Moravian Preservation Master Plan.indb - Society for College and ...

Moravian College • Preservation Master Plan
Figure 5-63. Statue of Benigna, Countess von Zinzendorf (JMA
2008).
(see figures 5-13 and 5-14), the low wooden benches
that once lined the paths in the Pleasure Grounds
(see figures 5-25 and 5-39), the lighting, plinth, and
fencing that once decorated the area in front of
Payne Art Gallery (see figure 5-32), and the wood
and wire fencing that once surrounded the Pleasure
Grounds and was removed in 1910 (see figure 5-23).
Contributing features:
• Flagpole
Missing features:
• Rose arbors
• Benches in the Pleasure Grounds
• Lights, plinth, and fencing in front of Payne
Art Gallery
• Wood fence around Pleasure Grounds
Archeological Features
More than any other character area at Moravian
College the Hurd Campus character area retains
a high probability that significant archeological
resources are extant which are associated with
the full range of historical settlement and use
of the property. The Brethren’s House was used
as a hospital during the American Revolution
and any archeological resources associated with
that occupation and use would be extremely
significant. Other landscape elements, while no
longer visible above ground, may still be present
beneath the ground. Elements that are likely to
leave archeological footprints or signatures include
footpaths, garden plots, fence lines, structures and
outbuildings. Beginning in the 1750s the maps
showing the area are accurate depictions of the
grounds, including boundaries or division lines,
gardening areas, and outbuilding locations.
The archeological potential of the Hurd Campus
is illustrated by the recent historical archeological
investigation of three storage cellars exposed
during site preparation of the new residence
hall. The archeological examination and archival
research demonstrated that the westernmost of the
three contiguous storage cellars was the earliest,
constructed (circa 1766–1771) and was identified
as a gemeinkeller (a storage cellar in which a wide
range of perishable foodstuffs were kept). No
records specifying the construction date of the two
later cellars were discovered, and the nineteenthcentury
maps of the town, while showing main
buildings, do not depict smaller outbuildings
such as storage cellars. The later two cellars share
a common foundation wall, and based on artifacts
recovered during the investigation date to the
mid-nineteenth-century (Gerhardt et al. 2008). A
fourth storage cellar was located during the early
stages of construction of the new dormitory just
southwest of the Day House, an archeological
remnant of this important feature of the early
Moravian community.
Besides the archeological evidence of historic
settlement, there is a strong probability that
archeological resources may be present associated
with the pre-European (i.e., Native American)
settlement and occupation of today’s Hurd Campus.
Native American archeological sites ranging in date
from the Archaic through Woodland periods have
been located and recorded along the Lehigh River
and its tributaries, in floodplain, terrace, lowland
and upland settings. The majority of recorded Native
American archeological sites are located in upland
settings, making this topographic setting the most
common landform for sites in the region (Siegel
et al. 1999:68). Further, a colonial period Indian
village was located west of the Hurd Campus, at the
confluence of the Monocacy Creek and the Lehigh
River. While no known Native American sites have
been recorded on the Hurd Campus character
area of Moravian College, locations of terraces
and uplands adjacent to floodplains, similar to
the topography of the Hurd Campus, are likely to
contain the archeological remains of prehistoric
peoples.
Signifi cance and Integrity Evaluation
The Hurd Campus is nationally significant for its
association with the Single Brethren’s House (1748)
and the initial Moravian missionary settlement
at Bethlehem, as well as later use of this site as a
Revolutionary War hospital. The campus is an
important part of the oldest sector of Bethlehem. It
John Milner Associates • October 2009 • Chapter 5 • Cultural Landscapes • 93