Women have studied at Salem College, the private liberal arts college in Winston-Salem rooted in the Moravian community of Salem, since 1772. On April 22, 1772 the “Little Girls’ School” was founded, and that origin makes this institution the oldest female educational establishment that is still a women’s college and the oldest women’s college in the United States. In those early years the school was led by the Single Sisters, the unmarried women of the Moravian community, and Elisabeth Oesterlein — hired as the first teacher — had traveled from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in 1766 at the age of 17.
Over time the school became an academy and ultimately added the college you see today. While Salem is regarded as a women’s college, you should know that men 23 years of age and over are admitted into the continuing education program through the Martha H. Fleer Center for Adult Education and into graduate-degree programs. The college is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, continuing a long tradition of formal education here.
Picture the historic Moravian community of Salem stretching out beyond this campus.