The Wachovia Tract

The Wachovia Tract

Winter 2017

The 121st annual meeting of the

Wachovia Historical Society was held on October 25,

2016 in the Old Salem Visitor Center. The evening

was themed around the 250th anniversary of the found-

ing of Salem. The sisters of the Salem College Cham-

ber Choir, under the direction of Salem’s Director of

Choral Activi-

ties, Sonja

S e p u l v e d a ,

provided a

beautiful vocal

welcome be-

ginning at 7:00

p.m. in Gray

Audi to r ium.

At 7:30 p.m.

WHS Presi-

dent Peggy Dodson (below) called the meeting to order

and elicited an invocation from The Rt. Rev. Lane A.

Sapp. Mrs. Dodson pro-

vided remarks and

Brother Kirk Sanders

presented the report of

the Nominating Com-

mittee. Mr. Sanders

announced the officers

for 2017 who were

elected by the Board at

the September meeting:

President – Mrs. Peggy Dodson; Vice President – Mr.

Paul Armfield; Secretary – Ms. Heather Fearnbach;

Treasurer – Mr. Richard Starbuck. On behalf of the

Nominating Committee, Mr. Sanders placed in nomi-

nation the names of the following for membership on

the Board of Directors: Ms. Cheryl Harry (first four-

year term), Dr. Gene Adcock (second four-year term),

Mr. Paul Armfield (second four-year term) and Mr.

Kirk Sanders (second

four-year term). The

nominees were elected by

acclamation.

B o a r d m e m b e r

Johnnie Pearson intro-

duced Richard W. Star-

buck (at right), archivist

for the Moravian Church,

Southern Province. Mr.

Starbuck provided the Annual Oration with a talk enti-

tled “The Single Sisters Arrive.”(continued, page 2)

Wachovia Historical Society

2016 Annual Meeting Overview by Helen B. Beets and Johnnie P. Pearson

Inside Winter 2017

121st Annual Meeting

President’s Message

Salem “Walkabout” Tour

Contribution Opportunity

2017 Annual Meeting

1-3

4-5

6-7

7

8

Volume 17, Issue 1

The Wachovia Tract Winter 2017

Everyone enjoyed learn-

ing about the travails

and adventures of the

sisters who walked to

the Wachovia Tract

from Pennsylvania in

1766 followed by their

first visit to Salem. Mr.

Starbuck’s deep com-

mand of the story and

engaging presentation

ensured that all were enlightened and entertained.

The Rev.

Dr. Nola

Reed Knouse

(at right) pre-

sented the

18th Archie

K. Davis

Award to Mr.

Philip Duni-

gan (below).

2016

Annual

Meeting (continued from

page 1)

For more than thirty years, Philip has been a behind-

the-scenes force in the study, interpretation, publica-

tion and performance of music from the Moravian

music collections.

Mr. Dunigan has promoted the musical and his-

torical heritage of the Moravians through passionate

and well-informed advocacy, brilliant and tireless

research, and recordings, and willing and humble

assistance in “all things Moravian and musical”.

His contributions to the knowledge and appre-

ciation of Moravian musical culture and history are

wide ranging, though largely unremarked because of

his gracious humility and service focusing on the

project at hand, seeking no recognition or credit for

his efforts.

More about the 121st Annual meeting,

page 3

Above, Philip and Melinda Dunigan (center)

following the award presentation.


President Dodson closed the 121st annual meet-

ing, and a time of refreshments and conversation

was enjoyed by all.

And be sure to mark your calendars for the

122nd Annual Meeting, along with the presentation

of the 19th Archie K. Davis Award:

Tuesday, October 17, 2017 7:00 p.m., Gray Auditorium,

Old Salem Visitor Center Musical Prelude, Annual Oration

and the 19th Archie K. Davis Award See future Tract issues for details!!

2016 Annual

Meeting (continued from page 3)

Above, Davis Award Winner Philip Dunigan

speaks to the assembly. At right, a large crowd

attended the 2016 meeting!

Above, Sonja Sepulveda directs the Salem Col-

lege Choir. Below, WHS Board member

Johnnie Pearson introduces Richard Starbuck.

from the President by Peggy Parrish Dodson

The Wachovia Tract

Please touch….

We all hesitated, thinking we may have misunderstood Richard

Starbuck. We were enjoying the first presentation on the Society’s

fall tour, A Walkabout in the Central Town of Salem. Richard was

standing behind the communion table in the sanctuary of Home Mo-

ravian Church and had just completed his comments on the archi-

tectural changes in the sanctuary over the past 216 years.

He was pointing to a Bible, a very old Bible. In fact, he was

pointing to the Bible used in the Gemein House by the Salem con-

gregation, a copy of Martin Luther’s 1771 translation, inscribed on

the inside front cover, Gemein Saal in Salem, 1786. And Richard

said, “Please touch.” Those words were an unexpected invitation from an archivist. We gently touched the

pages of the open Bible, experiencing a deep connectedness with our spiritual ancestors. Perhaps we left a bit of

our DNA to mingle with that of past congregants.

Our society concluded 2016 with a very busy October. On October 4, the second issue of The Wachovia

Tract was mailed, and you read about the Fall Tour (October 15) and the 121st Annual Meeting (October 25) in

that issue. Also, the board added an additional meeting to its schedule (November 15).

For 2017, the Board has set thoughtful, yet challenging goals:

Publish three issues of The Wachovia Tract

Inventory publications and collate 1976 Monographs

Organize and secure Society records

Develop creative membership strategies, especially to attract young members

Compile all records relating to the Rock House and develop a plan to complete an access road

Advance our plan to recognize past historians of note

Update our website to be interactive and mobile-friendly

Seek additional partnerships and venues for the Society

On behalf of the Board and members of the Society, I thank the members of the Public Relations/

Publications Committee for their willingness to produce three issues of The Wachovia Tract per year. Paul

Knouse chairs the committee that includes Helen Beets, Cheryl Harry and Richard Starbuck. For so very many

years, Richard faithfully and singly “got the Tract out” in addition to his duties as Treasurer and Chief Cheer-

leader! Sincere thanks, Paul, Helen, Cheryl and Richard. (The President’s report is continued on page 5.)

Winter 2017

2017 Goals


The Board recognizes Aubrey Smith who completed

his second term on the board at the end of 2016. Au-

brey served for two terms (eight years) and as secre-

tary for three years. Thank you, Aubrey (pictured

with Peggy below.)

Your board invites you to be involved in the work of

the Society. We welcome your ideas, especially as

we seek new partnerships and venues that promote

the mission of the Wachovia Historical Society.

Help us help others touch history in significant and

innovative ways.

Peggy

from the President (continued from page 4)

Thanks to Aubrey Smith!!


2017 Board of Directors (alphabetical order)


2017 Board Meeting Schedule

March 14

May 9

July 11

September 12

November 14

122nd

Annual

Meeting

October

17,

2017

Eugene W. Adcock, M.D. (2020) Paul W. Armfield, Vice-President (2020)

Helen B. Beets (2019) Peggy P. Dodson, President (2019)

Heather Fearnbach, Secretary (2018)

Cheryl Harry (2020) Chris J. Hartley (2018)

Paul F. Knouse, Jr. (2018)

Conrad A. Mitchell (2019) Johnnie P. Pearson (2017)

W. Kirk Sanders, Esq. (2020) Jimmie E. Snyder (2018)

I. B. Southerland III (2019)

S. Hayes Wauford, Jr. (2017) Thomas W. Williams, Jr. (2018)

Advisory Members:

Johanna Metzger Brown (Old Salem)

William W. Phillips, Jr.

Frederick P. Spach

Richard W. Starbuck, Treasurer (Moravian Archives)

The Wachovia Tract

2016 Special Tour—

A Walkabout in the

Central Town of Salem

Winter 2017

On Saturday, October 15, the Wachovia Historical

Society held its 2016 “special tour event” which was a

“walkabout” tour in Salem. The organizers of this year’s

tour were WHS Board member Gene Adcock and John

Larson, a WHS advisory board member and former Vice

President of Restoration at Old Salem. The event involved coordinating multiple organizations, including Old

Salem Museums and Gardens, Home Moravian Church, Salem Academy and College, the Moravian Archives of

the Southern Province, and the Salemtowne Retirement Community. (Thank you, Gene and John!).

The “walkabout” in Salem included tours of the Home Moravian Church sanctuary, the Boys’ School, Main

Hall of Salem College, the Single Sisters Museum and various points in the town of Salem and the campus of

Salem Academy and College. College President Lorraine Sterritt hosted lunch in the new Student Center at Sa-

lem. The event included a “special sneak preview” of the Moravian Decorative Arts exhibit, located in the all-

new Dianne H. Furr Decorative Arts Gallery at the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts (MESDA). Tour

participants experienced the “best-of-the-best” of Moravian Decorative Arts before the official opening to the

general public. A substantial number of these treasures are owned by WHS, which began its collection in 1895. (Information and photos contributed by Gene Adcock, Helen Beets and Paul Knouse.)

The WHS Walkabout of Salem began at

Home Church. Rev. Rick Sides met the

group. Archivist Richard Starbuck (right)

talked with us in the sanctuary. The

group learned about and interacted with a

copy of Luther’s 1771 translation of the

Bible, the 1786 Bible (left) of the Gemein

Saal located on today’s Main Hall site.

Archivist Richard Starbuck (right) pro-

vided information on the 1786 Gemein

Saal Bible that is preserved at the Mora-

vian Archives, Southern Province.

Above right, the Single Brothers House as

viewed from the Boys’ School.


More

“Walkabout”

Photos!!

(continued from page 6)

Interested in making

A SPECIAL

CONTRIBUTION?

Dear Wachovia Historical Society Members,

We would like to thank ALL of you...our Wacho-

via Historical Society members for being members of

the Society and for your financial contributions to the

Society during 2016. We would not be here without

you!

We would like to offer you the opportunity to

make an additional contribution to the Society, over

and above your annual contribution to our organiza-

tion. We know that sometimes members like to make

an additional or special contribution to the Society.

Maybe it’s a gift in memory or in honor of someone.

Or simply, it might just be an extra gift to support the

on-going needs and operations of the Society.

If you would like to make such a contribution,

simply fill out the enclosed card, enclose your check,

made payable to the Wachovia Historical Society and

send it to us. All contributions are appreciated and

will be put to good use!!

Your Wachovia Historical Society.

Top, the 1785 cornerstone in the Single Sisters House.

Middle, John Larson explains the plans of Old Salem to

reconstruct the Piazza behind the Boys School, a space

that will serve as an educational venue .

Below, the president of the senior class of Salem College

talks about the newest construction on campus, McHugh

Flats (new dormitory), located near Business 40.

Above, a view inside the Dianne H. Furr Deco-

rative Arts Gallery at MESDA, Old Salem.

Mark Your Calendars

Now! Wachovia

Historical Society 122nd Annual Meeting

Tuesday, October 17, 2017

Old Salem Visitors Center

7:00 p.m.

Annual Oration (Details to be announced)

Presentation of

The 2017 Archie K. Davis

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The Wachovia Tract

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