TABLE OF
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VALDESE IN THE PRESS

IMPORTANT
INFORMATION

This article about Valdese appeared in an issue of Our State magazine last fall. It was quite flattering, though, understandably, couldn't begin to detail all that we have to offer. It has been reprinted with the permission of Mann Media, Inc.

Our State

September 1997 -- Pages 12-14

Tar Heel Towns by Elizabeth Campbell

Valdese

On first glance, this Burke County town looks like any other. But on closer study, you realize this is a very different North Carolina community – one greatly influenced by the Waldenses, French-speaking Protestants who settled here in 1893.

Pass the Le Phare Des Alps Clubhouse on a pleasant Sunday afternoon and you might just see a group of men playing boccie, a lawn bowling game well known to Italians, though not so familiar to most North Carolinians. Listen in and you may hear talk of the quality of their latest batch of wine. If you are lucky, some older ones might speak a few words of a language that sounds a lot like French. All very unusual happenings in North Carolina, but then this place is not quite like any other in our state. Turn north at exit 111 on Interstate 40 and enter Valdese, a town that on first glance looks like any other. Yet, there is a very different feeling here, one that takes a lit- the while to sink in. It starts with the historical marker in front of an old stuccoed church. Then there are the boccie games and all of that about wine making. The landscape looks different, too; scattered about are bare rock-and-stucco buildings unlike any you have ever seen. When you begin to realize that the red, white, and green town flag looks an awful lot like the flag of Italy, you are well on your way to understanding what makes this town different. French-speaking Protestants from the Alps of northwest Italy settled Valdese in 1893. The settlers were Waldenses, pre- Reformation Christians who trace their religious ancestry back to at least the 12th century. Persecuted as heretics, the Waldenses were pursued by the armies of popes and kings throughout France and Italy. Eventually the Waldensian people took refuge in the high valleys of the Cottian Alps. They remained secluded among these rugged mountains until the Edict of 1848 gave them the religious freedom they had so long desired. Within a generation of freedom, however, the Waldenses found that they had new problems. With peace upon them, their numbers grew. Soon the tiny Alpine farms could not support their growing families. With the help of their churches, Waldensian people began establishing colonies in other parts of Europe and in South America. Some Waldenses had already moved in small numbers to the United States. There they had established enclaves in New York City, Chicago Missouri, Texas, and Utah.

But eastern Burke County became the site of the largest Waldensian colony in the world – outside of Italy. By the end of 1893, a total of 222 people had moved to the brand-new town of Valdese. The first few years after settlement were difficult ones for the Waldenses. One of the first early settlers is often quoted as having said, "Our first business for several months after locating in Valdese was starving to death." The Waldenses originally intended to make their livelihoods primarily as farmers, but many found themselves unable to grow much more than stumps and rocks. A sawmill set up soon after their arrival wasn't enough to support them either because they had constant mechanical problems at the mill. Their descendants laugh about those problems today. Apparently many of the difficulties arose because the immigrants had absolutely no idea how to use the machines. Settlers soon began looking for work outside of Valdese. Many went to northern cities and worked as service persons or domestics. Some found work in the textile mills of South Carolina. But wherever Waldensians went to work, Valdese was home. Some used the money and skills they acquired while away to establish new businesses in Valdese. Many of these quite successful early enterprises are still in operation. They formed the basis for the solid manufacturing economy that Valdese enjoys today.

The on-of-a-kind rock buildings that dot the hillsides in and around Valdese are distinctive features of the local landscape. Waldensian craftsmen had developed a long tradition of building with stone in Italy. Their Alpine seclusion meant that few other building supplies were available to them. Fitting together roughly cut stones like jigsaw puzzles, the masons built perfectly solid (and impressively thick) walls without using mortar. When they arrived in Valdese, many adapted this tradition to the red rock they found here. Often using nothing but a dab of red mud for mortar, skilled rock masons used odd-shaped rocks to build walls, barns, outdoor ovens, houses, schools, and churches. The first North Carolina Waldenses passed their skills along to the next generation, and from about the turn of the century until the Great Depression, the quality and distinctiveness of their work put them in demand as far away as Asheville, Chapel Hill, and even Washington, D.G. Even though the old masons are now gone, their works stand as a testimony to an art at once practical and beautiful. For many, the work of the rock masons has come to symbolize the spirit of the Waldensian people. The Waldenses began building the massive, stuccoed Waldensian Presbyterian Church in 1896, three and a half years after they first arrived. To mark the anniversary of the Edict of 1848, they laid the cornerstone on February 17, 1893. A little more than two years later, they completed the sanctuary. As a tribute to their new country, the townspeople dedicated the finished church on July 4, 1899. The proud new citizens borrowed an American flag just for the occasion, although they probably should have received better instructions about how to fly it. An endearing photograph of the dedication hangs in the Waldensian Museum. The smiling faces of 100 years ago encircle the front door of the church while an American flag flutters above – upside down!

Seeing Valdese Today's Waldenses are proud of their heritage and eager to share it. Across Rodoret Street from the church is the Waldensian Museum, which resembles the Waldensian churches still scattered throughout the Alps of northwest Italy. The museum houses an enormous collection of things Waldensian – from representations of early home interiors to costumes, cultural relics, and family heirlooms. Valdese hosts events throughout the year to celebrate being Waldensian. Indeed, these events are an important part of living in Valdese. Every February church members gather to mark the anniversary of the Edict of 1848. On July 4 citizens play boccie, bake traditional bread in an outdoor oven, and drink wine made by the local vintner (Villar Vintners of Valdese on Villar Lane). Perhaps the year's biggest event is the annual Waldensian Festival, held the second Saturday in August to commemorate the "Glorious Return" of the Waldensians from exile in 1689. Valdese also is home to one of North Carolina's popular outdoor dramas. Now entering its 30th season, From This Day Forward plays every summer at the Old Colony Amphitheatre on Church Street. The play recounts Waldensian religious history in the Old World and their journey from the Cottian Alps to the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It finishes with the settlers' early years in North Carolina, of their attempts both to adapt to a new land and to hold on to their old ways. Traditional costume, song, and dance are woven into the play as well. The latest Waldensian undertaking is The Trail of Faith, slated for completion by the end of 1997. On the same site as the Old Colony Amphitheatre, this walking trail traces the religious and cultural history of the Waldenses. It has been an enormous undertaking. Organizers laugh about moving both heaven and earth in their attempt to make this dream a reality. No one knows how many prayers moved heaven, but 40,000 cubic yards of dirt built the impossibly steep "Alps" that now rise just south of the amphitheater. Situated in front of these hills are 14 different stations that include a full-sized house, a church, an outdoor bake oven, boccie courts, and life-sized replicas of important buildings and monuments from the homeland. The Waldenses are not through yet. They hope to refurbish a 1930s school building next to The Trail of Faith and turn it into a small convention center. They may eventually build a restaurant featuring Waldensian cuisine. Some even hope for an Alpine refurbishment of Main Street. They dream big in Valdese, but who knows? The Waldenses are good at overcoming odds. And if past successes are any indication, future successes are assured.

To find out more The Waldensian Museum is open by appointment in the off season and is usually open to the public on Sundays from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. April through October. The museum also opens from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on the evenings that From This Day Forward is performed. Call the museum at (828) 874-2531. The annual Waldensian Festival is held on the second Saturday in August, and The Trail of Faith is scheduled to open by the end of 1997. For a free packet of information about Valdese and/or Burke County, call the Burke County Travel and Tourism Council at (828) 433-6793.

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