Historic Bethabara
winston Salem, North Carolina
Background
Bethabara, founded in 1753 by Moravian settlers, was the first Moravian community in North Carolina and a center of religion, governance, trade, and culture. The settlement played a defensive role during the French and Indian War and grew to include more than 75 buildings in its early decades. While many residents relocated to nearby Salem (now Winston-Salem) by 1772, Bethabara remained an agricultural community with distinctive Moravian architecture, including the Gemeinhaus (1788), Distiller’s House (1803), and Potter’s House (1782). Today, Historic Bethabara Park is a museum incorporated in 1970, designated a National Historic Landmark in 1999, and jointly supported by the City of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County.
Project Summary
The dominant building of Bethabara, a National Historic Landmark, is the 1788 Gemeinhaus, with a bell tower and two sections that served as sanctuary and parsonage. JKOA is leading the restoration of the bell tower and repairs to other areas of the building. Concurrent is the restoration of the porch of the 1803 Distiller’s House. Construction on both is in progress and scheduled for completion in 2026.
In 2024, the Park received a National Park Service semiquincentennial grant to restore the 1782 Potter’s House, an important surviving example of traditional Germanic central-chimney plan construction. JKOA’s services include measured drawings and photodocumentation, materials analysis, historical research, and condition assessment, leading to construction documents for planned 2026 work. All projects comply with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards and local museum district guidelines.