Saturday, October 12, 2024
Historic Bethabara Park
2147 Bethabara Road
Winston-Salem, NC 27106
Approximately 35 Piedmont Friends gathered for fellowship, a picnic lunch and a guided tour of the Historic Bethabara Park, sharing an opportunity to learn about a piece of North Carolina history.
Friends enjoyed a beautiful day in Winston-Salem, getting to know each other through a series of “Friendly queries” lead by Deborah Bromiley and John Shuford, sharing a picnic lunch, and being treated to fresh-pressed apple cider (in the backgroun) orchestrated by Salem-Creek Friends!
Historic Bethabara Park provided two excellent tour guides/interpreters of history for Friends to learn more about the historic beginnings of Moravians in North Carolina.
The tour included a thorough explanation of the uses and life of the 1789 Gemeinhaus, the community’s house of worship and home of the spiritual leader’s family.
Founded in 1753 by German-speaking Moravians, Bethabara was the first European settlement in the North Carolina piedmont. Today, Historic Bethabara Park preserves the history and heritage of the “Old Town.” A National Historic Landmark and Local Historic District, the Park encompasses 183 acres of preserved wildlife, historic buildings and grounds, walking and birding trails, and protected wetlands.