God's Fields: Landscape, Religion, and Race in Moravian Wachovia

Historical archaeologist Leland Ferguson's study reveals the unspoken history of racism within the Moravian community of Wachovia, North Carolina, from the 18th century to the present. Initially welcoming African Americans as equals, the Moravians later segregated them due to external pressures and economic interests, leading to lasting racial divisions. Ferguson's cross-analysis of Salem's God's Acre and the Stranger's God's Acre/African American burial ground, combined with historical records, uncovered the shift towards separate cemeteries for whites and blacks by 1859. This research highlights the symbolic landscape segregation and the community's ongoing journey towards racial reconciliation, culminating in the St. Philips congregation's reintegration into the Salem Congregation in 2010.

Blouet, H. (2013). God’s Fields: Landscape, Religion, and Race in Moravian Wachovia. Journal of Moravian History, 13(1), 101–106. https://doi.org/10.5325/jmorahist.13.1.0101