Celebrating The 200th Anniversary Of Christian Winkler`s

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Celebrating the 200th Anniversary of Christian Winkler’s Bakery in Salem Spring/Summer 2007 Old Salem Museums & Gardens consists of four museums: The Historic Town of Salem is a restored Moravian congregation 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 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 (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 encourage exploration, imagination and play as a pathway to learning about life long ago. The Old Salem Toy Museum exhibits a significant collection 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. ad mi ni st ration Lee 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 Educational Programming, Research, and Grants Michelle Speas Vice President Development & External Relations Renee Shipko Director of Marketing Bill Young Director of Retail Operations Spring/Summer 2007 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 On The Cover: Old Salem baker Bobby James rolling dough at the Winkler Bakery. Edited by Betsy Allen, Editorial Associate Publication Design by Hillhouse Graphic Design, LLC Photography by Wes Stewart, except when noted otherwise 2 Old Salem Museums & Gardens Volume 2, Number 1 Old Salem Museums & Gardens Heirloom Seed Project t Page 6 Contents Spring/Summer 2007 From the President • 5 Where have all the seeds gone? • 6 Seed saving and our genetic link to the past. Teddy’s Adventures in Africa • 8 New at the Old Salem Toy Museum. The 200th Anniversary of the Winkler Bakery Our Daily Bread: A History of the Bakery in Salem • 11 Salem’s Baker: Christian Winkler •18 The Lion Hunt, a detail from Teddy’s Adventures in Africa Page 8 t Bake Ovens in Salem • 15 MESDA at the Winter Antiques Show • 23 Historical Archaeology in North Carolina and Old Salem Museums & Gardens t Page 30 A thank you letter and photo album from the stellar event. A Puppet Story • 28 Historical Archaeology • 30 Salem Watercolor • 32 A new acquisition by Old Salem Museums & Gardens. Summer Institute & Field Schools • 34 Summers in Old Salem feature great hands-on programs for kids—five yesterdays, three yesterdays, or just an afternoon of exploring t Page 41 The Perks of Membership • 36 Explore all Old Salem Museums & Gardens events and activities on pages 40–43 or online at www.oldsalem.org. Planned Giving: An American Institution • 37 Introducing the charter members of the 1766 Society The Cow Must Not Run Free • 39 Honoring the Vierling Barn restoration project and its sponsors. Highlighted Events & Calendar • 40 Spring/Summer 2007 3 The history of the men, women, and children of the Carolinas and America comes to life daily at Old Salem Museums & Gardens. Your generous support continues to open the story of the 18th and 19th century to today’s families and to future generations. Old Salem Museums & Gardens is your history, your legacy, your future. To make a gift, or to learn more about giving to Old Salem Museums & Gardens, please call 1-336-721-7327 or visit www.oldsalem.org One ticket. Four museums. A thousand memories. The Historic Town of Salem • Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts • The Old Salem Children’s Museum • The Old Salem Toy Museum from the President Dear Friends, Welcome to the Spring/Summer issue of the Old Salem Museums & Gardens magazine. So much has happened since we launched the new magazine format last year in anticipation of MESDA’s loan exhibition and celebrations at the New York Winter Antiques Show. Our trip to New York was a grand success as collectors, scholars and dealers from around the world were delightfully exposed to our collections, our institution, and our people. We traveled to New York with an impressive entourage of supporters, including North Carolina’s First Lady Mary Easley. Our staff and friends took the city by storm, charming everybody they touched with their southern grace and pride for this treasure known as MESDA. The momentum continued as we traveled to Colonial Williamsburg for the 59th Antiques Forum in late January where Old Salem and MESDA were featured prominently throughout the week as scholars presented lectures and seminars on The Arts of the American South. Elsewhere around the institution we are continuing a great year. This fall we will celebrate the 200th anniversary of one of our institutional landmarks—Winkler Bakery. In these pages you will find a history of the Winkler family and the baking tradition of Wachovia, along with an interesting exploration of nineteenth-century bake oven construction. Our field schools for archeology and architecture will be in full swing this summer along with the MESDA Summer Institute, which begins a new era of collaboration with The University of Virginia’s Graduate Program in the History of Art and Architecture. Lee French with violinist Itzhak Perlman at MESDA’s loan exhibition in New York (see pages 23–27) The Horticulture Department is busy in the gardens and we expect this season to yield a beautiful bumper crop of flowers and vegetables. Matt Noyes, director of horticulture, has contributed an article on one of his favorite topics, heirloom flowers, which is one the great traditions of Old Salem in the spring and summer. Peggy Parks, director of the Old Salem Children’s Museum takes us behind the scenes of the puppetry program, which she and her staff have built into quite a popular program. Also in this issue we are pleased to offer you a glimpse of expanded programming and facilities that are allowing the institution to creatively answer the call for special events, hands-on experiences and music performances. And be sure to check out the benefits of being a member of our museum as our development office launches an enhanced program for our supporters. I hope you enjoy this virtual visit to Old Salem Museums & Gardens. It is our pleasure to share a few special developments with you and hope that you will come see for yourself why we are so excited about the coming year. As always, I look forward to seeing you on the square soon.    Spring/Summer 2007 —Lee French, President & CEO, Old Salem Museums & Gardens 5 Where have all the seeds gone? Seed Saving and our Genetic Whatever happened to those amazingly tasty tomatoes with the funny name or the pole beans grown by your family for the last ninety years? You know, the ones that were full of flavor and always had a good story to go with them. Where have all the seeds gone? They still exist, and it is not just your grandmother looking after them anymore . For the past fifty years, Old Salem Museums and Gardens has championed its preservation of decorative arts, restored buildings and landscapes and the preservation of traditional handmade items. In the last thirty years, the museum has also been involved in somewhat a less visible endeavor in the preservation field, that of preserving a large collection of heirloom seeds that are the responsibility of the Horticulture Department. The need for heirloom seeds and the care of them are paramount to Horticulture’s ability to plant appropriate plants for the time period of each of our eight restored gardens. In recent years with the ever-changing use of hybrid seeds, genetically modified organisms and cultivars the preservation of such a seed collection has become a greater focus. What exactly is an heirloom seed? And why does it matter? The term heirloom seed or plant has a record of being passed down with some ethnic background or tie to a certain time in history much like decorative arts and furniture. Heirlooms are always open-pollinated varieties. This means that if the seeds produced from the plant are saved properly, they will produce the same variety year after year. This cannot be done with hybrids, which are a cross between two separate varieties, as the seed produced from those plants will be either sterile, or revert back to the parent plants. Most gardeners agree that heirloom varieties should be at least fifty years old. We focus on acquiring and saving seed from plants that were in cultivation between 1750 and 1850, the periods of our restored gardens. This collection of seeds not only lets us accurately present an assortment of period plants but also offers a link to a greater concern of many people today. This collection of seeds may someday offer more to the general public than just the ability to preserve a historic landscape. With the 6 genetic diversity of plants shrinking today the variety of the world’s food crops is eroding at an unprecedented and accelerating rate. The vegetables and fruits currently being lost are the result of thousands of years of adaptation and selection in different ecological niches around the world. Each variety is genetically unique and has developed resistances to the diseases and pests with which it evolved. Plant breeders use the old varieties to breed resistance into modern crops that are constantly being attacked by evolving diseases and pests. Without these infusions of genetic diversity, food production is at risk. A prime example of the loss of genetic diversity in history is the Irish potato famine in the mid nineteenth century. In the 1800s, the Irish solved their problem of feeding a growing population by cultivating a variety of potato called the lumper. Since potatoes can be propagated vegetatively, all of these lumpers were clones, genetically identical to one another. The lumper fed Ireland for a time, but it also set the stage for human and economic ruin. Evolutionary theory suggests that populations with low genetic variation are more vulnerable to changing environmental conditions than diverse populations. The Irish potato clones were certainly low on genetic variation, so when the environment changed and a potato disease swept through the country in the 1840s, the potatoes, and the people who depended on them, were devastated. This all sounds alarming, but steps are being taken and plans are under way on a global scale to help protect true variety seeds. Recently, The Global Crop Trust has begun steps, in cooperation with several nations, to help protect the world’s most valuable asset—its seeds. Plans are under way to construct a vault on a Norwegian island that will protect the seeds from any catastrophic event. Everything from avocados to zoysia grass will be brought to this ultimate seed bank. In our collection today we have approximately 800 seeds that the department uses for the restored gardens. The seeds range from artichoke to zinnia. Within each vegetable category there are several different varieties. For example, we currently have fifteen different kinds of peppers in our Old Salem Museums & Gardens Link k to the Past By Matt Noyes collection, ranging from “Besler’s Cherry” to “Willings Barbados.” In recent years the difficulty in locating some heirloom seeds has increased. It is usually in the winter months that our annual inventory is done. From that a determination is made as to what seeds have to be grown out before their viability becomes an issue. Then the plans for the gardens are completed and some of the lucky seeds will be given the opportunity to do their thing. The heirloom seeds will make their journey to the greenhouse or the gardens. From this point they are nurtured and provided with adequate moisture, temperature and light to start the natural progression to become true heirloom treasures. The primary focus of the restored gardens of Salem has been to show a collection of heirloom plants that were in cultivation within our primary dates. We are extremely lucky to have records from the Moravians that help us determine what was being cultivated and exactly what was here in Wachovia. Early maps of the Upland Garden and Hortus Medicus provide us with clues to the garden layout. They also have accompanying plant lists of the vegetables, herbs, flowers and grains that were being grown in the early years Spring/Summer 2007 of the settlement. Although no seeds survive from these plants it does help to form an educated estimate of the crops that would have been grown by the Moravians. Because of the need for perpetuating our seed inventory grow-outs or leaving plants in the ground long past their picking date is necessary to continue with certain varieties of seeds. This may seem somewhat unconventional but is a necessity for us to continue with the preservation of heirloom seeds for Old Salem Museums and Gardens. The opportunity to expand on our seed inventory has accelerated in recent years. The completion of the Single Brothers Garden allows us to grow out an even larger amount of heirloom seed for saving. With the additional space we can go in many different directions with grow-outs and implement some crops that were limited before by the size of the family gardens. At Old Salem Museums and Gardens, we strive to plant each garden not only for historical accuracy but also to help either remind or expose many school age children to a time when the grocery store produce section was in their own backyards, as well as exposing our visitors to the cash crops that the Moravians would have grown for their economic well being. The value of the seed collection is difficult to measure quantitatively. Its value may be less obvious to the bottom line than most things in our collection, but visually, it is unmatched! What has been accomplished in the last thirty years insures the future of the horticulture program and contributes immeasurably to the larger issues of agribusiness and economics. It ties us to our past and sets the stage for the future. m Matt Noyes is Director of Horticulture at Old Salem Museums & Gardens. Editor’s Note: The author checked a number of internet sources in researching this article. He was particularly appreciative of information found at http://evolution.Berkley.eduevolibrary article // agriculture-02 accessed 9Feb07. 7 Teddy’s Adventures in Africa New at the Old Salem Toy Museum J ust after finishing his term as our twenty-sixth president, Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919), with his son Kermit, departed in 1909 for a yearlong exotic expedition to Africa. Due to his immense popularity as a former president and avid naturalist, American newspapers and magazines churned out accounts of Roosevelt’s safari adventures, which served to increase the public’s enthusiasm. Taking advantage of their interest, Albert Schoenhut (1849–1912), a German immigrant and third generation toy maker, produced a group of toys called “Teddy’s Adventures in Africa” in time for the 1909 Christmas season. The Old Salem Toy Museum has enhanced its collection with one of the most sought after Schoenhut collectables, Teddy’s Adventures in Africa. Complete with original box and lithographed label, Teddy and Kermit, a great guide, a naturalist, an Arab chief, African natives, original glass-eyed animals, and various accessories to aid in commemorating this exciting adventure. With forty-three individual pieces, it is the most complete set on public view. We’re also fortunate to have an exceptional first edition of Frederick William Unger’s book, Roosevelt’s African Trip: The Story of his Life, the Voyage from New York to Mombasa, and the Route through the Heart of Africa which is on display with the Schoenhut Teddy. Founded in 2002, The Old Salem Toy Museum continues to grow and garner national attention. This March it was the feature of an entire issue of the magazine Antique Toy World. In October of 2008 Old Salem will host the annual convention of the Antique Toy Collectors of America. m Abigail Linville serves as Collections Manager at Old Salem Museums & Gardens. 8 Old Salem Museums & Gardens By Abigail Linville “Teddy’s Adventures in Africa,” 1909–1912; Albert Schoenhut Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Wood, paint, fabric, metal, paper, ink; Anne P. and Thomas A. Gray Purchase Fund. Old Salem Toy Museum Accession no. 5223.1-43 Spring/Summer 2007 9 Our Daily Bread A History of the Bakery in Salem W hen traveling in the eighteenth century one of the main objectives during the journey, besides reaching the destination, was keeping oneself supplied with bread. Over and over again the travel journals record the efforts made to secure bread: “One mile beyond Jac. Friedrichstown we stopped for lunch near a mill, and bought some bread and corn…Br. Losch rejoined us there; he had been to several plantations to buy bread and oats but had been able to get little.” (Oct. 18, 1753, Diary of a Journey of Moravians from Bethlehem, Penn. in Wachovia, N.C.) On October 8, 1753, fifteen unmarried Moravian brothers left Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, to make the forty-one day trip to their newly acquired tract of land in North Carolina, which they called Wachovia. This group was made up of carefully selected men, ranging in age from twenty-eight to forty, with varying trades and talents needed to establish the new settlement. Many were multi-talented and represented about twenty essential trades necessary for survival, among them cook, farmer, tailor, surgeon, minister, business manager, shoemaker, carpenter, cooper, washer, sieve-maker, turner, millwright, and a baker, thirty-nine year old Christopher Merkly. Throughout their trip, like most travelers of the day, the brothers were constantly seeking a supplier for bread. On November 17, 1753, they arrived at the site that was to Spring/Summer 2007 By Terry Ramsbotham become their first town, Bethabara, and there was no time to waste in the cold rainy North Carolina winter. Two days later, the Bethabara Diary records that they began to build their first bake oven in Wachovia, “We began to build a bake oven, so that we might again have bread, of which we have had little lately…The grind-stone was set up, a cooper’s bench and wash-trough made.” (Nov. 19, 1753, Bethabara Diary, Records of the Moravians, Vol. 1, p. 80). The bake oven was completed ten days later. Until then, according to the Bethabara Diary, they “baked bread in the pan-baker,” and this accompanied a simple diet of pumpkin broth, mush, and turnips. By December 3, 1753, they had acquired wheat seed from a neighbor six miles away, and on the 4th “sowed the first wheat on our land.” Thus began a 264-year tradition of providing bread not only for the congregation members of the Moravian Church, but also for outsiders living in the area, for hungry, weary travelers passing through and for soldiers in times of war. Initially flour was obtained from neighbors living in the area, but all the while the brothers were working towards being able to provide themselves with all that was needed to bake their bread. Fields were cleared and planted with wheat, oats, rye, barley, and corn. The Bethabara Diary also records that “We are not to undertake any building just yet, but push the clearing of land, that as soon as possible we may be able to eat our own bread.” They began cutting wheat on July 5, 1754, and on July 25th and 26th made a threshing floor. A location for their mill was found and plans were made for its construction. On November 28, 1755, they operated their mill in Bethabara for the first time grinding corn and then two bushels of wheat. In the year 1755, a total of 231 travelers and neighbors enjoyed bread produced 11 O u r D a i l y B r e a d : A History of the Bakery in Salem, continued by the Moravians in Bethabara. The location for the central town of Wachovia was chosen in 1766 and named Salem. Here would be a thriving community of tradesmen and merchants. The hope was to attract outsiders and travelers to Salem to purchase all their needs, from guns and shoes to rum and nutmeg. When they arrived in Salem, they would be hungry and the Moravians began to set up Salem to provide the bread to satisfy that hunger. Christopher Merkly, Bethabara’s first baker, moved from Bethabara to Salem, on April 11, 1772, in order to operate the bakery. Initially, the bakery was probably located in the Single Brothers’ Workshop (a large bake oven is shown on the original floor plans. ca. 1771, for the workshop), and the flour still came from the Bethabara mill. After Merkly’s arrival in Salem the Church decided that the Single Brothers would sell their bread to residents who did not want to bake for themselves and to travelers coming through Salem. It was also decided that the Single Brothers would supply bread for the Single Sisters until their bake oven was built. This created the problem of intermingling the Single Sisters and Single Brothers, which was looked down upon. The Church planned to correct this problem by building a town bakery in the future. The Aufseher Collegium minutes record, “As it is not best for persons of both sexes to go to the Single Brothers House we will plan for a town Bakery, where anyone can go without offense.” Until that time there was the problem of the sisters and girls visiting the 12 Brothers’ House in order to purchase their bread. Matthew Miksch and his wife were recruited to sell the Single Brothers’ bread out of their home, but they soon tired of that, wanting to sell their own gingerbread and not the Single Brothers’ white bread. At this time, May 1786, it also was decided that the breads and cakes baked by the Single Brothers would be sold doorto-door in Salem every morning. The Single Brothers would keep a book to record who had paid at the time of delivery and who had not. In the instance that a family would find they needed more bread for the day, than had been anticipated in the morning, the Salem Board Minutes for 1786 recommend that “one of the married persons” could go to the Brothers’ House Bakery for more, but not maids or daughters. One of the constant concerns of the Church and the Bakery itself was deciding what the price of the bread should be. The objective was to be able to supply bread to the congregation members and outsiders at a price they could afford while allowing the baker to make a profit. This goal was always affected by the weather and its affect on the wheat crop. If there had been drought or flooding and the wheat crop had been poor or failed, this would drive up the price of flour and thereby raise the price of bread. If there had been a lack of rain, the mills would not be able to run and no wheat could be milled. Old Salem Museums & Gardens There seems to have been repeated need to reevaluate the price charged for bread. For example, in October 1775, a loaf of bread weighing 3 pounds 4 ounces cost 4d. In July 1795 due to the fact that a bushel of wheat cost 5 shillings, a 4 pence loaf of bread was to weigh 2 pounds and 13 ounces. In October of 1802 the price of a 4 pound loaf of bread was 6 pence, and in July 1810 bread costing a shilling weighed 5 1/™ pounds. In an effort to establish a gauge for pricing bread, a test was made by the Church in November 1799 to determine how much flour could be made from three bushels of wheat. The results of the testing were: 3 bushels of wheat weighed 170 lbs. From this 18 pounds was toll (a portion of the grain given to the mill in exchange for grinding the wheat into flour) and after screenings 152 pounds of wheat for flour remained. Of this the yield was 109 pounds of white flour, three pounds of black flour and 40 pounds of bran. From this it was determined that one pound of flour would cost two pence and from that pound of flour would come one loaf of bread. This test seems to have set the standard for pricing of bread for quite a while. Annually the price of wheat versus the price of bread was reevaluated. When Christian Winkler arrived in Salem in 1807 he questioned whether this was still a valid way to price the bread. The Church decided that this test needed to be made more than once a year so the price of bread would reflect the current price of flour. In August of 1795 the Congregation Council decided that due Spring/Summer 2007 to the high price of wheat, corn meal was to be added to the bread in order to make larger, heavier loaves of bread. Unfortunately many of the subsequent bakers often found themselves in trouble with the Church for being just a little too heavy-handed with the cornmeal, producing bread that was heavier therefore less costly, but not very tasty. On the other hand, bread could be baked lighter when the wheat did not weigh as much. In other words, the price of the bread was constantly changing. As far as salaries for the bakers, the Church boards determined that as well. Prior to September 1797 bakers received 6 percent of the clear profit, but as of September 1797 they made one-eighth of the clear profit. There were many complaints from bakers saying that due to the lack of customers, the price of wheat, or the constraints of the Church on their pricing, they could not earn a living as a baker. The bakers of Salem were supplementing their income with various side ventures. In 1802 Butner asked permission to sell gingerbread. When he was denied permission because Matthew Miksch was selling gingerbread right across the street, Butner complained that there were families in Salem baking cakes to sell during holidays and other special events such as Easter and elections. He felt that this undermined his ability to make a living. Partly due to this complaint the Church decided that if Butner and Miksch could reach an agreement about how it was to be handled, then they could both sell gingerbread. Butner, in a never-ending effort to make more money, began to manufacture green chairs. Butner requested permission many times to sell cider and the Church denied him that but suggested that he sell molasses beer. Butner also sold bread to outsiders for twice the price he charged congregation members. Despite many warnings about selling bread to strangers for an escalated price, Butner refused to change his pricing. Because of this, he was finally released from the bakery. When Christian Winkler arrived in Salem in 1807 to take Butner’s place, he immediately asked for permission to brew beer and was granted that permission. More than likely Winkler used the barm, the yeasty foam that rises to the surface of fermenting beer, as leavening for his bread. In 1810 Winkler appeared to be buying and 13 W i n k l e r B a k e r y 200th Anniversary selling beef and sheep for slaughter and sale. The Church asked him to butcher and sell more in order to supply the congregation members with fresh meat more often. In July 1827, Winkler was rumored to be operating a tippling house where small drinks or cordials were sold. He told the Church he was not establishing a tippling house, but intended to sell drinks in bottles. The Church advised him not to sell cordials on Sundays. Despite the warnings, there were still talks with Winkler in 1828 about giving up his harmful whiskey trade. Christian Winkler’s son, William, who later took over the bakery after his father became unable to carry on, also seemed to feel that a lucrative sideline for him would be buying and selling various alcoholic beverages. As the town of Salem grew in the nineteenth century, there came a greater need for more bakeries in town. James Hall, a shoemaker in Salem, began asking in May of 1828 if he could open a second bakeshop, beer shop, and confectioner’s shop in Salem. The Church at first felt that in light of frequent complaints about the quality of Winkler’s bread and the wholesome effect competition would have on the quality and price of bread in Salem, this might be a good idea. After thinking about the situation, however, the Church decided that since Winkler had been called to Salem solely to be the baker, and because of the fact that Winkler’s sons, Henry and William were learning the trade and working in the bakery, they would not give Hall permission to open his bakery. The Church also felt that 14 at that time the town could not support two bakers successfully. Hall was advised that if Winkler did not furnish better and cheaper goods, this decision would be reversed. On March 27, 1837, Hall received permission to have cakes and beer for sale. He was told that he must not sell any other alcoholic drinks. In 1840, Hall was questioned by the Church about his business dealings with outsiders. He was also selling coffee, sugar, spices, and nails among other items in his bake shop for which he did not have permission. In June 1851, Hall and Henry Winkler, Christian’s son, separately obtained licenses to retail alcoholic drinks. According to them, this was only for the sale of blackberry wine, which they had done for years without objection on the part of the Church. This caused quite a debate within the Church about how to handle the situation. In November of 1824, Henry Winkler was sent to Petersburg, Virginia, by his father to learn to be a confectioner. After returning to Salem, Henry worked for his father for a while. In 1828 he asked the Church for permission to open an independent confectionary in Salem, just days after Hall’s initial request to open a second bakery. The Church felt that Henry Winkler needed to remain with his father for the time being, saying that he was too young to open his own separate business and that he needed to work on himself first, to improve his moral behavior. After several years of experience, in December 1833, Henry Winkler was given permission to set up his bakery and confectionery in a house that he had rented in Salem. In April 1845, he declared that he needed to supplement his income because he could not make his living solely as a confectioner. He began feeding the coach horses that came into Salem and he boarded traveling strangers. He was secretly trying to open a private inn or entertainment house without permission of the Church, and he asked for permission to open a Tavern but this was denied. He also unsuccessfully applied to the court for a license to sell alcohol in small measures. In addition, Henry sold alcoholic beverages without permission of the Church and was threatened by the Church that if he did not stop he would lose his lease on his land. In February 1846, Francis Meller, a baker from Greensboro, North Carolina, asked and was given permission to run a bakery and confectioner’s shop in the lower part of Salem, where he also would sell soda water but no alcohol. He was granted permission to do so in March 1847. He and his wife needed to be in Salem to care for his wife’s ailing mother, Elizabeth Reich. It is evident that baking has been and still is an ever changing and evolving business. It is exciting to be celebrating the 200th Anniversary of the arrival of Christian Winkler and the rich and varied history of the Winkler Bakery here in Old Salem. Do come for a visit soon and a true taste of yesterday. m Terry Ramsbotham is Manager of the Historic Winkler Bakery at Old Salem Museums & Gardens. Old Salem Museums & Gardens Bake Ovens in Salem By David Bergstone T he Old Salem historic district has a wide variety of bake ovens, from the detached, free-standing ovens in back yards to wash-bake houses with ovens as part of their cooking fireplace to the large production ovens at the Winkler Bakery and Single Brothers’ Workshop. Just about every home and all the choir houses had their own bake ovens. German baking was an essential part of the daily food preparation brought by the settlers from Germany, through Pennsylvania down to the Piedmont of North Carolina. The bake ovens are not unique to the Moravians in Wachovia but are found in German households throughout the region. These ovens, curiously enough, do not cook from the heat of a fire built inside them or underneath, but from the residual radiant heat held by the bricks once the fire is removed. As a shape conducive to retaining the heat, the bake ovens in Salem were typically a low brick dome. Although some sources describe laying walls of brick two courses thick, in Salem the ovens were laid in a header bond, with the brick laid perpendicular to the interior, leaving only one small end of the brick exposed to the heated inside. A solid mass of masonry provided better heat retention for a longer cooking period after the oven had been fired. The dome-shaped oven has openings at both the front and rear at the bottom of the dome. The front opening serves as a way to access the oven to build the fire and cook. The rear opening is a flue to draft the smoke. Ovens that are attached directly to buildings have the front opening located on a wall, often as part of a larger fireplace. The front opening has a shelf large enough to accommodate items which are to go into or be pulled out of the oven and help reduce how much the baker reaches into the oven once heated. The rear opening serves as the exhaust flue, which is essential to creating a good draft for smoke to be to pulled out of the oven. The flue sizes vary depending on the overall dimensions of the oven, but approximate measurements are shown on the diagram and generally maintain the same proportions. This flue usually runs back over the top of the oven dome to a chimney at the front, or even sharing the same front flue. This Spring/Summer 2007 The Winkler Bakery operates an authentic bake oven to produce tasty treats such as sugar cakes and cookies. distinctive configuration is called a squirrel tail flue since it resembles how a squirrel’s tail lays along the curve of its back. While some ovens simply put a vertical flue at the back, with a flue laid back across the dome, there are several advantages: it will heat up quicker, it contributes to the heating mass of the oven, rain and wind have less effect, and a heated flue has a faster draft, helping to generate a hotter fire. The oven is heated by burning a fire on the floor of the oven. Seasoned hardwoods, such as oak, work best because they burn hot but clean. Bigger ovens often will take multiple stacks of wood like little log cabins, usually placed closer to the rear exhaust flue. Once the fire begins to take hold, the front is partially blocked to help create a quicker draft to make the fire hotter. Once the wood has burnt down to coals and the bricks of the oven are heated, the hot embers are then 15 W i n k l e r B a k e r y 200th Anniversary removed by raking them into a coal hole or clean-out. This clean-out is usually a small rectangular hole in the oven floor toward the front of the oven or to one side of the front opening. This opening is covered with a metal plate during heating and baking. As stated in the 1788 Building Regulations for Salem, since the ashes and embers are still hot when removed, the need for a fire proof container for the ash pit is important, as is a fireproof cover for the opening, such as a cast iron plate. The front access and rear flue are closed during baking, when there is no more smoke or fire and it is only necessary to retain the heat. The front usually has a small metal plate that has feet to allow it to stand vertically and fill the opening. The rear opening can be handled the same way or with a damper in the squirrel tail flue, or by blocking the flue where it connects into the front chimney. Construction of the Bake Oven A solid brick platform is laid to create the bottom of the oven. Depending on the size and location, the base of the brick platform can be of brick, stone, or logs. Once the locations of the flue and front openings are determined, two layers of brick are laid to form the oval outline of the oven. A pile of sand is then This diagram shows a cut-away of a bake oven with interior access, the flue tied into the building’s chimney, and ash pit below. Often the squirrel tail flue connects to a fireplace flue which facilitates cleaning. The Winkler oven has a diameter of 5 feet, dome height of about 2 feet 6 inches and a flue dimension of 9 inches square. 16 formed inside the bricks into a low dome shape. Old Salem has used both handmade and fire bricks to construct ovens. Historic lime based mortars were relatively soft and capable of handling the temperature changes, but modern mortars can work as well. It is best to match handmade brick with the softer lime mortars and harder modern fire brick with modern mortars. The ability to resist deterioration is most important in smaller ovens where it may not be possible for someone to crawl into the oven to make repairs. The dome of the oven is simply constructed by placing rows of bricks in circles around the sand pile, ending with vertical bricks at the peak which are held in place by the mortar and other bricks. After the mortar has set, the squirrel tail is constructed as a rectangular flue which starts at the rear opening and runs over the top of the oven to connect into the chimney and flue of the building. There can be cleanout hatches in the squirrel tail to make it easier to keep it and the chimney clean, since it is difficult for chimney cleaning equipment to make all the turns and twists into the oven. The Winkler Bakery oven has cleanouts both midway in the squirrel tail and where the squirrel tail joins the chimney flue. Once the mortar is set, the sand is shoveled out through the front opening and the oven is finished. The exterior of the oven is commonly coated with several layers of mortar to protect the bricks and joints and help seal any cracks. This also adds to the masonry mass to help retain the heat longer. Roofs are placed over the oven to shed rain and protect the oven from sudden temperature shifts if it starts to rain while heated, but still allow some air circulation around the oven. In Salem, these roofs are usually constructed with clay tiles supported by masonry walls on three sides. These fire resistant roofs are a reflection of the concern about chimney sparks and the threat of fire when starting up such large, intense fires. A full wall is not usually constructed across the rear of the oven to provide access to the top of the oven and any cleanouts. Cooking in the bake oven As part of a daily operation in Salem, brick oven cooking requires preparation and timing to maximize the use and effectiveness. Based on nearly 30 years of commercial operation, Old Salem Museums & Gardens A variety of sizes of bake ovens can be seen in Salem, such as this one shown when under construction at Winkler Bakery. Their basic similarity is the dome shape and the distinctive use of “squirrel-tail” flues for those connected to buildings. the Winkler Bakery developed the the following steps: • Four log cabin stacks of white oak kindling are placed in the oven the night before baking so the residue warmth of the previous day’s baking will help dry the wood overnight. The stacks are lighted very early in the next morning. The fire is allowed to burn approximately two hours. Using long handled rakes, which are like wide hoes, the coals are spread to heat the oven evenly. Both the front opening and rear flue are opened to help draft and keep the coals burning hot. • When the coals burn down to embers and the bricks lining the top of the oven are visible, the embers are raked through the trap door into the ash pit. The oven temperature should be about 600º F. Over-heating helps the bricks retain the heat. • The oven is then allowed to cool to between 350° and 450° F before starting baking. The loading temperature depends on the amount of baking to be done. Typically there are about four loadings, or 11/2 hours of baking from a firing. • The Winkler Bakery oven measures about five feet in diameter, will hold 16 pans of bread (96 loaves) at one time. Bread requires the highest temperature and is baked first. Then the sugar cake and, finally, the tea cookies are baked. Spring/Summer 2007 The approximate times for baking are: Bread: 20–25 minutes Sugar cake: 15–20 minutes Tea Cookies: until baked In busy seasons of the year, the oven can be fired a second time during the day. It takes less wood for a second baking since some of the initial heat remains. The bricks will feel warm to the touch for up to two days after a firing. It is important to inspect the oven and chimney at least annually, depending on use. For larger ovens this includes crawling inside the dome to look for cracks and broken bricks. In the 1700s, they conducted annual fire inspections that often reported about dangers with locations of the ovens in yards and called on owners to make changes with fireproof materials, such as metal plates instead of a wooden boards. The Winkler chimney is cleaned about twice a year but it is usually clean since dry wood is used,constantly heating to high temperatures. The extreme heating will cause deterioration and eventual rebuilding of the dome. The Winkler oven was reconstructed in 1982 and rebuilt again in 2004, which is about 6,800 firings, or over 650,000 loaves of bread. Where to see bake ovens in Old Salem There are several bake ovens which can be seen at Old Salem Museums and Gardens. The three ovens that are open for tours are those in the Winkler Bakery, the Vierling Wash-Bake House, and the Salem Tavern Museum. They can be viewed from the outside where their distinctive shape and flue can be seen, and from the inside where they are used. A large reconstructed oven at the Single Brother’s Workshop is also visible but the interior is not usually accessible except to special experience tours. At the Single Brothers House and the Boy’s School Museum, there are small interior dome-roofed ovens which can be seen, about three feet across at the base and about 18” tall. There are also exterior ovens at private homes on Salt Street which can be seen from the street: at the Lick-Boner house is a free standing oven in the rear yard and the Solomon-Lick house has a small exterior oven attached to the fireplace chimney. m David Bergstone is Director of Architecture at Old Salem Museums & Gardens. 17 W i n k l e r B a k e r y 200th Anniversary Salem’s Baker: Christian Winkler I n 1807, Christian Winkler began an important legacy of operating a successful independent bakery in Salem, North Carolina. His is a well-founded tradition that has produced successors of note—most famously, just across the street from the site of the original Winkler Bakery, in 1937 Vernon Rudolph created the world’s first Krispy Kreme doughnut. Krispy Kreme Doughnut Company delivery vans lined up at their original store location on Main Street in Salem, directly across from the Winkler Bakery, c. 1940s. Old Salem Historical Photograph Collection. Now, 200 years later—and nearly 70 years after that first Krispy Kreme—Old Salem Museums & Gardens celebrates Winkler’s bakery as one of longest continuously operated independent commercial bakery in North Carolina as well as the tradition of bakers created by Winkler and his descendants. Today, thousands of visitors and local patrons visit Old Salem each year to enjoy the delectable offerings that are available every day at the Winkler Bakery. 18 By Paula Locklair Christian Winkler was born near Blumenstein, in Canton Bern, Switzerland, on September 16, 1766. Because his mother became severely ill soon after his birth, he lived with his grandmother who reared him. Whether it was his maternal or paternal grandmother is unclear, but he recorded clear and fond memories of her. She was a member of the Reformed Church, and it was she who provided the religious foundation for his life. Childhood was a happy time until his grandmother’s death. He wrote of how the loss of his grandmother changed his life: “Now I returned to the home of my parents, and went to school, but had little desire to learn.” This quote from Winkler about his early life is taken from an insightful memoir, probably written for him by the minister in Salem, William Henry Van Vleck, at the time of Winkler’s death, on January 11, 1839, at the age of seventytwo. In the Moravian tradition, a memoir is read at the funeral, and it usually recounts the most important events in a person’s life, with a special emphasis on one’s religious development and relationship to God. Winkler’s memoir was, “partly compiled from papers left by the departed.” Unfortunately the fate of Winkler’s personal papers is unknown. But if they had not existed in 1839, we would know very little about Christian Winkler’s first forty-one years— his life before coming to Salem. Winkler’s memoir is particularly rich in not only the descriptions of his early religious training and how he found his community of faith among the Moravians, but also where he learned his trades, when and why he came to America and eventually to Salem, and his devotion to his family. Through the memoir and the various business and community records that were kept in Salem, we can assemble a reasonable profile of Christian Winkler—the baker, the husband, and father. The memoir also provides an insight into the private man, the person best known by his family. During Winkler’s early teenage years his summertime responsibilities included “tending cattle on the mountains” and in the winter he brought firewood down the mountains, Old Salem Museums & Gardens which “often put him in danger.” He citizens fled for their safety, and he was confirmed in 1781, at age fifteen, was charged to lead some of the Single and about that time he was apprenticed Sisters to sanctuary in Dierdorf, four to a blacksmith “where the outward cirhours from Neuwied. This was the cumstances were hard.” But during this first of several journeys to move Single time he learned the valuable lessons of Sisters. He remembered a particularly obeying difficult escape with eighteen sisters rules and “the worth of careful obserto Ebersdorf (in central Germany) in vance of law and order”—lessons that November 1795. After they successfulstayed with him all of his life. ly arrived in Ebersdorf, a lovefeast of About ten years later his apprenticethanksgiving was held “during which ship was completed, and for a while he many tears were shed.” worked with his father, the implicaEbersdorf then became Winkler’s This wooden cookie mold, made 1820–1825 and tion being that he also may have been home for about four years, and it attributed to the hand of Salem artisan John Vogler, a blacksmith. Christian Winkler says was here that he learned the trade of shows the head of Liberty surrounded by thirteen little else about his parents, and there is baker, and ultimately operated the stars. The initials “C.W.” for Christian Winkler are no mention of siblings. The resolve that bakery in the Single Brothers’ House carved on the lower right. OSMG Acc. 936.1. had developed during his apprenticeship there. His experience in the Brothers’ years, to find “men of the same mind as House must have established his children of God,” inspired him to travel throughout Germany reputation as an organized and competent leader because in in search of like-minded people, and on July 2, 1791, at age March 1799, he was asked to join the Moravians in America twenty-five, he arrived in Neuwied in western Germany. and to fill a similar role as the leader of the Single Brothers’ Neuwied was founded in the mid-seventeenth century and Choir in Nazareth, Pennsylvania. Even though he had some became known for being a place of tolerance and freedom. reservations, he accepted the call, seeing it as being “in line Because of this, Moravians settled there and established a with the way in which he had hitherto been led.” The Brethren community. This Moravian community apparently was welin Ebersdorf sent him off with their “heartiest good wishes” coming to Christian. He was received into the congregation on April 21, 1799. At age thirty-three and single he found on September 11, 1792, and took his first communion with himself bound for Hamburg, from where his ship would his new Moravian “family” on March 10, 1793. Following that embark. On his way there he visited the Moravian communihe joined the Single Brothers Diacony. There is no mention ties of Herrnhut, Niesky, Gnadenberg, and Barby. The ship that he continued blacksmithing, but his memoir said that he reached Philadelphia safely on September 28th and he arrived helped with soap making. in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in early October. From there he Although he had found religious stability and a peaceful went to his ultimate destination, nearby Nazareth, where he life, the political climate during his stay at Neuwied became was “received with much love.” Here, too, he used the trade tumultuous because it coincided with the French Revolution. he had learned in Ebersdorf and directed the bakery in the His memoirs states, “Neuwied was for a time the scene of Brothers’ House. He was ordained a deacon of the Moravian frightful war incidents,” and he describes the attacks on the Church on October 27, 1802, in Bethlehem in a ceremony town, the danger, the plundering, and the general destruction. that “made a deep impression on him and encouraged him in He was among a group of Brethren who were given “special the service.” charge” of the Single Sisters’ House. As the bombardments After several successful years in Nazareth in the Brothers’ began in 1795 and the danger was ever more imminent, many House and the bakery he was asked to move again and to Spring/Summer 2007 19 W i n k l e r B a k e r y 200th Anniversary take over the leadership of the Single Brothers’ Choir in Lititz in Lititz, Pennsylvania, on March 3, 1782. Her first years were and “he made special efforts to improve the condition of the spent in Lititz, where her parents, Simeon and Sarah Danz, Diaconie of the Single Brethren, and did his part faithfully.” managed a guest house. As a child she attended school in Christian Winkler was successful as a baker and as a leader Lititz, with, according to her memoir, “good results so that of the Single Brothers’ Choir in the Moravian communities when she was grown she could in turn be useful to others with in Pennsylvania. Thus it should be no surprise that Winkler that which she had learned.” Her father died when she was six was approached when Salem needed an experienced baker years old. Her mother later married Johannes Lehnert, and and community leader to succeed Thomas Butner (1773they managed a boarding house in Bethlehem. 1833), who had built the comWhen Elizabeth became a memmunity bakery in 1800. Not only ber of the Older Girls’ Choir, she was Winkler to succeed Butner then entered the Single Sisters’ as Salem’s baker, but he was also House in Nazareth, which was asked to operate the independent thought to be a better place for community bakery. her than the boarding house. But Winkler arrived in Salem only according to her memoir, her life forty-four days from September and work in the Sisters’ House 28, 1807, when the church records in Nazareth were very difficult note that he accepted the call to for her because “she had to exert This bakery ticket is signed in ink [illegible] Spaugh. Christian come to North Carolina. He came herself very hard with the washto his new home on November 11, Winkler’s great-granddaughter, Bessie, married Robert ing but had very meager earnChristian Spaugh in 1899, and they operated the Winkler 1807. Because he had little indeings and even at times suffered Bakery until 1927. The ticket dates from the first quarter of the pendent means at that time, he want.” When she was thirteen, in twentieth century. OSMG Acc. 2119. was given an advance in order that 1795, she was received into the he could come prepared with the Moravian congregation. Early in personal supplies that he needed. 1797, her life in Nazareth became so difficult that she “begged Almost immediately he was faced with major decisions her parents to take her away from Nazareth and to Bethlehem, and expenses. His first major investment that November was a request which was granted.” In her new and happier situathe purchase of the large building that was the bakery for tion in Bethlehem she willingly did whatever was asked of her. $1400, and the sum was advanced to him by the congregaAfter she was received into the Single Sisters’ Choir, however, tion. Almost simultaneously, Single Sister Elizabeth Danz was she was appointed as a teacher in the girls’ boarding school in proposed to him as his future wife. By December 2nd, she had Bethlehem. For the next ten years, she held this position and accepted the proposal, and they were married at the church on gained valuable experience until she left Bethlehem to accomSunday evening, December 6th. By marrying Elizabeth Danz, pany her parents to Salem in November 1807, when they were he also committed to pay her recent travel expenses from called to take over the management of Salem’s tavern. Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, to Salem. Elizabeth came with the intention of teaching in the prosElizabeth Danz was a newcomer to Salem, too, having arrived perous and popular Salem Girls’ Boarding School. Because on October 28, 1807, just fifteen days before Christian Winkler. there was a need in the school, the Salem Diary records It is not known if they knew each other in Pennsylvania. Her that she was “installed in the Boarding School as a teacher own informative memoir, written after her death on February and room supervisor” on November 2nd. Her tenure in the 17, 1836, also provides interesting insights to her life. school was much shorter than she expected, and it ended Unlike her future husband, Elizabeth was born in America, with her marriage to Christian Winkler on December 6th. 20 Old Salem Museums & Gardens This mourning embroidery was made c. 1830 for Carl August Winkler, the eldest son of Christian and Elizabeth Winkler, by his sister, Matilda. Carl August’s initials and the year of his death are inscribed in ink on the urn. The embroidery descended to Old Salem through this family. OSMG Acc. 2050. Their life together prospered and was blessed with six children, four sons: Carl August (b. 1808), Christian Heinrich (b. 1810), Wilhelm Parmenio (b. 1812), and Ludwig Benjamin (b. 1821); and two daughters: Matilda Amalia (b. 1815) and Henriette Angelica (b. 1824). Home to the Winklers was the one and a half stories above the bakeshop. The bakery was constructed in 1800 as the combined business and dwelling. In contrast to this above-and-below arrangement, other business-residence combination buildings in Salem at the time were planned with the dwelling and business side by side. Sometimes there were two front doors—one for the shop and one for the dwelling—and for other buildings the front door served both purposes. At the bakery, interior stairs connected Spring/Summer 2007 all levels, but the primary entrance to the “house” was through the rear door at ground level on second story (made possible because the bakery was built into a hill). Eventually Christian’s sons, Wilhelm Parmenio and Christian Heinrich, would begin helping in the bakery, because Christian’s “trouble in the chest prevented him from steady work in the bakery he found the needful assistance from his growing sons, of which he often spoke with pride and thanks.” Both sons eventually followed their father as bakers in Salem. But until they were of an age to do this, Christian Winkler had a succession of apprentices and assistants, some better than others. In addition to assistance in the bakery, help was needed in the growing household. To this end, the Winklers on several occasions bought enslaved labor (usually a girl), which was against the community rules. In order to not violate the rules, the Winklers at other times hired, or rented an enslaved girl or hired a Single Sister. In addition to being the town’s baker and busy parents, the Winklers were involved with other community duties. Christian and Elizabeth Winkler became members of the Congregation Council in 1808, and he was a member of the Aufseher Collegium from 1809–1814. In 1810, Christian and John Leinbach were elected to assist the minister with the distribution of the Poor Fund for the married and widowed members of the congregation. Elizabeth died on February 17, 1836, after about eight years of poor health and conditions that often did not respond to medical attention. Her death caused Christian “much pain, for in clear days and in cloudy they had shared their joys and sorrows.” She was described in her memoir as having “an efficient and active manner and a friendly and kind nature,” but her illness had caused “a shadow over her cheerfulness.” Her children expressed “their gratitude for the motherly faithfulness and care which she showed them….” Christian had had bouts of asthma throughout his life and after his wife’s death his health continued to decline. His memoir records that his health limited his activities with the congregation, but that he filled his time with “steady reading of the Gemein Nachrichten and other edifying books.” Christian Winkler’s last will and testament, written in 1836 after Elizabeth’s death and three years before his own death, 21 W i n k l e r B a k e r y 200th Anniversary 22 imposing building, it was considered a primary candidate for restoration and Old Salem earnestly sought to acquire the property. In 1968, the Winkler Bakery with its large bake oven was restored as a functioning bakery. There were also other significant changes to Salem’s streetscape that year, the reconstruction of the Winkler Woodshed (c. 1810) behind the bakery, and the Schroeter House (1805 and 1832) across the street from the bakery. As Old Salem Museums & Gardens prepares to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Winkler Bakery’s establishment, the contributions that Christian Winkler made to the success of his business cannot be overestimated. With skills acquired in European Moravian communities and applied in Pennsylvania and then North Carolina, the life story of Christian Winkler is not unlike other Moravians living and working in Salem at the dawn of the nineteenth century. What sets this industrious baker apart from his contemporaries is the longevity of his business and the passion for his trade that he imparted to his descendents. A passion that can still be felt—and tasted—by visitors to his bakery today. m Paula Locklair is Vice President, Educational Programming, Research, and Grants, at Old Salem Museums & Gardens. Gene Stafford clearly divides his estate among his five children. The three oldest had already been provided with “bed and bedding” and he specified that the two youngest were also to receive a “complete bed, bedding & bedstead.” Each child also received two silver tablespoons and two silver teaspoons, and they were to equally divide all remaining clothing and linens. The house and bakery and all baking and confectionary equipment and utensils went to William Parmenio. He also received a desk and a “24 hour clock with case.” (Even though he was only twentyfour years old when the will was written, he was already considered the inheritor of the business. By the time of his father’s death, he had been operating the Winkler Bakery for about two years). Christian Henry inherited a chest of drawers and an eight-day clock with case. Louis Benjamin also received a desk as well as “my silver watch.” Daughter Mathilda received “a golden watch,” and the youngest daughter, Henrietta Angelica, received a cherry desk and “a little small drawer.” The remainder of the estate, which included money, remnants of household and kitchen furniture and utensils, cattle, and baking ingredients was ordered to be sold at public sale and after all funeral expenses and debts are paid, to be equally divided among the children. Christian Winkler did not know that he began a noteworthy legacy of operating a successful independent bakery in Salem. He built a business that was patronized by Salem’s Moravian community and non-Moravian neighbors for years to come. His son, William Parmenio, and his descendants continued operating the bakery until 1927. Even after the last of the Winkler line sold the business, it operated under the Winkler name until 1931 when it closed. Fortunately, during the years of decline Salem would endure during the first half of the twentieth century the Winkler Bakery structure was used for other purposes, thus protecting it from demolition. Salem’s bakery tradition would not completely disappear from Salem, however. It was during the nearly twenty years between the close of Winkler Bakery and the beginning of the preservation effort known as Old Salem in 1950, that Vernon Rudolph provided residents of WinstonSalem with tasty Krispy Kreme doughnuts from his bakery located across the street from the Winkler site. Because the Winkler Bakery was such an important and Old Salem Museums & Gardens What a glorious year and a half we’ve had. We you again how grat ow, New York Winter Antiques Sh 07 20 e th at n tio bi MESDA’s loan exhi eful we are for all your encourag and support that en terans of the show they’d seen. Wow! The pictures on the thousand words. It ed like a blink of th ts, meetings, phone ling had blended to loan exhibition that the story better than into months and k. ent plans, object show everyone love d iate the vital role ea done it without you. ch of you played. An amazing 166 su the project. Thank rie Kopelman of th . We had a wonderf a exhibition calls, fundraising, ev do sincerely apprec eeney Singer and A Show for having us s. w Night in New Yor gether to produce a gether to underwrite go to Catherine Sw dissolved into weeks exhi- was a grand succes working on the loan e eye, it was Previe The endless to-do lis teen states came to following pages tell ne had fun. he proverbial days then, in what seem We could not have say it was the best 05 when we began project in earnest. T being a part of. We . Thanks to you, it sure looks like everyo It was December 20 packing, and instal e most of our loan inter Antiques Show We’ve even heard ve ement, help, abled us to make th bition at the 2007 W wanted to tell pporters from thir- you. And thanks al so e Winter Antiques ul time—hope you did, too. Fondly, MESDA  23 at the 53rd annual Winter Antiques Show ™ January 19–28, 2007 • Seventh Regiment Armory • New York City Ted Gossett of McLean Leslie and Leigh Keno of New York Libba Evans and Jim Lambie of Winston-Salem Copey Hanes of Winston-Salem and First Lady of North Carolina Mary Easley Ann Lewallen Spencer and Frank Driscoll of Winston-Salem Ann Hanes, Patty and Bill Wilson and Borden Hanes, all of Winston-Salem 24 Patti Loughridge and Jason Reeves of Richmond with Bruce Whipple of New York Old Salem Museums & Gardens Zanne and Bud Baker with Hudnall and Claire Christopher of Winston-Salem Joy and Haywood Davis of New York with Deanne Levison of Atlanta Martha Stewart surrounded by students sponsored by the East Side House Settlement Rosemary Harris Ehle, Copey Hanes, and Tom Gray of Winston-Salem Brandy Culp of Charleston and Margize Howell of New York with Sumpter Priddy of Alexandria Spring/Summer 2007 Mary Spotswood Box and Dale Cunningham Box with Bill and Ellen Parsley of Winston-Salem 25 at the 53rd annual Winter Antiques Show ™ January 19–28, 2007 • Seventh Regiment Armory • New York City Margaret French, Dan and Chris Minter Dowd of Potomac, Maryland, and Lee French, president of Old Salem Tom and Sara Sears of Greensboro Ben and Gertrude Caldwell of Nashville Ron and Mary Jean Hurst of Williamsburg Betsy Davison of Reston, Virginia, and Judy Watson of Winston-Salem Below: MESDA staff prepares the show for transport to New York., ending at far right, the Seventh Regiment Armory. 26 Tom Gray and Catherine Sweeney Singer of New York Revelle and Meyer Dworsky of Huntsville Old Salem Museums & Gardens Josie Patton of New York and Tom Savage of Winterthur Rosemary Harris Ehle and Copey Hanes of Winston-Salem, First Lady of North Carolina Mary Easley, and Lisa Valk Long of Tequesta, Florida Morgan Delany of Alexandria, Robert Hicks of Franklin, Tennessee, and Osborne Mackie of Alexandria Spring/Summer 2007 Hope and Bobby Beck of Williamsburg New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Paul Zickell of Wilmington 27 Puppets Are People Too A Behind-the-Scenes Look at a Puppet Show produced by the Old I By Peggy Parks Illustrations by Deirdre Jeffers Mullen 28 was born in the Old Salem Children’s Museum on a worktable surrounded by styrofoam balls, paste to smooth the texture of the balls, clay, felt, and other colorful fabrics. After the production staff, expert plastic surgeons in the puppet world, mold, glue, cut, and sew me, I begin to take shape. But who am I destined to be? Will I be the legendary storyteller, Aesop, or the great emancipator, Abraham Lincoln or perhaps Herr Kater, our museum mascot and frequent puppet show emcee? When my character is determined, I sit back and wait for the production staff to work their magic. The first step is to create a story. My script is created based on an historical event, legend or a story from children’s literature. Camille Abbott and Bill Trotman are the clever writers who come up with my scripts which are peppered with humor and occasional pathos. Their writing is entertaining, imaginative and educational for both children and adults. When the script is finished and edited, I have my character, story line and dialogue. The next steps are designing, drawing, and painting the scenery and props. The scenery defines my location and the time period of the story. Multiple scenes, or drops, illustrate the story as it moves along. The choice of paint colors and techniques reflect the mood of the scene. A drop painted in earthy or sepia tones evokes a somber mood. Lighting, too, is a critical element. Our creators also give careful consideration as to how the scenery, the props and all the cast members will move on and off the stage. Giving me my voice is the next step in production. Different voices are auditioned and chosen depending on whose voice best fits my character and persona. Voices are also selected for my fellow cast members and narrators. Relevant sound Old Salem Museums & Gardens Salem Children’s Museum effects are recorded to mingle with the narrative and dialogue and support the action. Music is recorded to open and close the production and move the story from scene to scene, thus, tying the story together. All of this amazing technology is provided by Frank Martin at Media Productions. For me, rehearsals are the most arduous and exhausting part of the process. They are also the most crucial. It is here that the timing of my puppet actions, the scenery shifts, and the prop handling must be coordinated with the sound effects, music, narrative, and dialogue in the recording. The technical aspects of the production are also timed and set to the recording. Fortunately for me, my cast members, puppeSpring/Summer 2007 teers, production and technical staff, the recording can be edited so that everything taking place on the stage is in sync with the recording. It is during these rehearsals that I practice my overexaggerated actions and movements to provoke laughter or create a dramatic moment. With more than just a few twinges in common with gestation, it takes approximately nine months to create a new puppet production from story concept to performance. My fellow cast members and I always look forward to the opening of a new puppet show. When the stage is set, the scenery is hanging, props are in position, the recording is cued and the audience is in place waiting with great anticipation “We are ready for our close-ups, Mr. DeMille.” m Peggy Parks is Director of the Old Salem Children’s Museum. Deirdre Jeffers Mullen serves as a Museum Educator with the Old Salem Children’s Museum. 29 Historical Archaeology By Martha Hartley A rchaeology evokes images of the pyramids of Egypt, the ruins at Pompeii, or the cliff dwellers of the Mesa Verde. It is all this and much more. Lesser known by the general public than the prehistoric and classical archaeological investigations is the work being done by historical archaeologists that is contributing greatly to our understanding of people who lived just hundreds of years ago. Moravian stub-stem tobacco pipe recovered archaeologically at the Schaffner-Krause pottery site. 30 nlike prehistoric archaeology, which studies cultures without a written record (i.e. Native Americans before European contact), historical archaeology is the study of people who do have a written record, for example, the Moravians in North Carolina. Historical archaeology combines the study of the artifacts of human existence and the anthropological study of culture with the study of the historic record that may include diaries, letters, ledgers, maps, public records, and other documents. In North Carolina, alone, the following historical archaeological sites among others are currently being investigated: • A Spanish fort built in 1567 by explorer Juan Pardo near Morganton • Blackbeard’s flagship, the Queen Anne’s Revenge, sunk in 1718 at Beaufort Inlet • Fort Dobbs, the 1756 French and Indian War frontier outpost near Statesville • The Builders House, Salem’s first building, constructed in January 1766 Historical archaeology is a relatively new discipline. In North Carolina, it first began to emerge in the 1950s. North Carolinian Stanley South prominently led this effort, and some of his earliest work was in Wachovia at Bethabara and Salem. Today, Historic Bethabara is an archaeological park. Historical archaeology in Salem is ongoing and continues to provide new information about the town’s history and the Moravian experience in the Wachovia Tract. Old Salem Museums & Gardens is a rigorous interpretation of the heritage of WinstonSalem. The entire town of Salem is designated an archaeological site, and excavation decisions are carefully made by the museum to address specific questions. For instance, the Reich-Hege House near St. Philips Church was recently excavated and is interpreted as an archaeological site. And as listed at left with other active North Carolina archaeological sites, the 1789 Single Brothers’ well was also recently excavated. The growth of significant historical archaeology in North Carolina has resulted in a need for a means of dialogue for the archaeologists. In a first step to answer that need, the Department Photo by Michael Hartley U Old Salem Museums & Gardens Photo by Michael Hartley in North Carolina and Old Salem Museums & Gardens of Archaeology at Old Salem Museums & Gardens hosted the inaugural Historical Archaeology Forum of North Carolina in February 2007. Old Salem’s Director of Archaeology Michael O. Hartley invited fifteen noted historical archaeologists from across North Carolina to come to Old Salem for an exchange about the many activities in the state. Hartley said, “There is a great deal of meaningful work going on in Historical Archaeology in North Carolina, and we have long needed a way to share information about these activities with each other. This meeting was a step in that direction.” The meeting resulted in the creation of the Historical Archaeology Forum of North Carolina, and a Forum Web page is being developed to provide links to various Web sites of individual archaeologists. This increased dialogue among professional historical archaeologists will further the discipline in North Carolina Spring/Summer 2007 Students excavate at the pottery kiln and site of 1766 Builders House, which became Heinrich Schaffner’s pottery shop in 1834. and provide a means of sharing information about current research with each other and the public. The historical archaeologists attending the Forum encompassed a range of activity from the Maritime Archaeology program at East Carolina University, to Warren Wilson College’s research on the sixteenth century Spanish incursion into western North Carolina. Between the two ends of the state, archaeologists from Historic Bath, the Office of State Archaeology in Raleigh, UNC-Greensboro, Wake Forest University, Appalachian State University, Schiele Museum of Natural History, and principals of several consulting firms responded to the invitation enthusiastically. m Martha Hartley serves as a Research Assistant in the Department of Restoration at Old Salem Museums & Gardens. 31 A Recent Acquisition Salem Watercolor by Henry Jacob By Johanna Brown W hat is it that makes a curator consider an object a “must have”? In the case of the wonderful watercolor painted by Henry Jacob Van Vleck pictured here it was many things. Henry Jacob Van Vleck moved from Nazareth, Pennsylvania, to Salem, North Carolina, in December 1845 and began teaching in the Boys’ School. He was the son of Bishop William Henry Van Vleck who had come to Salem in 1836. One wonders if the view Henry painted, the corner of what is now Main and Academy Streets was what he saw from a room in the Single Brother’s House just across the street. The little painting shows just a slice of the Salem landscape, and yet it tells us so much. First, in the foreground, is the southwest corner of the Boys’ School bounded by a cobblestone walk on the two sides we see. The forest green color of the shutters is vibrant primary documentation of the nineteenth-century color scheme used on the building. At the corner of the cobblestone walk is a streetlight with a ladder propped against it. The light is presumably being attended to by the smartly dressed gentleman just to the left of the ladder. Another man has just begun to cross the road that has been rutted by traffic. Grass grows along the hitching post just to the north of the fence on the square. At the right time of day, horses hitched to the post would enjoy the shade of any one of several tall slender trees growing just inside the fence. In the distance, yet another gentleman walks up the diagonal path connecting the southwest corner of the square to the northeast corner. Perhaps he is headed to the Gemein Haus depicted in the upper right of the scene where he will visit with leaders of the Girls’ School who had taken over the use of the building in 1840. If the details about architecture, the square, road usage, lighting, fencing, horticulture, and clothing provided in this tiny illustration of one of Salem’s busiest corners are not enough, consider that this wonderful depiction of a moment in time includes one of the few extant illustrations of the Gemein Haus built in Salem in 1771. In 1854, less than a decade after Van Vleck captured this image of the building, it was replaced by Main Hall. And so now you know why when this image became available, we simply had to have it for the Old Salem collection. The painting is not only a notable work of local art by a resident of Salem and a teacher in the Boys’ School, it also serves as documentation of so many facets of the Salem landscape in the mid nineteenth century. m Johanna Brown is Director of Collections and Curator at Old Salem Museums & Gardens. The Northeast Corner of Salem Square (ca. 1845) by Henry Jacob Van Vleck. Salem, North Carolina. Watercolor on paper. HOA 6 1/2; WOA 6 (framed). Purchased with funds from the Old Salem Antiquity Purchase Fund and the Katherine Babcock Mountcastle Endowment for Collections. 32 Old Salem Museums & Gardens Van Vleck Spring/Summer 2007 33 Mr. Jefferson and Mr. Horton: MESDA Summer Institute Has Prestigious New Partner T UVA Photo he Museum of Early & Gardens, welcomed the Southern Decorative Arts has new affiliation for one of formed a new partnership with MESDA’s most prestigious The University of Virginia for the academic programs. “This MESDA Summer Institute, now in partnership between MESDA its thirty-first year. and the University of The 2007 Graduate Summer Virginia is a prime Institute in Early Southern example of our commitment Decorative Arts and Material to excellence and institutionCulture will offer three hours al growth through scholarof graduate credit through the ship and discovery,” French University of Virginia’s Graduate said. “The MESDA Summer Dr. Louis Nelson, Assistant Professor of Program in the History of Art Institute has for thirty years American and Caribbean Architecture at and Architecture. Dr. Louis been a unique and serious UVA, will serve as Visiting Scholar for the Nelson, Assistant Professor program for scholars and 2007 MESDA Summer Institute of American and Caribbean researchers in the decorative Architecture at UVA, will serve arts and material culture of as Visiting Scholar for the 2007 Institute. He will be the early American South. We are thrilled by the joined on the Institute faculty by members of the prospect of working with UVA, a partnership that collections and research staff at Old Salem and by will attract more scholars to the program, enrichseveral guest lecturers. Dr. Nelson and Dr. Maurie ing the next generation of students.” McInnis, Director of UVA’s American Studies MESDA is the only museum in the country Program and Associate Professor of American Art dedicated to the study and collection of regional and Material Culture, will be the liaisons to the decorative arts of the pre-industrial South. The Summer Institute. MESDA Summer Institute, held annually in “The program combines the unparalleled colWinston-Salem, focuses on one region of the early lections and research resources at MESDA with South, rotating each year between the Chesapeake, the exceptional faculty in American art, architecthe Carolina Lowcountry, and the southern ture, history, and material culture studies at the Backcountry. The 2007 Summer Institute, to be University of Virginia,” says Dr. McInnis. “Our held June 24 through July 20, will emphasize the new partnership presents exciting research opporChesapeake region including Tidewater Maryland, tunities for faculty while training the next generaVirginia, and northeastern North Carolina. tion of scholars and museum professionals.” Students study the economic, social, and cultural Lee French, President of Old Salem Museums history of the region. m 34 Old Salem Museums & Gardens Old Salem Museums & Gardens F ield S chools Graduate and Undergraduate programs feature hands-on experience May 14–June 1, 2007 Held in partnership with the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) and Preservation North Carolina, the sixth annual Historic Building Technologies Field School will be held May 14–June 1, 2007, in the historic Old Salem district. The program is a hands-on experience for graduate students and senior undergraduates interested in historic buildings with course credits granted from the UNCG Department of History and the Department of Interior Architecture. Students participate in a variety of classroom and field experiences relating to masonry construction and repair, architectural metals, wood preservation and replication, paints and finishes analysis, and wet plaster. For further information contact John Larson, Vice President, Restoration, at (336) 721-7332 or [email protected] or visit www.oldsalem.org. Photo by Michael Hartley t The 15th Annual Historical Archaeology Field School May 21–June 15, 2007 Photo by John Larson t The 6th Annual Historic Building Technologies Field School Spring/Summer 2007 In cooperation with the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG), Old Salem’s annual Historical Archaeology Field School will be held May 21-June 15, 2007. The program is open to any undergraduate or graduate student interested in archaeological excavation. Three credit hours are offered through UNCG for students that satisfactorily complete the program. Students receive hands-on experience working an active dig and participating in weekly seminars and focused tours of Old Salem Museums & Gardens. This year, students will assist in excavating the rich and important Builders House/ Schaffner-Krause Pottery site. For more information, contact Mo Hartley, Director of Archaeology at (336) 721-7384 or [email protected] or visit www.oldsalem.org/archaeology. 35 The Perks of Membership Old Salem Museums & Gardens Launches an Enhanced Members Benefits Program All membership levels include Family  complimentary general admission Two membership cards for the household entitling two adults and children or grandchildren 18-years and under to: to the museums, exclusive discounts on shopping and programs, invita- All Couple membership privileges tions to special events and activities Discounts on special seasonal programs and events throughout the year, The Old Salem Invitations to exhibition openings and other celebrations Museums & Gardens magazine Notices and announcements of members-only events and programs mailed to your home, and the online Patron  Index of Early Southern Artists Senior/Educator  $250 All Family membership privileges plus: and Artisans. $35 All Individual membership privileges for one person, age 65 or older OR All Individual membership privileges for one person who is a full-time, K–12 teacher Includes additional mailings about upcoming educational programs, lectures, and events Gene Stafford $125 Two complimentary admission passes to share with friends or family Enrollment in select nationwide reciprocal museum membership program Opportunity to rent or use the museum facilities for private functions (rental/ security fees apply) Sustainer  $500 All Patron membership privileges plus: O ne of the best ways to experience Old Salem Museums & Gardens is by becoming a member. In addition to the satisfaction our members feel because they know they are supporting important preservation and education efforts, our members receive exclusive benefits because we are constantly looking for ways to say thank you. We recognize your financial support is invaluable. To this end, we are pleased to announce enhancements to the membership benefits structure and expanded support levels described here. These changes provide you with maximum flexibility for your giving preferences and added features to enjoy all of the exciting components of Old Salem Museums & Gardens. Thank you. 36 Individual  $55 One membership card entitling cardholder to: One complimentary admission ticket per visit 10% discount on purchases of $10 or more in all museum shops and online purchases Calendar of events mailed to your home Couple  $85 One membership card for the household entitling two adults living at the same address to: All Individual membership privileges One additional complimentary admission ticket per visit (for a total of two) Exclusive Old Salem Museums & Gardens limited edition gift 15% discount on purchases of $10 or more in all museum shops & online purchases Behind-the-scenes exclusive tours Complimentary admission to all music programming One Couple Membership to use a as gift Frederic William Marshall Society  $1,000 All Sustainer membership privileges plus: Four additional complimentary admission passes to share with friends or family (for a total of 6 passes to share) Two complimentary tickets for a special seasonal event or program Object identification assistance Access to unique travel opportunities, invitations to distinctive programs, and intimate evening events hosted by the President and Board of Trustees Old Salem Museums & Gardens Planned Giving Collectors Society  $2,500 an American Tradition All Frederic William Marshall Society privileges plus: 20% discount on purchases of $10 or more in all museum shops & online purchases By Michelle Speas Complimentary keepsake tin of Moravian cookies Public Libraries. Complimentary sampling of heirloom seeds Kindergartens. Fire Houses. Hospitals. Reproduction photograph of your choice from our Photographic Collection and Invitation to annual private Tannenburg Organ Concert Benefactors Society  $5,000 All Collectors Society privileges plus: Guest accommodations in the historic district for two adults for two nights, based on availability Signed copies of first run Old Salem Museums & Gardens publications Two Individual Memberships to gift President’s Society  $10,000 All Benefactors Society privileges plus: 25% discount on purchases of $10 or more in all museum shops & online purchases Complimentary use of Museum facilities for one private function, based on availability Four Individual Memberships to gift Membership amount may be taxdeductible to the extent allowed by law. Membership benefits may be added or adjusted at any time. Old Salem Museums & Gardens. W hat do these icons of American society have in common with one another? Each was created by charitable gifts in an expression of distinctly American philanthropy. Each was created by a planned gift. There are many reasons thousands of people each year contribute their time, money, and talent to America’s charitable organizations: To protect our historical landmarks; honor the memory of a loved one; express gratitude for a service well-performed; demonstrate deep-felt humanitarian concerns; support a tradition of excellence in education; or explore new treatments in medicine. Indeed, private philanthropy is the foundation of every charitable endeavor. Over the last fifty years, the founders and leaders of Old Salem Museums & Gardens recognized the financial implications of such an undertaking and they created an endowment to make sure we would be able to survive any storm. Today, more than fifty percent of our daily operating costs are funded from the income generated from our endowment. Considering today’s economy and the increased complexity of our nation’s tax structure, it is more important than ever to plan your charitable gifts carefully. The need for planning is twofold: one, to ensure that your gift will be put to the best possible use; and two, to ensure that the gift fits your financial needs and objectives. Our goal in sharing this information with you is a simple one. Those who funded our endowment, or who have included Old Salem Museums & Gardens in their estate plans, have left a valuable legacy for future generations and we must ensure that the buildings, landscapes, gardens, objects and stories will survive forever and that we have the institutional resources to achieve that goal. We will honor all of our donors who have left such a legacy, or who plan to do so. Charter membership in the 1766 Society includes donors who have made a gift of at least $10,000 or more to our endowment or who have made continued on page 38 Spring/Summer 2007 37 Planned Giving continued provisions for a planned gift of $10,000 or more. Planned gifts could include bequests, charitable gift annuities, charitable trusts, life insurance, retirement plan designations, real estate, or other provisions of future interest. The 1766 Society members will be recognized in our annual report. Like any financial decision, a planned gift must be chosen and shaped with care. We look forward to talking with you and your advisors about including us in your financial or estate plans. Charter membership will continue through December 31, 2008. Please contact Michelle Speas at (336) 721-7327 or [email protected] for more information. m Michelle Speas is Vice President, Development & External Relations with Old Salem Museums & Gardens. The 1766 Society Anonymous Frank & Lena Albright* Ada Allen* Elizabeth & James Harvey Austin* Elizabeth Brinker* David & Joan Cotterill Bonnie Covington Jack L. Covington* Frank Driscoll Harriet Taylor Flynt* Gordon Gray* Howard Gray James A. Gray* Thomas A. Gray Helen C. Hanes F. Borden Hanes Jr. Barbara Lasater Hanes* James E. Holmes Frank L. Horton* Miles Horton* William Hoyt* Nancy James Burton A. Jestram* Luther Lashmit* Charter Members Rev. J. L. Levens* Mary & Frank Logan June Lucas Elizabeth F. Lynch* Thomas Jack Lynch* Morris Marley Mrs. Harvey Seward Martin* Dr. John H. Monroe William Murgas Virginia Pleasants Shaffner* Alice Rigsbee Ed Rondthaler * Mrs. Harvey Seward* Robert D. Shore* Earl & Jane Slick Jane Webb Smith Aurelia Spaugh* Bernice P. Taylor* Dr. Roy Truslow Harold & Elizabeth Vogler* William R. Watson A. T. Williams Frank Willingham Charter membership continues through December 31, 2008. Old Salem Museums & Gardens has carefully reviewed the charter membership list, but from time to time we do make mistakes. If your name is not listed and you would like to be included, please let us know. Call Michelle Speas at (336) 721-7327, or email [email protected]. 38 Old Salem Museums & Gardens 1804 January, the patient could not pay. The doctor agreed to take the cow. Livestock was illegal in Salem. Dr. Vierling asked for special permission. His family and patients needed milk. Town leaders were concerned. Others would want the same. Permission was granted for the summer only. The cow must not run free. The Cow Must Not Run Free By John Larson October, the weather turned cold. The doctor asked to keep the cow. He asked to build a barn. There was a lack of milk in town. Town leaders were concerned. Others would want the same. Patients’ welfare must be considered. Permission was granted for the cow and barn. The cow must not run free. 1984, one hundred and eighty years later. June, the site was excavated. Ruins were located. Research completed by the museum. Plans to rebuild were part of a capital campaign. There was a lack of restrooms. A small auditorium was needed. May, 1986, the barn was reopened. The upstairs was unfinished. 2006, twenty years later. March, board member Mike Robinson saw a need. New programs were possible. Interpretation Division lacked space. Offices and preparation areas were required. Appealed to Richard J. Reynolds, III and Marie M. Reynolds Foundation. Photo by John Larson September, a grant was awarded. Construction was completed by Wilson Covington. February, staff moved in. Dr. Vierling’s barn reclaimed to meet its full potential. Thank you Richard J. Reynolds, III and Marie M. Reynolds Foundation. Spring/Summer 2007 39 Highlighted Events at Old Salem Museums & Gardens Experiencing history at Old Salem Museums & Gardens t Making History with your Hands Visit www.oldsalem.org for event schedule E Gene Stafford xperiencing history with your own hands. Many children and families are doing just that at Old Salem Museums & Gardens. During the past year and a half, new hands-on activities have been developed especially for school children and families and are taking place within the historic buildings. The new educational experiences revolve around everyday life in Salem during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and provide an exciting way for children and families to participate in history. Visiting the Boys School provides a look at the importance of education for both boys and girls in Salem. Scholars of all ages can participate in activities that highlight the varied curriculum of the students long ago. Creating pictures with a puzzle called a tangram, painting a botanical with watercolors or writing with a quill pen are three of the class exercises to practice. Perhaps a lesson in Latin, French and German might be of interest. You may even find a group of students sewing on buttons, a much-needed skill for boys and girls in Salem and a relevant task today. Need to brush up on your manners? In the back parlor of the Vierling House join a lesson in early nineteenth century Gene Stafford manners and deportment. Boys are learning how to make a proper bow and how to doff their hats and the girls are learning a polite curtsy. The lesson even includes table manners. In the kitchen of the Vierling House a sister may need your help in weighing and measuring her ingredients for the dinner meal. Or try your hand at Scherenschnitte, the German art of intricate paper cutting. On selected weekends throughout the year, families can participate in a variety of historically based educational experiences. One of our most popular events, hearthside cooking, has guests warming up by the crackling fire while making a period recipe using hearthside cooking techniques. Another favorite activity is getting a little dirty while throwing your own pot on the potter’s wheel and learning about the master potters of Salem. On other weekends you might find kites flying in the breeze or hot air balloons lofting in the still air above the Square. How about learning to make your own needle-book, a handy way to store your sewing needles or putting those needles to work making your own rag doll? There is always something new to learn from looking back to the past.  —Darlee Snyder, Program Coordinator 40 Please come and join us, to make history with your own hands. For a list of upcoming activities, visit our website at www.oldsalem.org or call (336) 721-7350. Old Salem Museums & Gardens 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. Yesterday Doesn’t Seem So Far Away June 11–15 • Grades 6–8 • Morning June 18–22 • Grades 6–8 • Morning or full day June 25–29 • Grades 3–5 • Morning July 2–6 • Grades 3–5 • Morning July 9–13 • Grades 3–5 • Morning or full day July 17–19 • Grades 1–2 • 9 am to Noon July 24–26 • Grades 1–2 • 9 am to Noon Gene Stafford t What’s New in Old Salem’s Five Yesterdays Program F ive Yesterdays, Old Salem’s summer program for children, is starting its second generation. Some of the first children who began the program in the Single Brothers’ Workshop twenty-eight years ago are now married and have children of their own. Children, parents, and grandparents begin calling in January for applications for the following summer. We continue to see children come six years in a row, from third to eighth graders, and then some will come back to work as junior assistants. But now, Five Yesterdays has new offerings to add to the half-day program. Extended days, more activities This is the second year of the new extended day program. The theme for this afternoon program is investigative discovery. Students learn how historians investigate the way people lived many years ago and what we can learn from looking at that process. For 2007 these Salem sleuths will investigate the lifestyle, values, traditions, and beliefs of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Salem Moravians through art, music, and everyday objects. Hands-on activities will include self-portrait painting, decorative painting, drawing, exploring keyboard instruments, and African drums and dance. Through these hands-on activities students will not only learn the history of Salem but also discover for themselves how we acquire our own cultural heritage, what part that heritage plays in our lives, and how time and place effect what is passed from generation to generation. This extended day program will be available for grades three through eight. Spring/Summer 2007 New for 2007, Three Yesterdays For the first time this year first and second graders will be eligible to attend a program called Three Yesterdays. In these sessions the children will follow Herr Kater, or Mr. Cat, through Salem and learn what the town was like as they participate in school, work, and play. Activities will include grinding corn, hearth cooking, planting and seeding cotton, traditional schoolroom activities, nature walks, dressing in Moravian clothing, and playing with toys the children have made themselves. Seven weeks of summer fun In 2007 Old Salem Museums & Gardens will have seven weeks of summer programs for children. Each week is organized with an awareness of keeping the children in small groups, including objectives from the social studies curriculum set for public schools in North Carolina, as well as making the summer programs times of fun. Learning continues throughout the summer at Old Salem. Both Yesterdays programs are a big part of setting the stage for that learning. As the world changes and the needs of families change, Old Salem continues to provide learning opportunities for children that are both fun and enjoyable. For more information about the programs, call (336) 721-7390 or visit www.oldsalem.org.  —Mary Armitage, Director of Museum Education 41 Calendar of Events Spring/Summer/Fall 2007 2 Wednesday Hidden Treasures: Views of the Wachovia Landscape, MESDA Auditorium, Johanna Brown, Old Salem’s Director of Collections and Curator, will discuss the early landscape paintings and prints of Wachovia, especially the town of Salem. Free. 9 Wednesday Preservation Month: Preservation Issues in Wachovia, , 12:30 pm, MESDA Auditorium. Michael and Martha Hartley, archaeologists for Old Salem Museums & Gardens, present a lecture on preserving the local history of Wachovia and the towns encompassing it. Free. 12 Saturday Gardens Day, All day. Matt Noyes; John Caramia 16 Wednesday Preservation Month: Single Sisters’ House, 12:30 pm, MESDA Auditorium, Gwynne Taylor, local architectural historian, will discuss the recent restoration of the Single Sisters’ House. Free. 19 Saturday Dedication of the 1798 Tannenberg Organ, Single Brothers’ House Saal. The Moramus Chorale will perform in addition to congregational singing in this rededication celebration. Free. 14 Monday Preservation Technology Field School begins. All day. 21 Monday Archaeology Field School begins. All day. 23 Wednesday Preservation Month: Restoring a Museum Community, 12:30 pm, MESDA Auditorium. David Bergstone, Director of Architecture, will discuss the wide aspects of restoring an outdoor museum town. Free. 42 Hands-on activities held every weekend offer great fun for families of all ages. Except where noted otherwise, entry is included with purchase of an Old Salem Museums & Gardens All-in-One ticket. 30 Wednesday Annual Meeting, Evening, Gray Auditorium. Celebrate the successes of 2006–07, welcome new board members at the annual meeting. Virginia Weiler May June 6 Wednesday Hidden Treasures: MoravianCherokee Cultural Exchange, 12:30 pm, MESDA Auditorium. Old Salem Interpreter Michael Terry will examine the Moravian mission at Springplace, Georgia, from the Cherokee perspective. He will provide insight into how Moravian ideology and material practice facilitated Cherokee acculturation within 19th century Southern US society. Free. 11–15 Monday through Friday FIVE YESTERDAYS Summer Camp Program (grades 6–8). Historic Town of Salem. Morning only. Costs vary. 14 Thursday Flag Day, Historic Town of Salem Buildings. All day. Honoring Flag Day, the historic district will be decorated with flags representing important milestones throughout history. Free. 16 Saturday The Families of Salem, All day, Historic Town of Salem Buildings Included with ticket. 18–22 Monday–Friday FIVE YESTERDAYS Summer Camp Program (grades 6–8). Historic Town of Salem. Morning or full day. Costs vary. 23 Saturday Cole Porter Songbook, 7:30 pm, Gray Auditorium. The Carolina Chamber Symphony Players will perform the music of Cole Porter, $20. 24–July 20 Begins on Sunday Summer Institute: The Chesapeake Region, MESDA, All day. The 2007 Institute curriculum includes lectures, discussions, workshops, museum studies, research projects, and a five-day trip to the Chesapeake Region. $1500, pre-registration required. 25–29 Monday–Friday FIVE YESTERDAYS Summer Camp Program (grades 3–5). Historic Town of Salem. Morning only. Costs vary. June 30, July 1, July 4 Activities focused on the Fourth of July All museums, All day. July 2–6 Monday–Friday FIVE YESTERDAYS Summer Camp Program (grades 3–5). Historic Town of Salem. Morning only. Costs vary. 4 Wednesday Puppet Show: The Legend of Betsy Ross, OS Children’s Museum, 1:30 pm, 3:30 pm. A snip here, a snip there saves the day. Free with $6 admission. 4 Wednesday Patriotic Music by Jonathan Hall Gray Auditorium, 12 noon. Organ concert featuring patriotic music performed by Jonathan Hall. $5. 9–13 Monday–Friday FIVE YESTERDAYS Summer Camp Program (grades 3–5). Historic Town of Salem. Morning or full day. Costs vary. Old Salem Museums & Gardens 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. July continued 11, 18 Wednesdays Tannenberg Organ Concert Series, Gray Auditorium, 12 noon. Featuring area organists. Free. 16–20 Monday–Friday Puppet Show: The Greenest Green You Have Ever Seen, Old Salem Children’s Museum, 2 pm daily. Red, yellow, blue, and brown: where, oh where is green found? Free with $6 admission. 17, 18, 19 Tuesday–Thursday THREE YESTERDAYS Summer Camp Program (new program for grades 1–2). Historic Town of Salem. 9 am to noon. Costs vary. 23–27 Monday–Friday Puppet Show: The Greenest Green You Have Ever Seen, Children’s Museum, Red, yellow, blue, and brown: where, oh where is green found? Free with $6 admission. 24, 25, 26 Tuesday–Thursday THREE YESTERDAYS Summer Camp Program (new program for grades 1–2). Historic Town of Salem. 9 am to noon. Costs vary. July 30–Aug 3 Monday–Friday Puppet Show: The Bees and the Beekeeper, 2 pm daily, Old Salem Children’s Museum. A bumbling beekeeper, a bad bandit, and buzzing bees star in this entertaining Aesop fable, Free with $6 admission. August 1 Wednesday Hidden Treasures, MESDA Auditorium, 12:30 pm, Free. 6–10 Monday–Friday Puppet Show: The Bees and the Beekeeper, 2 pm daily, Old Salem Children’s Museum. A bumbling beekeeper, a bad bandit, and buzzing bees star in this entertaining Aesop fable. Free with $6 admission. 18 Saturday Trades Day, All day, Historic Town of Salem Trades. Spring/Summer 2007 September 1-30 All day every day Exhibit, Forever These Lands: Protected Properties in the North Carolina Piedmont, MESDA Auditorium, An exhibition of photographs and the stories that go with them. Free. 5 Wednesday Hidden Treasures, 12:30 pm, MESDA Auditorium, Free. 11, 13, 14 Tuesday, Thursday, Friday Homeschool Day(s), All day, Historic Town of Salem buildings. Registration required through group tours. 15 Saturday Mapping, Printing, and Photography, All day, Historic Town of Salem buildings. 16 Sunday Birthday Party for Christian Winkler, Winkler Bakery, Time TBA, As part of the 200th Anniversary of Christian Winkler and Winkler Bakery, we’ll celebrate Mr. Winkler’s birthday as he would have with old fashioned ice cream and other treats . 23 Sunday Carolina Pro Musica, 3 pm, Gray Auditorium. Early music performed by a period instrument chamber orchestra. $8. 27–29 Thursday–Saturday Conference on Restoring Southern Landscapes and Gardens, All day, MESDA and Gray Auditoriums. Lost Landscapes/Preserved Prospects: Confronting Natural and Human Threats to the Historic Landscape. October 1–31 All day, every day Gus Reich exhibit, MESDA Auditorium 3 Wednesday Hidden Treasures: Halloween Toys, 12:30 pm, MESDA Auditorium, Collections Manager Abigail Linville will discuss the Halloween toys in the Old Salem Toy Museum collection. Free. 7 Sunday Thomas Dressler, Organ concert, 3 pm, Gray Auditorium, $8 10 Wednesday Lecture: The Art of Mourning in Salem, 12:30 pm, MESDA Auditorium, Paula Locklair will discuss mourning related objects from the collection. Free. 13 Saturday The Fall Harvest, Harvest activities, complete with hay rides and heritage pumpkin patch picking. Included with Old Salem All-in-One ticket. 17 Wednesday Lecture: Late Eighteenth-Century Funeral Practices in Salem, presented by Earl Williams 12:30 pm, MESDA Auditorium. Free. 20 Saturday Girl Scout Day, Thankful Hearts and Harvest, 9:30–4:30. Harvest activities, historic gardening, food preservation, Fraktur paintings, and more. $8, Pre-registration call 336-499-7964 20, 21 Saturday, Sunday Gus Reich, magician, TBA, Gray Auditorium, Max Howard will perform as Salem magician Gus Reich. Free. 24 Wednesday Halloween Spooktacular Organ Concert, Noon, Gray Auditorium, Featuring Scott Carpenter and some of your favorite spooky tunes. Free. 26, 27 Friday, Saturday Legends and Lanterns Tour, 6–9 pm, Old Salem Historic District, Pre-registration required. 28 Sunday Murder Ballads, 2 pm, Gray Auditorium, storyteller Sheila Kay Adams performs murder ballads. 29, 30 Monday, Tuesday new Halloween tour, 6–8 pm, Pre-registration required. 31 Wednesday Lecture: Jennifer Bean Bower presents Salem and Winston—More Tales of Murder, Mystery, and Mayhem, 12 noon, MESDA Auditorium. Free. 43