One of the earliest Methodist
churches in the community, the
Methodist Church on Liberty
Street was constructed in 1854.
Reverend C.F. Deems recalls his
sermon of dedication reaching
an “overflowing population.”
Towards the end of the War, the church was occupied by the Ohio Cavalry, but welcomed them for service as it would anyone. Just a year
past its twenty-year anniver-
sary, the church plans continued
growth in its congregation and welcomes new members
and those looking for a place of peace amidst the bustle of the growing towns.
The African Moravian Church
has deep roots in Salem,
though its founding
is a difficult story to tell. In
1816, it was decided that the
enslaved Moravian
congregation needed
to be segregated from the
white congregation, and the
enslaved Moravians built
their own log church in
1823. By 1861, the church
expanded to a larger, brick building.
On May 21, 1865, a Union army chaplain stood in the church and read General Orders No. 32, which would enforce President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation of 1863, effectively ending slavery in North Carolina. A decade later, the congregation continues to flourish and is excited for the
possibilities ahead.
Opposite page: Home Moravian Church; Top Right: Methodist Church on Liberty Street; Above: View of African Moravian Church (Courtesy of Old Salem Museums and Gardens).