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| Pipe Organ at Old Salem © Katrena |
The Single Brothers' House was another memorable stop on our tour of Old Salem, located near Business 40 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. This was one of the larger buildings on the tour. Unmarried Moravian men in Salem would live here together. They would learn a trade and were often mentored, perhaps for several years. I can imagine that these men were quite adept in their chosen trade.
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| Single Brothers' House Tour in Old Salem © Katrena |
The Moravians often created functional items that could save time and tended to focus on quality, as evidenced by the amazing number of buildings and many household items that have survived through quite a number of generations. The Moravians of the area also seemed quite innovative and seemed to have a thriving community years ago, as evidenced by many detailed records of various community members.
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| Old Painting on Old Salem Tour © Katrena |
Visitors are invited to sit in rows of wooden seats similar to what one might find in an older church while speakers talk about how unmarried men would live and learn together in this home while unmarried women in the community would live in a separate building. This room also housed a variety of old paintings.
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| Learn Moravian Culture at Old Salem © Katrena |
The guide showed various ribbons that women would wear to tie their bonnets. These were color-coded to indicate whether they were single, married, widowed, etc. The ladies who work in the various buildings on the tour wear period costumes, so my kids were watching to see if they could remember what the colors meant. I suppose the men in the community years ago watched those colors rather closely as well!
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| Learn About Music History in Old Salem © Katrena |
One of my favorite parts of this the tour was having the opportunity to see the old pipe organ. I play the piano for my church, so it was particularly interesting to me to see this piece of musical history and some old hymnals and Bible. The keys on this pipe organ are black and white, but the colors are on the opposite keys that one usually sees on organs and pianos today. Old Salem houses the largest surviving Tannenburg pipe organ.
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| Fun Family Activities in Forsyth County © Katrena |
One of my daughters was thrilled to have the opportunity to come up and tread the bellows. In other words, she was pumping a large stick up and down so that the organ would make music. The organ can now be played without treading the bellows or with the help of a young volunteer. Years ago, boys would tread the bellows upstairs in the attic. I can just imagine the congregation beginning to sing and wondering if the fellows upstairs were paying attention during the service!
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| Old Tools in Old Salem © Katrena |
Visitors can look at several rooms containing quite a few supplies that represent several common tools and trades. The guides were happy to answer my daughters' questions as they looked at these pieces of equipment and supplies.
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| Cobbler or Shoemaker at Old Salem © Katrena |
We also had the chance to meet a cobbler, someone who makes shoes. He talked about how he would measure a person's feet and showed us different examples of materials he used for making the shoes. Some of the guides wear shoes made on site, and he said that he gets orders for custom shoes on a regular basis. He also assured us that his shoes were actually quite comfortable and would last for many years.
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| Custom Made Shoes at Old Salem © Katrena |
It was interesting to see the nice variety of colors, styles, and sizes he had in the shop. In those days, older children would hand down shoes to younger children who would hand them down to the next ones in line when they outgrew them. My youngest child did not think that was a very good idea!
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| Learn Cultural History in North Carolina at Old Salem © Katrena |
The Single Brothers' House houses a lot of history and gives visitors a chance to learn quite a bit about the Moravian culture and how this group worked together to provide for the community and earn a living.
Additional articles about our Old Salem Tour:
Find more articles about family-friendly destinations in North Carolina on Katrena's
Travel NC With Kids site map.
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