Jordan Alexander

Visiting and working in Old Salem, a re–creation of an eighteenth–century Moravian settlement, in what is now Winston–Salem, North Carolina, was a remarkable experience during the 2018 Maymester course. I developed photogrammetry skills while refining my writing and analytical abilities. In addition, I overcame various challenges in my historical research while presenting hard truths about African slavery within the Moravian community during the Hidden Town in 3D project. My interaction with the Black parishioners of St. Philips Moravian Church was a tangible reminder of my work as a public historian. Their excitement and encouragement inspired me to persevere against a dearth of primary resources from an Black perspective, as well as the Home Moravian Church’s attempts to ignore its painful past, as I collaborated with my classmates to present an integrated, although unequal, story of Old Salem. This blog post will focus on the lack of research into enslaved African Moravians’ lives.

In reflecting on the Maymester experience, I knew very little about the course materials at the beginning of the class. The required readings, A Separate Canaan, by Jon Sensbach, and God’s Fields, by Leland Ferguson, prepared me with the historical context to conduct further research into Old Salem, especially the heavy Moravian influence, the community’s gradual acceptance of slavery, as well as enslaved Africans’ subtle (and sometimes overt) methods of resistance. Sensbach’s deep appreciation for the Moravian community at Old Salem was a two–edged sword. The author’s inability to acknowledge his bias undermined his argument because of an unwillingness to truthfully write about this painful topic. Ferguson, on the contrary, used his archaeological knowledge to critically assess the Moravians’ behavior and convictions while re–creating the stories of enslaved Africans through artifacts, excavations, diligent research, and scant primary sources from an African perspective. Both books were useful in the final project as they provided much needed context for our research.

Similarly, the lack of primary and secondary sources regarding enslaved African Moravians’ lives, as well as culture, was a continuous hindrance. Nevertheless, I compiled research about each dwelling, its occupants, and enslaved people’s labor to write my interpretive labels. The erasure of enslaved Africans’ words and voices demonstrated the Moravians’ increasing comfortability with the institution of slavery as the religious group struggled to rectify the social, racial and spiritual parameters of its faith while striving to define their place in the shifting American culture during the eighteenth century. The Moravian slaveowners constantly portrayed the enslaved peoples’ thoughts, feelings, and actions through the guise of religion, as well as paternalism, in their writings. Due to the painful history of Old Salem, I felt that the Home Moravian Church did not want us there– we were akin to outside agitators from the Civil Rights Movement. Thus, conversations about the project with members of St. Philips Moravian Church and their excitement encouraged me to persist in my research, in spite of subtle opposition from the church archivist, J. Eric Elliot, whose dismissive attitude about African Moravian history deterred me from utilizing him (or the archives) for resources. 

Moreover, the stories of enslaved Afro-Moravians warrant greater respect and more in-depth study, which was the impetus for our 3D project. Similarly, the Reynolda Mansion Museum, an experiment in opulence and wonder for the twentieth century, is very nice and stately, but the museum’s artifacts, layout, and presentation deliberately skew the perspectives of Black and poor White laborers whose work made the Reynolds’ lifestyle possible. The Reynolds’ (as well as the museum staff’s) blatant disrespect and benevolent paternalism in their treatment of the employees is a testament to the pervasiveness of racism, as well classism. In my research of the Moravians’ discipline of their slaves, I expected some challenges because the Brethren (Moravians) mitigated anything that portrayed them in a negative light while leaving copious notes about their spiritual lives; moreover, the few transcribers over the years discussed very little Afro-Moravian culture in their transcriptions of the Brethren’s diaries from German to English.

Despite these challenges in my research, the public presentation met my expectations. I was uncertain about our presentation because of numerous hindrances, such as the lack of primary sources from enslaved Africans’ perspectives, the community’s reception to us and challenges with the photogrammetry software. Nevertheless, I enjoyed researching, writing, and presenting the information about Christian David’s slave cabin because I was able to share my knowledge with our audience. 

I worked differently from my colleagues in several ways. First, I read the histories for each lot and wrote copious notes. Second, I read the National Historical Landmark (NHL) report’s descriptions of the Vierling and Boner Houses to understand how many Africans each household enslaved. Third, I took a few moments to process what I read and analyze the enslaved Africans’ perspectives. Overall, I brought a different perspective of analyzing the Moravian settlers’ hypocrisy and enslaved Africans’ subtle (and sometimes overt) means of defiance in our class discussions and to the group project.