Hope-Fraternity District?

A few miles from where traffic streams down Hanes Mall Boulevard, the three branches of Muddy Creek meander through a landscape that seems almost untouched since the Moravians first arrived in the late 18th century.

Weathered cedars frame gently rolling hills and homespun farmhouses dot the landscape.

Many of the area's residents choose to live there for the same reasons their ancestors did -- the peaceful rural landscape, abundant natural resources and rugged beauty.

"I don't think I could live with myself if something would happen and I had to let this place go," said Terry Crater, who farms on land that has been in his family since after the Civil War.

But development threatens the area, which is considered the most intact of the original three country congregations that were started by the Moravians, said Michelle McCullough, the historic-resource coordinator for the Planning Department.

Preservationists have been studying whether the 2,300 acres of a proposed Hope-Fraternity Historic District might be suitable for a National Register Historic District. The area is loosely bounded by Stratford Road to the north and stretching west to Clemmons, south to the Davidson County line and east to Hanover Road. Being put on the study list is a preliminary step to a formal study by a preservationist, which would then be reviewed by the state's National Register Advisory Committee. From there, nominations go to the National Park Service for final approval.

"This area has a collection of anything and everything," McCullough said. "This is a new kind of district that we're not familiar with."

Unlike other historic districts in the city that focus on mostly residential neighborhoods, the proposed Hope district is composed of scattered farms, archaeological sites and rural landscapes, she said. There are at least two cemeteries and numerous family plots, abandoned roadbeds, an old mill and a fruit-drying operation.

Studies for the area as a possible historic district came out of meetings held to discuss the Southwest Suburban Area Plan several years ago.

The area was settled in the late 18th century by the Moravians and the Dunkers, who lived together in harmony and intermarried, but maintained separate institutions and customs.

Hope was one of six Moravian congregations established by the end of the colonial era. The three country congregations -- Hope, Friedberg and Friedland -- supplied the town of Salem with produce, wood and other products. The lack of sewer lines has slowed growth in the area, McCullough said.

The first Hope Moravian Church was begun in 1775 and is now an archaeological ruin off of Copeland Road. A reproduction of that church stands on the grounds of Hope Moravian on Hope Church Road. The church that is currently on that site was built in 1896.

In the 1770s, Dunkers or German Baptist Brethren settled in the area and a congregation was founded in the Hope area in 1775.

The Dunkers practiced baptism by immersion, believed in a simple life and were opposed to slavery and war.

Jacob Faw moved to the area in 1778, and bought land in the Hope area. He established a farm that became known as Founder's Hill because members of his family led the Brethren Church for many years.

A Dunker church that was built in the Hope area in 1860 is now privately owned and is in excellent condition, said Martha Hartley, who has conducted research in the area. Hartley works as a researcher at Old Salem. The Fraternity Church of the Brethren, which was built in 1900, is still in use and has an active congregation.

The Hope district also offers a rare chance to see the layered history of one area over the centuries, McCullough said.

"What we're seeing in Hope-Fraternity is the evolution of family ties that started in 18th century," McCullough said. "Many of the same families are living on the landscape."

People tended to settle and stay, so that now third and fourth generations are living on family land, even if the houses they have built are not considered historic, McCullough said.

Crater, who farms 20 acres, uses the field names passed down by his father: Vineyard Field, Sour Apple Piece and Beckner Bottom.

He said he renovated his grandparents' early 1900s house with timber cut from his farm. One of his daughters now lives there.

Crater said that it takes a certain amount of creativity to continue to farm. He runs a landscaping business and grows a variety of crops that he sells.

He treasures the ancient oaks with trunks too big to reach around and the arrowheads, spear points and pieces of pottery he finds on his land, and considers them a tie to those who came before him.

Bob and Jean Cooper are relative newcomers to the area, who bought Meadowbrook Farm in 1974. Cooper said that he wanted to start a cattle farm and he was attracted to the challenge of reclaiming the land from erosion and trash dumps that had sprouted on the property. The Coopers began a tree farm on the property in the 1980s.

"We have a passion for the land," he said. "It's more valuable to us than money."

Bob Cooper is in favor of the historic district, and sees it as a way to protect the area's beauty.

"The more you understand something, the more respect you have for it," he said. "You're less likely to change it or to demolish something or destroy the habitat or culture of the area."

mgiunca@wsjournal.com


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