Church & Parsonage at Old Town

Each Moravian congregation in North Carolina had what was known as a Gemein Haus, which combined a worship space with housing for the pastor and sometimes a schoolroom.   As a young man of only fourteen when he drew this view, Julius Mickey demonstrated the skills he had no doubt acquired as a student in the Salem Boys’ School.  He also incorporated a characteristic common in mid-nineteenth century landscapes: the inclusion of people in the scene, although these look like bedraggled travelers rather than residents of Bethabara.