The Distiller's House • 1802

The Distiller's House . 1802. Site of the first known commercial brewery and distillery in North Carolina.. , Bethabara is the site of the first known commercial brewery and distillery in North Carolina. The original 1756 log brewery and distillery stood across from the Gemeinhaus. After two decades of large-scale production, Moravians constructed a brick and stone distillery on this site in 1777. Fire destroyed the distillery on December 2, 1802, but was quickly rebuilt on the original foundation using salvaged construction materials. Completed in 1803, the third Brewer's House still stands today. , Bethabara's brewery and distillery produced large quantities of beer, brandy, and whisky. Monthly inventories from 1764 note that the Moravians made and stored an average of 270 gallons of brandy, 40 gallons of rye whisky, and 90 gallons of beer. The Moravians drank beer for refreshment and for its calories while working long, laborious days. Non-Moravians consumed whisky in the tavern and purchased it from the store and distillery. All consumed brandy, made from peaches, blackberries, and apples, and believed that it had healing properties, especially when distilled with particular medicinal herbs and roots. , Bethabara's Brewers and Distillers ,

“Our meals shall now be as follows: in the morning porridge, according to the weather … [and] brandy; at noon … barley-coffee, or sometimes brandy, or if the work is very hard a little beer …” – Bethabara Diary, January 9, 1758

, Heinrich Feldhausen (1756-1762) assumed the role as the community's distiller and brewer when the log brewery/distillery was constructed in December 1756. He remained in that role until he was expelled from Wachovia and sent back to Bethlehem on June 17, 1762. The passage from the Bethabara Diary reads, “Feldhausen left today with many tears. He had put our brewery and distillery into the best of order, but yielded to carnal desires and fell into all kinds of sin and shame.” The Moravians did not look down upon drinking, but they believed drinking to excess was immoral. , Christian Pfeiffer (1760s-1772) took over the brewery and Niels Petersen took over the distillery after Feldhausen was expelled from the community. Pfeiffer arrived in Bethabara on October 11, 1755 and served the Church for several years before becoming Bethabara's brewer in 1766. , Peter Mücke (1772-1780s) served as Bethabara's brewer/distiller for several years, even though the majority of the trades had been moved to Salem by 1774. He worked with Christian Pfeiffer for several years before Pfeiffer's death in 1772, after which Mücke became the distiller and brewer. Mücke, his wife Magdalena, and an enslaved woman lived in the Bewer's House until the mid-1780s. , Phillip Vogler (1791), After Peter Mücke left the position, Phillip Vogler filled in for several years before moving into the Brewer's House with his family on November 1, 1791. It was during his residency that wooden pipes for plumbing were installed. , Herrman Butner (1802), his wife Elisabeth, and their three children moved into the Brewer's House from Friedland on June 1, 1802. They were living in the house when it caught fire. Fortunately, no lives were lost and the fire did not threaten any other buildings in the village. , Johann Christian Fockel (1807), his wife, and their two children moved into this house from Salem on July 28, 1807. Fockel took over the distillery for the Buttner family, and remained there until moving back to Salem in 1814. , [Captions} , . (Bottom left) Brown and Yellow Ware Cup by Rudolph Christ, 1786-1789. , . (Top right) Humulus lupulus (hops) is a main ingredient in many beers.