Emancipation in Salem

Emancipation in Salem. "Henceforward Shall Be Free". , In the opening year of the Civil War, the church behind you (now St. Philips Moravian) was constructed for enslaved and free black Moravians. Its cornerstone was laid on August 24, 1861, and it was consecrated on December 15. It replaced an earlier log building in which the congregation (formed in 1822) worshiped here.

The church was the site of a joyous occasion for enslaved people near the end of the war. On May 14, 1865, the 10th Ohio Cavalry arrived to occupy Salem. The regiment's chaplain, the Rev. Seth G. Clark, addressed the congregation here on May 21. First he preached from 1 Corinthians 7:21: "Art thou called [to follow the Lord while] being a servant? care not for it: but if thou mayest be made free, use it rather." Then, according to church records, Clark read "two order from Gen. [John M.] Schofield, Army of the Ohio [General Order 32]: In the first it was made known that according to the proclamation of the President of the United States, the slave population of this State is now free. … He then proceeded to give them good advice, told them that now they would have greater responsibilities, and encouraged them to industry, honesty, and piety. … May this great change turn out to the eventual well-being of these people, and the furtherance of the kingdom of God among them." For more information visit www.oldsalem.org/civilwartrails.

[Captions:] , Wesley Washington Fries, a lifelong member of Salem's African Moravian congregation, was only 19 years old when General Orders 32 was read in the church. He worked in the Fries Woolen Mill as a pipe fitter.

This late-19th-century photograph shows the church without the addition to the front. On May 28, 1865, the congregational diary noted that "The Sunday School was numerously attended, showing the necessity of more teachers." It continued to attract many students, and in 1890 the addition was constructed to provide extra classroom space.

The Rev. Seth G. Clark, chaplain of the 10th Ohio Cavalry, read General Orders 32 in the church on May 21, 1865. The orders were printed in Salem's People's Press on May 28, 1865.