[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 2]
[House]
[Pages 1662-1663]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               DEDICATED WATER INFRASTRUCTURE TRUST FUND

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
North Carolina (Ms. Foxx) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, next week marks an important milestone in the 
history of North Carolina's Piedmont region--the 250th anniversary of 
the founding of the town of Salem.
  In 1752, Moravian Church leaders purchased a 100,000-acre tract in 
North Carolina from the British Lord Granville. On February 19, 1766, 
twelve Moravian brethren from nearby settlements made an 8-mile journey 
to establish the town of Salem, a new community that would serve as the 
tract's commercial center.
  Moravian Church leaders decided that the new town should have the 
convenience of running water to the buildings. The town built a 
waterworks, which was constructed by burying hollowed logs from springs 
located about a mile away. This addition to Salem's infrastructure 
attracted the attention of President George Washington, who visited in 
1793.
  However, Washington was not the first famous visitor to Salem. In 
1767, the royal Governor William Tryon heard about the building going 
on in North Carolina's northwest wilderness. He and his wife made the 
long journey from New Bern to examine the Moravians' new settlement 
firsthand.
  Along with its advanced plumbing, Salem was also at the forefront of 
innovative medicine and was home to the first university-educated 
physician in western North Carolina. In addition, Salem was known 
across the colonial South as a place of commerce and

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trade, renowned for its pottery, furniture, silver, and other artistic 
trades.
  In 1913, the town of Salem, with its focus on craftsmanship, 
sustainability, education, and religion merged with the fast-paced 
industrial town of Winston, thus becoming Winston-Salem.
  Today, Winston-Salem is the fifth largest city in North Carolina. It 
is home to six colleges and universities, including Salem College, the 
oldest continuously running women's college in the United States, as 
well as the prestigious Wake Forest University and Winston-Salem State 
University.
  Reaffirming this time-honored tradition of forging boldly ahead, the 
city continues to build a diverse business space leading in the areas 
of nanotechnology research, finance, and manufacturing.
  The original settlement is a living history museum that engages 
visitors in an educational, historical experience about those who lived 
and worked in the early South.
  During the yearlong anniversary celebration, the Moravian Church, Old 
Salem, the City of Winston-Salem, and Forsyth County will honor 
important milestones in the town's 250-year history, such as George 
Washington's two-night visit to Salem in 1739 and the Nation's first 
public July 4th celebration that took place in 1783. Most importantly, 
the local community will come together to celebrate and reflect on how 
Salem's past informs its present and shapes its future.

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