The Village

The Village. The home of the first Moravian settlers from 1753-1754. “We reached [the little house] in the evening, and at once took possession of it, finding it large enough that we could all lie down around the walls.” – Bethabara Diary - November 17, 1753 , When the fifteen Moravian settlers arrived here in November 1753, the only existing structure was the abandoned Hans Wagner cabin. Although it was small, this one room cabin served as a shelter that the men did not have to build themselves, allowing more time to explore the area, clear land, construct fences, lay out a garden, build a bake oven, and meet their neighbors. , It is a common misconception that these early Moravian settlers were isolated in an empty, harsh wilderness. Not only was the land occupied and used by surrounding Native groups like the Catawba, Cherokee and Tuscarora, there were also travelers who passed through the early settlement and surrounding neighbors who had eked out a living years before the Moravians arrived. , On New Year's Eve in 1753, the Moravian Brethren hosted their neighbor, Mr. Henry Banner, two hunters traveling from the Blue Ridge, and there Irishmen journeying from Pennsylvania to the Catawba. Their one cabin proved far too small to accommodate all these visitors, making it an even bigger priority to build more structures to house travelers and establish trades. By January, construction began on a dwelling house for non-Moravian visitors. Other buildings followed, including an infirmary for non Moravians seeking care from Dre. Kalberlahn, larger sleeping quarters for the Moravian men, and a wash house. By 1755, the construction of more permanent structures began a short distance away (the foundations can be found inside the palisade fort) and the original village buildings were converted for livestock use. , The village you see today has been reconstructed on the original site where the Moravians found the abandoned Wagner cabin in 1753. , [Captions (left to right)] , . Reconstruction of the Wagner cabin. , . Excavated flask, circa 1753. , . The first 15 settlers, 1753.