Wachovia, North Carolina - Definition and Overview

Wachovia (Pronounciation: wah-KO-vee-yah) was the first Moravian settlement in North Carolina, near what is now Winston-Salem. The name is an Anglicized form of the German "Wachau," the name of a lush green region along the Danube River which the settlers felt the land resembled.

In 1752 a group of Moravians from the Christiansbrunn Agricultural Settlement in Pennsylvania purchased about 100,000 acres (400 km²) in middle/western North Carolina, land later known as the Wachovia Tract. Settlement started in 1753 with only 11 men, but eventually the thriving community of Salem was founded and grew quite prosperous. In fact, much of it is still there or has been recreated in the form of Old Salem, a living museum designed to allow people to experience pioneer life first-hand.

Eventually the agriculture in the area turned to growing tobacco as a cash crop and thus were Salem cigarettes born.