glory

to God in the Highest.” A small water-

color transparency of the Holy family

is placed in the center of the arrange-

ment, and a number of candlesticks

are arranged beside and behind it to

A Putz or creche made in Germany, c. 1850.

Old Salem Toy Museum Collection, acc.

5194.1. Given in memory of Pauline Bahnson

Gray by Thomas A. Gray.


effectively illuminate it when the time

comes. After many hours or even days

of work, on completion they celebrate

at the afternoon vesper with a glass of

wine, a slice of apple cake, coffee, and

perhaps a good cigar.

Christmas Eve arrives at last. To

simplify matters, a late vesper and

early supper may be combined. As the

afternoon fades, mothers with their

babies and small children walk to the

church at the corner of the square

for the five o’clock lovefeast service

especially designed for the little ones.

Two hours later families, including

their larger children, return for the

Christmas Eve service. They divide into

their special choir sections upon enter-

ing at the two separate doors, the men

and older boys sitting on one side, the

women and older girls on the opposite

side. Children sit at the front. Led by

the minister, who reads the Christmas

story from the second chapter of Luke,

they enjoy singing in unison as well

as antiphonally (responsively) some

carefully selected hymns accompanied

by musicians playing violins, a viola,

trombones, clarinets, and French horns.

There are a dozen or more visitors in

the sanctuary, many of them guests at

the tavern, and they sing the familiar

tunes softly in their own language, while

the enslaved African Americans seated

on the long bench at the back of the

church follow along as best they can,

some in German and some in English.

By the soft light of the golden- colored

candles the devout group drinks warm

tea or sugar-sweetened lovefeast cof-

fee mixed with milk and savors the

hearty and substantial yeast bread. The

children receive gifts that have been

neatly tied to two small evergreen trees

arranged on either side of the nativity

scene. Cries of delight indicate their

appreciation of the printed Bible verses

lovingly embellished by the minister’s

wife, shiny red apples, and spicy cakes

(Lebkuchen). The older boys and girls

recite their verses received at last year’s

celebration before they are all presented

with lighted candles to represent Christ

as the light of the world. It is quite dark

now, and the flickering flames dance

and weave, forming giant shadows

on the walls. Stepping into the cold

night air, the congregation observes

snowflakes gently cloaking the trees in

white. As they tread gingerly through

the powdery mixture, some of the older

adults reflect on their own long ago

childhoods in Pennsylvania, as well as

various countries of Europe, England,

and Africa.

Upon reaching home, the parents stir

up the coals from the ashes of the fire-

place, add more wood, and observe that

a bucket of water on the opposite wall

has begun to freeze. While the children

remove outer garments and nibble on

their cache of sweet cakes from church

along with apples and cider, a fire is

built in the sitting room and finally that

door, which had concealed the adults’

Christmas preparations including the

Putz and some small gifts, is opened

with a flourish. Revealed on the table

is a small carved wood or paper nativ-

ity set, lovingly unpacked from a chest

in the garret and carefully nestled in

moss and evergreens with a few sheep

grazing close by on a rocky slope. The

young people are mesmerized at the

sight of such a diminutive scene high-

lighted by the tallow candles, and the

parents are content with their efforts to

bring the story of the beloved Jesus into

their home. A song is sung, a prayer is

said, and the young people may again

repeat their memorized Bible verses. As

the family retires, they hear the night

watchman’s voice calling the hour and

chanting a verse from one of the hymns

earlier sung at church. Tomorrow

morning the children will carefully

place the tiny infant in the empty crib

and linger there, repositioning the ani-

mals and adding to the straw as they


As Salem grows and evolves

over time, the English lan-

guage becomes prevalent and

many more goods are brought

from afar. As a result, . . .

Moravians in Carolina begin to

observe increasingly elaborate

Christmas traditions.



relish each tiny detail of their own Putz.

Christmas Day begins with chores

and perhaps some work projects. There

may be two morning church services,

the first liturgical and the second a lon-

ger preaching service at which there are

again some visitors to whom the min-

ister may offer a portion of the sermon

in English, and of course there is much

music. At home for dinner served at

about noon there is a piece of roasted

pork, or maybe a turkey, sauerkraut

or cabbage, potatoes, pickles, bread

and butter, a fruit pie, pound cake,

and beer, wine, or cider. Later in the

afternoon there are short choir

meetings where a vesper of coffee

or tea with the Christmas ginger

cakes is enjoyed. A few neighbors with

their children may visit each other’s

Putz decoration. A supper of leftovers

is taken in haste so as to hurry again to

church for more music, worship, and

fellowship. At this meeting perhaps

some of the school girls present a well-

rehearsed ode, a recitation and musical

dialogue about the birth of Jesus, which

has been prepared by the minister.

As Salem grows and evolves over

time, the English language becomes

prevalent and many more goods are

brought from afar. As a result, some-

time in the mid-century, Moravians

in Carolina begin to observe increas-

ingly elaborate Christmas traditions.

However, the church services are still at

the center of the celebration. The Fries

children are curling

up at home with a

little book in which

the gift bringer is

pictured coming

down the chim-

ney with a pack

of toys. Another

picture book shows a decorated

tabletop tree covered with small pres-

ents. The Putz grows to include build-

ings, running water, and an expanse of

space. Trees are laden with homemade

as well as store-bought gifts. A drink

of eggnog is enjoyed upon arising on

Christmas morning, and imported oys-

ters, oranges, figs, nuts, and chocolates

are part of the day’s fare for those who

can afford such extras. An assemblage

of useful and edible items gathered for

the few enslaved helpers is passed out

in a little ceremony during the day. The

scene fades. The years pass. Additional

elements of Christmas celebration are

introduced.

The vignettes above illustrate the

active participation of children in all

of the Moravian Christmas traditions.

Although the nineteenth century was

the real beginning of the American

model for Christmas as we recognize it

today, the Moravians had indeed been

known as participants in a meaningfully

celebrated Christmas Day for much lon-

ger. As a writer in The Moravian in 1863

wrote, “In our own Church, it has ever

been the custom to dedicate [the festi-

val of Christmas] almost exclusively to

[children’s] instruction and enjoyment.”

In 1870 the editor reminded adults “Let

us rear the Christmas tree for them [the

children], and make the house full of joy

and Christmas warmth and light. But

let us not neglect to tell them what it all

means [emphasis added].” The reason

for that attention was well explained in

the Southern Church publication some

years later: “The manner in which the

Son of God entered our human nature

has sanctified the estate of childhood.

He came as a babe laid in the manger

in order that the little children might

be loved and prized as they never had

been before. If, therefore, in homes

and Sunday schools we make children

happy, we are doing what Jesus did in

Above: Single Brothers’ House in

the Historic Town of Salem.

Right: Kriss Kringle’s Christmas

Tree, a book for children.

Vir

gin

ia r

. Wei

ler



his birth at Bethlehem.”

Perhaps the greatest contributor to the

value that Moravians gave to the nurtur-

ing and education of children was the

prominent church leader and bishop

John Amos Comenius (1592–1670).

Comenius, known far and wide as the

“Father of Education,” instituted many

positive and still enduring theories of an

early and broad education for children.

Teaching by pictures as well as by text

and entertaining children as they were

learning were creative approaches used

by Comenius in his book Orbus Pictus,

published in 1658 and considered the

“first illustrated school book,” or “the

first children’s picture book.”

Employing pictures, visual images,

and even plays to mentally and emotion-

ally teach and inspire churchgoers had

long been a successful method of the

Catholic Church, particularly for those

who were illiterate. For example, it is

said by many historians that the miracle

plays or “Moralities” presented in medi-

eval European churches of Bible stories

(such as Adam and Eve with a Paradise

tree hung with apples) was the scene

from which came the forerunner of the

Christmas tree and probably the Putz.

The Moravians were also adept at using

these techniques effectively and mean-

ingfully, not only with children but also

with adults. They understood the impact

of images and symbols and used such

things as greenery-enhanced illuminated

nativity scenes, colorfully executed Bible

verses, the light of candles, a star, a lamb,

and even Christmas trees and pyramids

to inform and enlighten.

The use of Christmas candles on 24

December 1747 in Marienborn (near

Herrnhut, now in Germany) for a

Christmas Eve watch service illustrates

the Moravians’ early use of visual sym-

bols for children. Brother Johannes

von Watteville, son-in-law of Count

Zinzendorf, told the children of the

birth of Jesus and to remind them of

His great sacrifice presented each little

one with a burning taper, tied with a

red ribbon. Holding their lighted can-

dles high as Brother Johannes sang, the

children clearly grasped the symbolism

of Christ’s redemptive love as the light

of the world in the hearts of people.

As the nineteenth century pro-

gressed, the Moravians in Salem and

their fellow Americans increasingly

made a niche for family, friends, and

charges to gather around the figurative

hearth for bonding, fellowship, and

conversation. Painful memories of the

Civil War increased ties to home. “Let

the fires of home religion be kindled

anew,” pled The Moravian of 1868.

The editor of The Moravian remarked

in 1870, “Christmas is emphatically a

homefestival.”

The development of the American

Christmas is epitomized by what many

such writers as Mr. Moravian were pro-

moting. One of them said it thusly:

Never deny the babies their

Christmas! It is the shining seal set

upon a year of happiness. If the prep-

arations for it—the delicious mystery

with which these are invested; the

solemn parade of clean, whole stock-

ings in the chimney corner; or the

tree, decked in secret, to be revealed

in glad pomp upon the festal day—if

these and many other

features of the anniversary are

tedious or contemptible in your sight,

you are an object of pity; but do not

defraud your children of joys which

are their right, merely because you

have never tasted them. m

About the authorNancy Smith

Thomas is an

independent scholar

living in Winston-

Salem, North

Carolina. She has

worked at Old Salem

Museums & Gardens

for eighteen years, focusing on Christmas

interpretation and programming, and

frequently presents lectures and work-

shops on Christmas decorations and

traditions.

Christmas is a time

for visiting. A welcoming

wreath greets visitors with the

warmth of the season.


Christmastime at the Old Salem Toy Museum By Daniel K. Ackermann

The Old Salem Toy Museum is a lot like

Santa’s workshop. In 1808 a Baltimore adver-

tiser suggested that parents “reward their youthful

kindred for scholastic industry—by giving them

a NEW BOOK as a present,” but what children

really wanted were toys. And Santa’s workshop

made sure that children were not disappointed.

The jolly fat man, his reindeer, elves, and

workshop were etched into our minds by

the pen of Thomas Nast. Santa is well

represented in the Toy Museum

collection, which includes a colorful

chromolithographed mask worn by

a Santa-impersonator and coated

with mica for a lifelike sheen.

During the Victorian era

Christmas became the evergreen-

scented season of festive gift giving

that we enjoy today. Businesses

responded with items made

specifically for the Yuletide

season. Trees, ornaments, and

toys with a Christmas

theme began to appear

in abundance.

Christmas trees were

primarily a German

tradition until the

nineteenth century

when they began to

appear with greater

frequency in England

and America. As

people increasingly moved to cities, acquiring

a real Christmas tree became more difficult. As

a response, firms in places such as Nuremberg,

Germany, began to craft artificial trees out

of feathers, wire, and paper. Dyed green and

Do you remember waking up as a

six-year-old on Christmas morning?

You creep down the stairs

and follow the trail of cookie

crumbs to the chimney.

And there, beneath the

Christmas tree, is a pile of toys!

A huge dollhouse fully fur-

nished for sister Sue!

And for you, a bright,

gleaming new toy train, com-

plete with real

smoke and miles of track!

Santa was good to you

this year!

Early 20th century German feather tree

is decorated with nineteenth century Pennsylvania

German handmade ornaments. Accs. 5265.5

(feather tree), 5317, 5197, and 5310 (ornaments),

Anne P. and Thomas A. Gray Purchase Fund


wrapped around wire frames, the goose feathers on this tree

give the appearance of soft evergreen. Small red-composition

berries dot the ends of the feathers. The wire arms are inserted

into a central wooden dowel wrapped in brown tissue paper

to simulate bark. Sitting on a cream colored

base with stenciled garlands, this

tree brightened up many Christmases

before finally coming to the Old Salem

Toy Museum.

Christmas tree ornaments were traditional-

ly natural objects—like nuts and fruits—until

the second half of the nineteenth century

when a number of German manufacturers

began to make and market ornaments on a

large scale. Some ornaments, like the large

trolley in the Toy Museum collection, were

made primarily of paper and probably meant

to decorate large public Christmas trees at a time when trol-

leys and railways were signs of progress that marked a city as

important and connected.

In the nineteenth century the Christmas celebration also

became a festival associated with large family

gatherings around a bountiful table. At the

end of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol

a repentant Scrooge sends a boy to fetch

a prize goose for the Cratchit family. Set

between two Georgian facades, the butcher’s

stall in this mid-nineteenth century room-

box represents just the sort of place Scrooge’s

errand boy went to fetch his goose. Stout

little butchers stand amidst giant pigs and

cuts of meat decorated with holly sprigs and

destined for the Christmas feast. Room boxes

like this one were very popular in Victorian

Christmastime at the Old Salem Toy Museum By Daniel K. Ackermann

This Lancaster County, Pennsylvania farmstead Putz, circa 1890-1910, includes

German animals from the Sonneberg region circa 1890. Acc. 5207.1-.2; Anne P. and Thomas A. Gray Purchase Fund

The Virginia Gazette, December 31, 1767:

JOYFUL CHRISTMAS smiling comes,

Welcom’d by ten thousand tongues;

Waking all the sleepy powers,

By its cheerful merry hours…

C h r i s t m a s t i m e a t t h e O l d S a l e m T o y M u s e u m


England. Much smaller and less

expensive than a whole house, they

were a middle-class alternative to the

over-the-top dollhouses elsewhere in

the Toy Museum collection.

Christmas toys focused attention back on

the Holiday, the season, and the family. The

best gift? “It came without ribbons. It came

without tags. It came without packages, boxes

or bags” said the Dr. Seuss’s

Grinch, because, “Christmas,

he thought, doesn’t come from a

store. What if Christmas, perhaps,

means a little bit more.” m

Daniel K. Ackermann is

Associate Curator, MESDA and

the Toy Museum at Old Salem

Museums & Gardens.

This 1880s chromolithographed

paper mask of Santa Claus is

German. The eyes have holes in

the center and the nose is diecut

to stand out. Acc. 4567.15; Anne

P. and Thomas A. Gray

Purchase Fund.

A number of signs reading “Merry

Christmas” adorn this decorative butcher’s

stall made in England during the nine-

teenth century. Acc. 5250.2; Anne P. and

Thomas A. Gray Purchase Fund.

C h r i s t m a s t i m e a t t h e O l d S a l e m T o y M u s e u m


Do you listen to Morning Edition on your local National

Public Radio station?

If so, on Friday mornings you may have heard the memo-

rable StoryCorps segments. For those of you who may not be

familiar with StoryCorps, it is an acclaimed project of Sound

Portraits Productions in partnership with National Public

Radio and the American Folklife Center at the Library of

Congress. The largest oral history project ever undertaken,

StoryCorps was launched in October 2003 to instruct and

inspire Americans to record their stories in sound, and to

remind us what we can learn from each other if we “listen

closely.” There are two mobile units that travel throughout

the United States and spend approximately one month at each

stop. There are also two permanent booths, in New York City

and Minneapolis. Anyone can come, alone or with a family

member or friend, to tell stories of his or her life. To date,

over 12,500 stories have been recorded.

This inspiring initiative has been enthusiastically received

nationally. The touring units cannot keep up with the demand

so a solution to create an abbreviated program, called Door-

to-Door, was developed. Door-to-Door specifically answers

the needs of institutions such as Old Salem Museums &

Gardens in which a segment of a community’s history is

recorded. Two StoryCorps professional facilitators come to

the site for a limited amount of time, usually two or three

days. They bring the audio and photographic equipment.

The partner organization provides the storytellers and a quiet,

comfortable place in which to record.

The Door-to-Door staff spends an hour with each pair of

participants, explaining the procedures, recording the forty-

minute interview and taking photographs. When the session

is completed, the participants are given a CD of the entire

interview, the hosting institution also receives a copy, and an

additional copy is permanently filed at the American Folklife

Center at the Library of Congress. A lasting benefit is that

future generations can visit the Library of Congress and not

only see real-life people, possibly their ancestors, but also hear

their voices recounting significant stories of their lives.

In the Moravians’ long tradition of recording their his-

tory, Old Salem Museums & Gardens is bring StoryCorps’

twenty-first century technology to Salem in October 2007.

From October 17 to 19, two Door-to-Door facilitators will

be here to record eight pairs of participants each day. We

hope to capture personal memories from people with a long-

standing connection or commitment to Old Salem Museums

& Gardens. The hope for the future is to have a StoryCorps

mobile unit stationed in Salem within a few years, so many

more stories can be recorded.

We are grateful to to the Salem Baking Company for spon-

soring this meaningful and significant project. We are also

pleased that WFDD, the NPR station from Wake Forest Uni-

versity, is collaborating with us to produce a series of edited

interviews from the recordings, which they will broadcast in

November. This will give a new audience a refreshingly differ-

ent and personal perspective of one of America’s most authen-

tic historic sites—Old Salem Museums & Gardens. m

Paula Locklair is Vice President, Education Programming and Research

at Old Salem Museums & Gardens.

StoryCorps C a p t u r i n g m e m o r i e s a t O l d S a l e m M u s e u m s & G a r d e n s by Paula Locklair

Carolyn Waynick, left, and her daughter Ann Waynick Hill get ready

for their StoryCorps debut by refreshing their memories looking through

an extensive collection of family clippings.


MESDA and the Chipstone Foundation co-sponsored a Think Tank in

August that brought together twelve of the country’s leading deco-

rative arts and material culture scholars from Chipstone, the University of

Wisconsin-Madison, Yale University, Winterthur Museum, the University of

Virginia, Colonial Williamsburg, Wake Forest University, and the University

of North Carolina-Chapel Hill’s Center for the Study of the American South.

During the course of their two-day meeting the group discussed topics

that included innovative strategies for exhibiting MESDA’s collections, pos-

sible new initiatives for scholarly academic programs such as the Summer

Institute, harnessing emerging technologies for the important research

housed in the Research Center, and digital directions for the MESDA publi-

cations program.

In addition to the panel scholars, an audience of representatives from

the Old Salem Museums & Gardens Board of Trustees and the MESDA

Advisory Board, as well as staff, were invited to sit in on the presentations

and discussions that carried over into breaks, meals, and social hours to

make for a thoroughly full two-day Think Tank described as a “total suc-

cess” by observers and participants alike. m

Rethinking Southern Material

Culture Studies

MESDA and the MESDA Graduate Summer Institute on American

Material Culture announce a Call for Papers for the sixth biennial

Gordon Conference for the presentation of current research and scholarship in the field of

southern material culture and decorative arts. The conference will be held at MESDA on

October 10–11, 2008.

The conference provides the only major forum for scholarly presentation and interaction

with specific focus on the material culture and decorative arts of the early South.

Scholars and graduate students in American studies, decorative arts, architecture, African

American studies, American Indian studies, art history, history, historic preservation,

archaeology, anthropology, Southern studies, folk life, and other fields as they relate to

southern material culture are invited to submit proposals. Subjects with an interdisciplinary

approach to the study of material culture are highly encouraged.

Proposals will be accepted for individual papers or for panel sessions

Paper proposals must include a cover letter, curriculum vitae, two-page abstract, and

one-page bibliography. Proposals may be submitted by email.

Session proposals must include a chair, list of presenters, cover letter, a one-page sum-

mary of the session theme, presenter curriculum vitae, abstracts and bibliographies for all

papers.

2 0 0 8 M E S D A G O R D O N C O N F E R E N C E

Deadline for proposals: March 17, 2008.

Send proposals or inquiries to:

MESDA Gordon Conference

Sally Gant, Director of Education

The Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts

P. O. Box 10310

Winston-Salem, NC 27108-0310

336-721-7361 FAX: 336-721-7367

or email to [email protected].


Christmas came early to the Collections and Research Department

this year. After completing the New York Winter Antiques Show in

January, Mr. Ron Sandone of Easton, Connecticut, contacted the depart-

ment regarding a tall case clock in his collection that he thought might be

of interest to MESDA. Although he had never been to Winston-Salem, he

had seen press coverage for the Winter Antiques Show and learned about

MESDA’s mission to document and collect the decorative arts of the early

South.

He knew that he had found the right home for his clock. Purchased

years earlier in Brimsfield, Massachusetts, Sandone’s research had uncov-

ered the clock’s southern origins. After moving into a smaller house,

he decided that the clock must go home to North Carolina and that he

would sell it to MESDA. A group of friends of Old Salem Museums

& Gardens generously purchased the clock as a special long-term loan

to the museum.

With wooden works and a painted and gilded face made by the Seth

Thomas factory of Plymouth, Connecticut, the clock’s origins appear

deceptive. However, the stately wooden case bears the tell-tale signs that it

was made between 1815 and 1825 by the Quaker-born cabinetmaker, Jesse

Needham (circa 1774–1838) of Randolph County, North Carolina.

Born in Pasquotank County, North Carolina, Needham and his fam-

ily migrated to the Piedmont in 1792, sharing the westward migration of

numerous Quaker families. Jesse trained as a cabinetmaker and through-

out his career made blanket chests, tall chests, clock cases, desks, and desk-

and-bookcases for many of the Quaker families that inhabited both sides

of the Guilford-Randolph county line.

Considered the best of Needham’s surviving clock cases, Mr. Sandone’s

clock now stands proudly in the MESDA galleries next to a walnut and

poplar chest-on-frame that is also attributed to Needham. It is a perfect

example of how southern furniture makers frequently provided the fash-

ionable wooden cases for imported northern clock works.

In May, a London antiques firm informed us that an extremely rare,

previously unknown, hand-drawn map of Salem was available for sale.

Completed around 1798, the map outlines the intended location of Home

Moravian Church, which was finished and consecrated in 1800. The

map’s key, written in German, identifies the occupant of each town lot and,

in some cases, describes their occupations. Filling important gaps in our

knowledge of the early town’s historical development, this map may be the

Receiving gifts all year N e w t o t h e C o l l e c t i o n s by Robert A. Leath

Tall Case Clock

attributed to Jesse

Needham,

1815–1825,

Randolph

County, NC.

Walnut and pop-

lar. MESDA Acc.

5320.


work of Carl Ludwig Meinung (1743–1817) or

his son Frederick Christian Meinung (1782–

1851), two of the surveyors working in Wachovia

at the time the it was completed.

With limited funds for the purchase of objects,

a generous staff member acquired the map for

Old Salem’s permanent collection.

About the same time, a prominent southern

collector contacted us about the sale of two por-

traits by the unidentified North Carolina artist

known as the Guilford Limner. Approximately

two dozen of this artist’s works survive, most of

them depicting members of the Scots-Irish com-

munity that settled eastern Guilford County.

Painted between 1815 and 1825, the portraits

depict Daniel Gillespie (1743–1829) and his

wife, Margaret (1741–1834). Born in Frederick

County, Virginia, in 1765 Gillespie moved to

North Carolina and received a grant for land on

south Buffalo Creek. He was a prominent leader

of the local Scots-Irish community who served

as a colonel in the militia, a North Carolina

Map of Salem, maker

unknown, c. 1798,

Salem, NC. Ink on

paper. Acc. 5319

N e w t o t h e C o l l e c t i o n s continued


Below, left: Daniel

Gillespie by the unidenti-

fied “Guilford Limner,”

1815–1825, Guilford

County, NC. Watercolor

on paper.

Below, right: Margaret

Gillespie by the unidenti-

fied “Guilford Limner,”

1815–1825, Guilford

County, NC. Watercolor

on paper.

state senator and representative, a delegate to

the 1789 convention that ratified the United

States constitution, and a ruling elder of the

Buffalo Presbyterian Church.

Facing limited funds for acquisition, two

members of the MESDA Advisory Board

offered a creative solution. The portraits were

perfect additions to their collection. They sug-

gested that MESDA allow them to buy the

watercolors, and in return they agreed to loan

and ultimately bequeath them to MESDA.

This Christmas season the Guilford Limner

portraits will be displayed prominently in

the Piedmont Room.

With such powerful objects representing North

Carolina’s Quaker, Moravian, and Presbyterian

heritage, MESDA and Old Salem Museum &

Gardens are uniquely prepared to celebrate

Christmas. The Collections and Research

Department is grateful to the friends who made

these wonderful additions possible. We have

enjoyed having Christmas, as it were, throughout

the year—and we look forward with even more

excitement to the coming New Year! m

Robert A. Leath is Chief Curator and

Vice-President, Collections & Research at Old Salem

Museums & Gardens.

N e w t o t h e C o l l e c t i o n s continued


Donor Trip:Chicago Try-Out

Rates Rave Reviews

By Tom and Sara Sears

To explore ideas for launching MESDA’s and

Old Salem’s donor travel program, a small

group of trustees, advisory board members,

and staff took a feasibility study trip to Chicago

in May. Delighted to be invited, we of course

accepted the offer.

Our excursion included a visit to Farnsworth

House, one of the two most important examples

of modernist domestic architecture in the United

States. Farnsworth House was designed by Mies

van der Rohe in 1951. We also were given per-

sonalized tours of the Art Institute of Chicago

and Millennium Park. The highlight of the trip

was seeing the sixteenth-through-eighteenth-

century European decorative arts collections

in appropriate architectural settings as well

as an incomparable private collection of Arts

and Crafts furniture and accessories housed in

specially constructed settings of the period at

Crabtree Farms.

Old Salem Museums & Gardens is planning its

first official donor trip for next spring. The des-

tination is Winterthur and the Brandywine River

Valley. Look for exciting details in the mail this

winter. m

Tom and Sara Sears are long-time friends of Old

Salem Museums & Gardens and serve on the MESDA

Advisory Board.

The stainless steel bean reflects the skyline of Chicago from that city’s Millennium Park.

Mies van der Rohe’s 1951 Farnsworth House was just one of the highlights

of the trip to Chicago.

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Remember when you used to go back to

school in September and the teacher would

ask you to report about what you did on your

summer vacation? Basically that’s what we asked

of two of Old Salem Museums & Gardens

gunsmiths: Tom Tomchik

and Bill Bailey.

Intrepid campers and

inveterate riflemen, theirs

was unquestionably a bus-

man’s holiday. They joined

some 4,000 to 5,000 like-

minded folk at the National

Muzzle Loading Rifle

Association’s Spring Shoot

in Friendship, Indiana.

Bill, who was the expe-

rienced camper in the twosome, has attended

the combination camp, school, festival, reunion,

and all-round joyful occasion since the mid-

seventies. This year was Tom’s second trip to

Friendship, so he had the new camper’s role.

After packing everything from firewood to

food for their stay in a borrowed campaign tent,

the guys, in their period Salem-style clothes with

their Salem-made guns, a pistol, two rifles, and a

fowler (a shotgun for birds), headed west.

In their words “It’s not hard to get to Friend-

ship, Indiana. First you drive to Knoxville,

Tennessee, then turn right. When you see

Cincinnati, Ohio, turn left for about 40 miles

and you’re there.” The NMLRA owns several

hundred acres that are divided between military-

style paper target ranges in one area and a primi-

tive encampment and range that’s tucked up

against a hill that meanders down the valley. To

get into the “pre-1840 required” area you must

first pass through a maze of wedge tents, plains,

Indian lodges, campaign tents, and log cabins.

Here all kinds of goods are offered for sale and

in some cases actually made onsite, including,

but by no means limited to forged axes and

knives, gun locks, gun barrels being rifled, muse-

um-quality Indian beadwork, leather pouches,

shooter’s supplies, buffalo robes and hides, and

powder horns.

Old Salem’s legacy at Friendship goes back at

least forty years to when John Bivins was writing

his benchmark work Longrifles of North Carolina.

As an enduring tribute to John, his is the only

name honored with a commemorative plaque in

the Gun Maker’s Hall at Friendship.

Other Old Salem alumni Tom and Bill ran

into at camp were Jim Chambers and Chuck

Baker. Both are widely respected for their hand

skills and depth of historical and technical

knowledge. Chuck, now living in Hope, Indiana,

is making exquisite tin lanterns and lighting

pieces that are finding their way into elegant

restored houses across the country. Jim is mak-

ing equally exquisite guns as well as gun kits and

parts from his base of operations in Candler,

North Carolina.

In addition to the ten days of fiercely competi-

tive shooting, Friendship hosts an incredible

number of artisanal engravers, gun stockers, lock

makers, barrel and wood blank merchants, and

other tradesmen who gather for nightly seminars

to share information and freely advise all who

are interested.

According to Bill and Tom, camp at Friend-

ship is best described a perfect bull’s eye. They’re

already working on their guns for 2008. m

Betsy Allen is Editorial Associate at Old Salem

Museums & Gardens

by Betsy Allen

What do Gunsmiths do on Vacation?


Old Salem gunsmith

Bill Bailey hits his target

in Friendship, Indiana.


Board of Trustees

W e l c o m e s S e v e n N e w M e m b e r s

Seven new members were elected to the board of trustees of Old Salem

Museums & Gardens at the 57th annual meeting in May and are serving

their first three-year terms.

Dr. Anthony Atala is the W.H. Boyce Professor and Director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, and Chair of the Department of Urology at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine. Dr. Atala is a surgeon in the area of pediatric urology and is a researcher in the areas of regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. Last year, Dr. Atala was named by as one of 50 people who “will change how we work and live over the next 10 years.” Dr. Atala has a keen interest in local history and cites Old Salem as one of the most important sites within Winston-Salem.

Joining Dr. Atala on the board is Dr. Allston J. Stubbs who is with Carolina Urological Associates in Winston-Salem and is a certified member of the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Urology. An active member of the Board of Visitors at Winston-Salem State University, Dr. Stubbs remains interested in local initiatives.

Craig D. Cannon and S. Revelle Gwyn are both lawyers in the Southeast. Cannon is a litigator in the Winston-Salem law firm of Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, where his work focuses on commercial litigation. Gwyn is a partner in Bradley Arant’s Corporate and Securities Practice Group in Huntsville, Alabama. She serves as an ex officio member of the Old Salem Board of Trustees during her tenure as chair of the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts (MESDA) Advisory Board.

Colonial Williamsburg is one of the top historic sites in America, and Old Salem is proud to welcome their Chief Curator and Vice President of Collections and Museums Ronald L. Hurst to its board. Among his interests Hurst also serves on the fine arts committee for the US Department of State’s Diplomatic reception rooms.

Michael Hough and Billy D. Prim are the other new trustees. Hough is chairman and chief executive officer of ACM Financial Trust Inc., a Winston-Salem based specialty mortgage finance company he co-founded in 1998. ACM is a privately held, shareholder-owned company Hough is actively interested in historic preservation and land conservancy. Prim is chairman and chief executive officer of Primo Water, a nationwide service for branded bottled water. Prim is also the co-owner of the Winston-Salem Warthogs, the city’s semipro baseball team.

These new trustees join Gene Adcock, Bud Baker, Dale Box, Mike

Bozymski, Ben Caldwell, Kay Chalk, Hudnall Christopher, Haywood Davis,

Dr. Bill Ferris, Ragan Folan, Tony Furr, Richard Gottlieb, Jim Gray, Tom

Gray, Kay Heller, Stan Kelly, Mac McMichael, Pat Oliver, Ronda Plummer,

Mike Robinson, Evelyn Terry, Darryl Thompson, Jim Baucom, Molly

Leight and Dr. Susan Pauly to make up the board of thirty three members

who serve rotating three year terms. m

Dr. Anthony Atala

Dr. Allston J. Stubbs

Craig D. Cannon

By Darryl Thompson

Revelle Gwyn

Ronald L. Hurst

Michael Hough

Darryl Thompson

is Chairman of the

Old Salem Museums

& Gardens Board

of Trustees

Billy D. Prim


The 1766 Society

The 1766 Society, established in Old Salem’s 241st year, recog-

nizes donors who have funded or planned a deferred gift, such

as a bequest, life insurance, or life income plan. Charter membership

will continue until December 31, 2008.

Anyone who has an estate gift planned for Old Salem Museums

& Gardens or who has completed a life income trust, retained life

estate gift, or other charitable trust plan is eligible for membership

in the 1766 Society.

Members of the 1766 Society enjoy the personal rewards of belong-

ing to the society as well as the knowledge that they will

provide opportunities for future generations to benefit from our

timeless mission of education, preservation, research, scholarship,

and community service.

Our 1766 Society members are recognized in various publications

and are invited to donor-recognition events. A certificate, signed by

the President, confirms membership.

For further information about 1766 Society benefits,

please contact Michelle Speas, Vice President Development and

External Relations, (336) 721-7327, [email protected]. m

P l a n n e d G i v i n g

Anoynomous (2)Dr. Frank & Lena Albright*Ada Allen*Elizabeth & James Harvey AustinElizabeth Brinker*Cooper D. Cass*Jessamine B. Cass*Joan & David CotterillBonnie Covington*Jack L. Covington*Frank E. DriscollHarriet Taylor Flynt*Paul FultonAnne Gray*Gordon Gray*Greta Garth Gray*Howard GrayJames A. Gray*Thomas A. GrayGordon Hanes*Helen C. HanesF. Borden Hanes Jr.Frank Borden Hanes Sr.Barbara Lasater Hanes*Ralph P. Hanes*

James E. HolmesFrank L. Horton*Miles Horton*William Hoyt*Nancy JamesBurton A. Jastram*Luther Lashmit*

Rev. J. L. Levens*Mary & Michael LoganJune LucasElizabeth F. Lynch*Thomas Jack Lynch*Morris MarleyMrs. Harvey Seward Martin*John G. Medlin Jr.Dr. John H. MonroeWilliam MurgasRobert B. ParksZ. Smith Reynolds*Alice RigsbeeEd RondthalerMartha & David Rowe Robert D. Shore*Virgina Shaffner Pleasants*Earl* & Jane SlickJane Webb SmithAurelia Spaugh*Bernice P. Taylor*M. Louise ThomasDr. Roy TruslowHarold & Elizabeth Vogler*Judy and Bill Watson

James H. Wilcox Jr.

A. T. WilliamsLaura & Andy WilliamsFrank WillinghamMeade H. Willis Jr.*Diana Dyer Wilson*

*deceased

CHARTER MEMBERS CHARTER MEMBERS


Highlighted Eventsa t O ld Sa lem Museums & Gardens

Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts

New G. Wilson Douglas Jr. Exhibition Gallery

First exhibit on display until April 1, 2008

MESDA’s first changing exhibits gallery opened this fall

following a nearly serendipitous series of events.

Initially, the Horton Museum Center retail space near the

entrance of MESDA was being redesigned and relocated.

While the construction was underway, the museum lost one

of its oldest friends and most ardent supporters when Wilson

Douglas died. An anonymous donor wanted to honor Wilson,

and his long-term commitment to MESDA. The G. Wilson

Douglas Jr. gallery is the first thing visitors see as they enter

the museum. It is in the space that formerly held the guides

desk outside the entrance to the Criss Cross Room and the

exit of the Whitehall Dining Room.

The G. Wilson Douglas Jr. Exhibition Gallery provides a

new introduction to MESDA’s visitors with a sleek, profes-

sional background for displaying items from the collection.

Exhibits in the new gallery will change every six to nine

months.

The first exhibit in the new gallery, which will be up until

April 1, 2008, is “Where South Meets North; The Decorative

Arts of Maryland, 1720–1820.” Curated by Robert Leath, Old

Salem’s Vice President, Collections & Research, the exhibit

features eighteen pieces by six craftsmen that range from fur-

niture and silver to textiles, paintings, and ceramics. m

Visit the G. Wilson Douglas Jr. Exhibition Gallery on your next trip to Old Salem. For a list of upcoming activities, visit our website at www.oldsalem.org or call (336) 721-7350.

t


Highlighted Eventst

Perfectly Timed Performances

Prokofiev’s “Peter and the Wolf”December 27 • 11 am, 1 pmJames A. Gray Auditorium

For the perfect thing to do with the children between

Christmas and New Year’s there will be two perfor-

mances of “Peter and The Wolf” on December 27th at

11:00 am and 1:00 pm in the James A. Gray Auditorium

at Old Salem’s Visitor Center. Old Salem’s musical part-

ner The Carolina Symphony Players will present Sergei

Prokofiev’s popular children’s story with Lesley Hunt as the

narrator. Admission is only $5 for this classic that continues

to delight children all over the world.m

Pre-registration for programs is requested if so indicated.

Call (336) 721-7350, FAX (336) 721-7335 or visit www.oldsalem.org for more information.

Holiday DecorationsThe historic district and Horton Museum Center will be decked out in holiday fin-ery beginning November 24. Come by and awaken your holiday spirit!

MESDA’s Winter Pleasures! Yuletide, Festivity and Frivolity in the Early South. During December MESDA’s period rooms are decorated to reflect ways early southerners celebrated the winter months. Learn about the tradi-tional Yuletide customs of abundant feasting, decorating with greenery, gift giving, and Twelfth Night celebrations, along with other joyous winter activi-ties, including an elegant Charleston Race Week ball and a festive Norfolk wedding. Guided tours daily December 1–31. Old Salem All-In-One or Two-Stop Ticket required. Saturday, December 1 is a special open house with Season for Music & MESDA. 11 am–4 pm. Special Open House or Old Salem All-in-One Ticket required.

Toy Museum Christmas ExhibitThe Old Salem Toy Museum, in the Horton Museum Center, will feature a special Christmas exhibit throughout the holiday season. Old Salem All-In-One Pass required.

Candlelight ToursAn 18th Century Salem Christmas

An evening candlelight tour of the Miksch House and Tavern where you will experience the traditions of 18th century Moravian Christmases in Salem. Participate in singing, holiday activities, and leave with a taste of the season.

A 19th Century Salem Christmas Candlelight Tour

An evening candlelight tour of the Vierling and Vogler houses where you will experience the traditions of 19th century Moravian Christmases in Salem. Participate in singing, holiday activities, and leave with a taste of the season.

Additional ticket and reservations needed for Candlelight Tours: $15 for adults, $8 for children; or with an Old Salem All-In-One Ticket or Membership $10 for adults, $5 for children. Call (336) 721-7352 or (336) 721-7350 for Reservations. Tours begin at the Winkler Bakery, which will be open for your Christmas shopping.

Holiday Puppet ShowsThe Great Turkey Trot

Join Tom and Honeysuckle White as they trot a flock of turkeys to market in Washington D.C. where they have a surprising encounter with a beloved American President.

Christmas in the TrenchesThis puppet show, based on John McCutcheon’s book, Christmas in the Trenches, is the story of soldiers on the battlefield during World War I who declare a truce with their enemies and celebrate a peaceful Christmas Eve together. Mr. McCutcheon will read his book while the story is performed in puppetry. Singing and a book signing will follow the puppet performances.

Sophie and the Ginger CookiesJoin Sophie on a journey follow-ing three exotic strangers who are in search of the Christ Child. Come join us for a quiet moment amidst the rush of your holiday festivities.

See Calendar on pages 32–35 for specific dates and times.

Group rates are available for holiday events. Call Group Tour Office Monday–Friday, 9:00am–4:30pm at 1-800-441-5305, toll free.

The holiday season is filled with special activities at Old Salem Museums & Gardens


N o v e m b e r3 Saturday

CHRISTMAS OPEN HOUSE: 11 am–4 pm. See what’s new for Christmas at the Old Salem Marketplace. Sample the goodies!

200TH ANNIVERSARY OF WINkLER BAkERY: 9:30 am–4:30 pm Celebrate the 200th Anniversary of Christian Winkler and Winkler Bakery, Home of the Moravian Cookie. Traditional cook-ing and baking demonstrations, hands-on baking classes, and tasty treats for guests to sample and enjoy.

6 TuesdayMUSEUM CLASS: MAkING PEWTER SPOONS. 6–9 pm. Pewter Shop, Single Brothers’ House (enter through the back door). Learn to cast, fettle and polish a pewter spoon. Each participant will have the opportunity to cast, clean and polish a spoon to take home using hand tools. Participants must be at least 18. Taught by Norm knecht, Manager of the Pewter Shop. Pre-registration required (336) 721-7300. Maximum of eight participants. Class Fee: $25

7 WednesdayHIDDEN TREASURES: POSITIVE PROPAGANDA: THE FOUR-MINUTE MEN AND IMAGES OF WORLD WAR I. 12:30pm MESDA Auditorium. Jennifer Bean Bower, Old Salem’s Associate Curator of Photograph Collections, will discuss the role of the Four-Minute Men, volunteer speakers under the authority of the United States Govern-ment, who gave speeches to the public regarding news and issues relating to World War I, and showcase images that accompanied their orations. Free. Bring a lunch. Beverages will be provided.

10 Saturday CIVIL WAR REENACTMENT: 26TH NORTH CAROLINA. Tavern Meadow. Old Salem All-In-One Ticket Required.

10, 11 Saturday, Sunday CAROLINA MODEL RAILROADERS: 9 am–5 pm. Horton Museum Center Rotunda. Carolina Model Railroaders will have three operating train layouts for your enjoyment. Free.

13 TuesdayMUSEUM CLASS: MAkING SLIP DECORATED PLATES. 6–9 pm. Single Brothers’ Workshop. Create a pair of plates in the style of Salem’s 18th century potters. Two plates will be pro-vided for each participant to decorate in an historic slip-trailed pattern. Taught by Mike Fox, Manager of the Pottery and Shoe Shops. Pre-registration required (336)721-7300. Maximum of eight participants. Class Fee: $25

17 SaturdayADVENTURES IN TOYS! Celebrate the world of toys with a full day of activi-ties, including a silhouette search, face painting, making circus masks, and Raiders of the Lost Artifacts, an archae-ological dig searching for ceramics and toys at Old Salem’s Toy Museum and Children’s Museum. A special tea party will be held during the day with advanced reservations required. Horton Museum Center. Old Salem All-In-One Ticket Required.

17 SaturdayWREATH DECORATING WORkSHOP. 9:30 am-12:30 pm. Single Brothers’ Workshop. Join Becky Lebsock, Coordinator of Horticultural Programming, and decorate an authen-tic Moravian wreath for your home. Wreath and natural materials will by provided. Pre-registration required (336) 721-7300. Class Fee: $25.

17, 18 Saturday, Sunday CAROLINA MODEL RAILROADERS: 9 am–5 pm. Horton Museum Center Rotunda. Carolina Model Railroaders will have three operating layouts in Z, N and HO gauges for your enjoyment. Free.

17—21 Saturday—WednesdayOFFERING THANkS. A look at the historic traditions of harvest that evolved into today’s Thanksgiving. 9:30am–4:30pm. Old Salem Tour Buildings. Old Salem All-In-One Ticket required.

20 TuesdayMUSEUM CLASS: MAkING A CHRISTMAS PYRAMID. 6–9 pm. Single Brothers’ Workshop. Use basic hand skills and tools to assemble a tradition-ally styled wooden pyramid for period Christmas decorating. Participants will leave with a completed pyramid, approx. 2 ft. tall with two shelves and five wooden candleholders ready for final painting or staining as they choose. Finished and decorated examples will be shown for inspiration. Class taught by Brian Coe, Director of Exhibition Buildings and furniture builder. Pre-registration required (336) 721-7300. Maximum of eight partici-pants. Class Fee: $40.

22 ThursdayOld Salem will be CLOSED in observance of Thanksgiving.

23 FridayPUPPET SHOW: THE GREAT TURkEY TROT. 11:30am, 1:30pm, 2:30pm, & 3:30pm. MESDA Auditorium. The Children’s Museum will be closed for play. Fee: $2 or an Old Salem All-In-One Ticket Required.

A 19TH CENTURY SALEM CHRISTMAS CANDLELIGHT TOUR. Guided evening tours. 6:30, 7 & 7:30 pm. Meet at the Winkler Bakery. Reservations & extra ticket required.

24 SaturdayDECORATING FOR THE SEASON. Demonstrations of making and displaying historic holiday decorations. Old Salem Tour Buildings. Old Salem All-In-One Ticket Required.

PUPPET SHOW: THE GREAT TURkEY TROT. 11:30am, 1:30pm, 2:30pm, & 3:30pm. MESDA Auditorium. The Children’s Museum will be closed for play. Fee: $2.00 or an Old Salem All-In-One Ticket Required.

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A 19TH CENTURY SALEM CHRISTMAS CANDLELIGHT TOUR. Guided evening tours. 6:30, 7 & 7:30pm. Meet at the Winkler Bakery. Reservations & extra ticket required.

27 TuesdayHOLIDAY WORkSHOP: 10–Noon. MESDA Auditorium. Playful Scenes and Tableaux: Using nature’s beauty, fig-ures and ornaments to embellish your home for the holidays. Betsy Overton of Ahoskie, North Carolina, demon-strates how to use the imagination and natural materials to bring beauty into the home for the holidays. Participants are welcome to bring a small container and clippers to create an arrangement to take home. Natural materials will be provided. Pre-registration required (336) 721-7360. Class Fee: $10.

MUSEUM CLASS: CREATING A MORAVIAN CHRISTMAS. 6–8 pm. Single Brothers’ Workshop. Join us for evening of traditional Moravian Christmas crafts for children, their fami-lies and the young at heart. Hands-on activities will include painted paper wreaths, making Springerle cookies

with stamped and painted designs, beeswax candle dip-ping, and refreshments by the fire-place with gingerbread and cider. Make and take these traditional items to use for your own holiday decorating or to give as special gifts. Class taught

by Joanna Roberts, Supervisor Living History Interpreters and Darlee Synder, Program Coordinator. Pre-registration required (336) 721-7300. Maximum of 36 participants. Class Fee: $15.

28 WednesdayCONCERT with the Limestone College Choir and Jazz Ensemble. Noon. James A. Gray, Jr. Auditorium, Old Salem Visitor Center. Free.

30 FridayAN 18TH CENTURY SALEM CHRISTMAS CANDLELIGHT TOUR. Guided evening tours. 6:30, 7 & 7:30pm. Meet at the Winkler Bakery. Reservations & extra ticket required.

D e c e m b e rMESDA’s Winter Pleasures! Yuletide, Festivity and Frivolity in the Early South. Many of today’s favorite holi-day customs and social celebrati ons are rooted in the colorful traditions of the past. MESDA’s “Winter Pleasures” recreates festive scenes of holiday merriment and winter celebration in the early South, including a 17th cen-tury Christmas feast, a Backcountry Christmas Day, a splendid Charleston Race Week ball, and an elegant Virginia wedding. Enjoy MESDA in her holiday garb, on view daily through December 31st. Old Salem All-In-One or Two-Stop Ticket required.

1 SaturdaySEASON FOR MUSIC & MESDA. 9:30am–5 pm. Old Salem Tour Buildings. Enjoy a traditional Moravian Brass Band in the Historic Town of Salem and period music inside the exhibition buildings. Old Salem All-In-One Ticket Required.

Pre-registration for programs is requested if so indicated. Call (336) 721-7350, Fax (336) 721-7335 or visit www.oldsalem.org

for more information.

Group rates are available for holiday events. Call Group Tour Office Monday–Friday, 9 am–4:30 pm at 1-800-441-5305, toll free.

Your All-in-One Ticket to Salem includes admission to many holiday events. Some events, when noted, require an additional ticket and reservations. Consider buying an Old Salem Membership to save on many admissions and programs. For more information on tickets and pricing, call 336-721-7350.

Hours: Old Salem Visitor Center is open Monday–Saturday 8:30am–5:30pm and Sunday 12:30-5:00pm. All exhibit buildings and the Children’s Museum are open 9:30-4:30, except Sunday when they are open 1:00–5:00pm. Children’s Museum opens on Mondays from 1:00-4:30. Old Salem Museums & Gardens is closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve & Christmas Day.

The Children’s Museum and the MESDA Auditorium are located in the Horton Museum Center.Museum Class Registrations: Please call 336-721-7300 to reserve a place in any of the Museum Classes.

Holiday Workshop Registrations: Please call 336-721-7363 to reserve a place in any of the workshops.

note: all outdoor programs will be held weather permitting.




Calendar of Events, continued

1 Saturday, continuedOPEN HOUSE: MESDA’S WINTER PLEASURES! YULETIDE, FESTIVITY AND FRIVOLITY IN THE EARLY SOUTH. 11 am–4 pm. For this day only during the holiday season enjoy at your own pace an Open House in the MESDA Collection. View the museum’s decora-tive settings of early southern winter celebrations and listen to period music performed throughout the museum. Old Salem All-In-One Ticket or a Special Open House Ticket Required.

SOUNDS OF MUSIC to be heard throughout MESDA’s “Winter Pleasures” Open House include: NAOMI’S FANCY: Traditional Celtic music

with harp, flutes, whistle, fiddle, guitar, mandolin and other instruments.

WAkE FOREST CONSORT: 17th and 18th century music with recorder, violin and cello.

THE MORAVIAN FLUTISTS: Performing traditional favorites.

THE QUANTZ DUO: Music with harpsi-chord and recorder.

PUDDINGSTONE! Performances at Noon, 2 pm & 3:30pm. In the MESDA Auditorium. Puddingstone remains one of the most popular and delightful parts of Old Salem’s Christmas scene. Ancient sounds of the harp, recorder, hurdy-gurdy, guitar, flute, drums and hammered dulcimer blend with those of electronic synthesizer to weave harmony, melody and rhythm into a magical experience for all ages. Old Salem All-In-One Ticket or a Special Open House Ticket Required.

AN 18TH CENTURY SALEM CHRISTMAS CANDLELIGHT TOUR. Guided evening tours. 6:30, 7 & 7:30pm. Meet at the Winkler Bakery. Reservations & extra ticket required.

5 WednesdayORGAN RECITAL BY SUSAN FOSTER on the Tannenberg Organ. Noon. James A. Gray, Jr. Auditorium, Old Salem Visitor Center. Free.

HIDDEN TREASURES LECTURE AND BOOk SIGNING: Moravian Christmas in the South. 12:30pm MESDA Auditorium. Christmas historian and MESDA interpreter Nancy Thomas will discuss her new book Moravian Christmas in the South. Free. Bring a lunch. Beverages provided.

7 FridayA 19TH CENTURY SALEM CHRISTMAS CANDLELIGHT TOUR. Guided evening tours. 6:30, 7 & 7:30pm. Meet at the Winkler Bakery. Reservations & extra ticket required.

8 SaturdayCELEBRATING THE SEASON. 9:30 am–4:30 pm. Old Salem Tour Buildings. Visit the kitchens and build-ings of Old Salem to experience the traditional smells and tastes of the holidays. Old Salem All-In-One Ticket Required.

A 19TH CENTURY SALEM CHRISTMAS CANDLELIGHT TOUR. Guided evening tours. 6:30, 7 & 7:30pm. Meet at the Winkler Bakery. Reservations & extra ticket required.

9 SundayGLORY TO THE NEWBORN kING! CONCERT by the Ambassadors Choir. 4 pm, James A. Gray, Jr. Auditorium, Old Salem Visitor Center. Fee: $5 or an Old Salem All-in-One ticket required.

12 WednesdayORGAN RECITAL BY REGINA POZZI on the Tannenberg Organ. Noon. James A. Gray, Jr. Auditorium, Old Salem Visitor Center. Free.

14 FridayAN 18TH CENTURY SALEM CHRISTMAS CANDLELIGHT TOUR GUIDED evening tours. 6:30, 7 & 7:30 pm. Meet at the Winkler Bakery. Reservations & extra ticket required.

15 SaturdayA SEASON FOR FAMILIES. 9:30 am–4:30pm. Salem Tour Buildings. Activities throughout the Historic District focus on children and families including hands-on activities, games on the Square, Wagon Rides, and making Moravian Christmas Decorations. Old Salem All-In-One Ticket Required.

ST. NICHOLAS. Enjoy a visit from St. Nicholas and Christ kindel. Special activities from 10–11 am followed by a visit by St. Nicholas beginning at 11 am. MESDA Auditorium. Fee: $10 adults, $5 children or free with an Old Salem All-In-One Ticket. Reservations Required by Wednesday December 12th. Call (336)721-7352. You may want to bring a camera for that memorable picture with St. Nicholas and Christ kindel.

PAMELA SANDERS BRINGS TRADI-TIONAL GAMES AND SONGS OF THE SEASON to MESDA’s Catawba Gallery. Noon, 2:30 & 4 pm. Children of all ages join in with bells, drums and voice while Pamela sings and plays ham-mered dulcimer, autoharp and other instruments. Old Salem All-in-One or two-Stop Ticket required.

THE QUANTZ DUO: performing 18th and 19th century music on piano and recorder in the Vogler house. 9:30am–4:30pm. Old Salem All-in-One Ticket required

Fall/Winter 2007 35

PUPPET SHOW: CHRISTMAS IN THE TRENCHES. 1 & 3 pm. James A. Gray, Jr. Auditorium, Old Salem Visitor Center. Award-winning author & family musician, John McCutcheon, will read his children’s book, Christmas in the Trenches, while the story is performed

in puppetry. The Children’s Museum will be closed for play. Fee: $5 or an Old Salem All-In-One Ticket Required.

AN 18TH CENTURY SALEM CHRISTMAS CANDLELIGHT TOUR. Guided eve-ning tours. 6:30, 7 &

7:30pm. Meet at the Winkler Bakery. Reservations & extra ticket required.

19 WednesdayORGAN RECITAL BY SCOTT CARPENTER on the Tannenberg Organ with Jeremy Truhel, tenor. Noon. James A. Gray, Jr. Auditorium, Old Salem Visitor Center. Free.

21 FridayA 19TH CENTURY SALEM CHRISTMAS CANDLELIGHT TOUR. Guided evening tours. 6:30, 7 & 7:30pm. Meet at the Winkler Bakery. Reservations & extra ticket required.

22 SaturdaySEASONAL GIFTS: Experience the Moravian traditions of Christmas, find that last minute special gift for a loved one, and tour Old Salem’s historic buildings in candlelight. The buildings will be open late from 4:30–5:45pm for a special candlelight tour. 9:30am–5:45pm. Old Salem Tour Buildings. Old Salem All-In-One Ticket Required.

PUPPET SHOW: SOPHIE AND THE GINGER COOkIES. 11:30am, 1:30pm, 2:30pm & 3:30pm. MESDA Auditorium. The Children’s Museum will be closed for play. Fee: $2.00 or an Old Salem All-In-One Ticket Required.

CONCLUDE THE DAY WITH A CANDLELIGHT CAROL SING at Salem Square at 6 pm, accompanied by a Moravian brass band.

23 SundayPUPPET SHOW: SOPHIE AND THE GINGER COOkIES. 11:30am, 1:30pm, 2:30pm & 3:30pm. MESDA Auditorium. The Children’s Museum will be closed for play. Fee: $2 or an Old Salem All-In-One Ticket Required.

24 & 25 Monday & TuesdayOLD SALEM IS CLOSED in observation of Christmas Eve & Christmas Day.

26 WednesdayORGAN RECITAL BY JANE CAIN on the Tannenberg Organ in the James A. Gray, Jr. Auditorium, Old Salem Visitor Center. Noon. Free.

27 ThursdayCONCERT: CAROLINA CHAMBER SYMPHONY PLAYERS present Sergei Prokofiev”s popular children’s story: Peter and the Wolf, with Lesley Hunt, Narrator. 11 am and 1 pm, James A. Gray, Jr. Auditorium, Old Salem Visitor Center. Fee: $5.

28–31 Friday–MondayWATCHING FOR THE NEW YEAR. Moravian traditions of remembering the old year and ushering in the new one. 9:30 am–4:30pm. Old Salem Tour Buildings. Old Salem All-In-One Ticket Required.

Pre-registration for programs is requested if so indicated. Call (336) 721-7350, Fax (336) 721-7335 or visit www.oldsalem.org

for more information.

Group rates are available for holiday events. Call Group Tour Office Monday–Friday, 9:00am–4:30pm at 1-800-441-5305, toll free.

Your All-in-One Ticket to Salem includes admission to many holiday events. Some events, when noted, require an additional ticket and reservations. Consider buying an Old Salem Membership to save on many admissions and programs. For more information on tickets and pricing, call 336-721-7350.

Hours: Old Salem Visitor Center is open Monday–Saturday 8:30am–5:30pm and Sunday 12:30-5:00pm. All exhibit buildings and the Children’s Museum are open 9:30-4:30, except Sunday when they are open 1:00–5:00pm. Children’s Museum opens on Mondays from 1:00-4:30. Old Salem Museums & Gardens is closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve & Christmas Day.

The Children’s Museum and the MESDA Auditorium are located in the Horton Museum Center.Museum Class Registrations: Please call 336-721-7300 to reserve a place in any of the Museum Classes.

Holiday Workshop Registrations: Please call 336-721-7363 to reserve a place in any of the workshops.

note: all outdoor programs will be held weather permitting.

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celebrating moravian christmas in the south

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