Bethania: The Village by the Black Walnut Bottom

by Beverly Hamel

Overview

Founded in 1759, Bethania was the first planned Moravian settlement in North Carolina, situated favorably on the Great Wagon Road of the colonial era. Bethania's narrative weaves together 250 years of history and memory, with voices from the town's white and black heritage speaking through autobiographical accounts, diaries, letters, oral histories, photographs, and archival research. Join local resident Beverly Hamel as she tells the story of proud Pilgrim people who journeyed into an unknown wilderness and built a community that would remain intact through the volatile periods of the French and Indian War, the Revolutionary War, slavery and the years leading to the Civil War, the Reconstruction era, and into the twentieth century. The story of Bethania is a celebration of an enduring spirit that will never die.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781596296374
Publisher:	History Press, The
Publication date:	07/10/2009
Series:	American Chronicles
Pages:	160
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Beverly Hamel is a former sales & marketing executive who has taken up a second career as a freelance writer, publishing newspaper articles, essays, stories, and poetry in a variety of local media, both print and electronic. She is an active member of the Bethania Historical Society and Bethania Moravian Church, and she is affiliated with Old Salem. Recently, Beverly has been working on the Bethania Oral History Project, interviewing the area's oldest residents in conjunction with the University of North Carolina. She lives above the antiques store that she owns and operates on Main Street in Bethania, and she teaches a writing class called The Village Word Shop.

Table of Contents

Dedication 250 Years 7

Acknowledgements 9

Introduction 11

1 The Road to Bethania 15

2 Building Bethania 21

3 The American Wars for Independence 33

4 Wagon Road to Plank Road 55

5 Echoes of Change 67

6 Black Roots: Bethania Roots 77

7 Baustellen: Building Lots in Bethania Olden Times 103

8 Other Spaces through Time 141

9 God's Acres 151

Night Sounds 156

Bibliography 157