| World / USA / North Carolina / Winston-Salem, 2 km from center | Coordinates: 36°5'7"N 80°14'29"W |
The Salem Tavern museum building dates to 1784, when it was reconstructed after an earlier wooden Tavern burned to the ground.
The Tavern was an important facility and by far one of the best of its kind for miles around in the early days of America. However, the Moravians located the building on the outskirts of the town of 1784 to keep the "strangers" (anyone who was not a Moravian) at a safe distance. Visitors also note that the front first floor has no windows to the street, to keep the curious young Moravians from seeing activities of the visitors.
Salem's most famous visitor stayed here in 1791. President George Washington, touring the southern battlefields of the Revolutionary War, spent two nights in Salem, attending a service, studying the waterworks system, and speaking to the townspeople. As part of our interpretation of the African American experience in Salem, in addition to the Moravian couple that ran the Tavern for the church, we also know that an African American couple and their children would have helped serve the famous man while he was in town.
Category: historic museum ---- salem
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