The Waldensians of Valdese, North Carolina

The Waldensian faith dates back to the 12th century when a man named Peter Waldo a.k.a Valdes founded the movement. In 1179, Waldo made his “Profession of Faith” but he did not receive the ecclesiastical recognition that he thought he would. There were a few “falling-outs” with the church and Waldo with his followers left the preachings of the Roman Catholic Church. (1) They became known as the protestant group called Waldensians. “Thereafter, the Waldenses departed from the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church by rejecting some of the seven sacraments”. (1) When they left, their beliefs changed. The Catholic Church believed that the confession of sins had to be completed by priests while the Waldensians confessions were guided by the leaders. They also had a different perspective on baptism, communion and the idea of having a church building. (1) Their movement spread rapidly across Europe but later in the 15th century they were “confined mostly to the French and Italian valleys of the Cottian Alps”. (1)

In the early 1500s a man named Guillaume Farel introduced theology based on the Reformation to Waldensian ministers. They questioned their own values when they heard new theology and ended up accepting two sacraments, baptism and communion, previously condemned by the Waldensian church. (1) Later in 1848, after years of persecution, they received full civil rights by King Charles Albert of Piedmont and Sardinia. (2)

After they adopted new Reformation practices the Waldensians became a Swiss Protestant church. For years, the Waldensians were persecuted for their unique theology and ended up immigrating to the United States. They then landed in Texas, Utah, Missouri and North Carolina. (1) The most significant place they landed was in Valdese, North Carolina which still remains a Waldensian-centered community. 

They decided to land in North Carolina because a man named Marvin Scaife had 10,000 acres of land for sale and they decided to buy it since it reminded them of their land in Italy. They came to the land they named “Valdese” on the No. 11 train. The first settlers came in May 1893 and in August, 25 more emigrants came. By November, 178 more emigrants came to Valdese to create a permanent settlement. (2)

The settlers encountered many problems in Valdese. Since the soil was mostly infertile, it was hard to farm. Also, there was a language barrier between the Waldensians and the residents of Burke County that were there to help them. Some progress was made in farming but the most notable contributions to Valdese was industrial achievements. (2) Established in 1901, the Waldensian Hosiery Mill started the industry boom resulting in Valdese being “one of the nation’s leading hosiery manufacturing centers”. (2) Other industrial developments include the Waldensian Bakery (still there today) and the Valdese Manufacturing Company which was founded to make cotton yarn. Another industry in Valdese is Valdese Weavers, similar to the manufacturing company. There, they make commercial fabrics and textiles. People are also able to go on tours. Valdese Weavers is a company founded from the Waldensians. The rise of industry in Valdese allowed it to be incorporated in 1920. (2)

Religion was the main influence in Valdese considering the fact that they settled there for religious reasons. In 1895, the Waldensian Church of Italy united with the Presbyterian church. In 1899, a church building in Valdese was completed. It was known as the Waldensian Presbyterian Church. (2) Religion was filtered into education which became a big part of Waldensian culture. “The first children to arrive attended a local school, but since they spoke no English, the Waldenses established a separate facility in January 1894…”. (2) From there, the Waldenses employed “missionary-minded” teachers paving the way for biblical schools. One reason they encouraged education was so that everyone could read/understand the Bible. 

Modern Day

Now, the town of Valdese is still full of Waldensian culture and heritage. Most of the original buildings remain, including the Waldensian church, the Waldensian Bakery and the Old Rock School. The Old Rock School houses the theater and art gallery where people can come to watch movies and see local art. Another thing you can do in the Old Rock School is go to the P&W Railroad Museum. The town of Valdese annually holds the Waldensian Festival where anyone can come and enjoy wine and live music. (3) Other ways they celebrate their heritage is the Trail of Faith tours* and the historical drama “From this Day Forward”**

More things that Valdese offers:

• Family Friday Nights that includes live concerts 
• Cruise-In
• Independence Day fireworks
• Homecoming Parade
• Christmas Parade
• Railroad Museum
• Waldensian Heritage Museum 
• Waldensian Heritage Winery

*The “Trail of Faith” is an outside tour that tells the story of the Waldensians of their journey from Italy to Valdese. (4) At the “Trail of Faith” you are immersed in the lives and culture of the Waldensians as they travel. You can go through the caves where they worshipped in secret. (4) You can “gaze upon the mountainside to the ancient ‘seminary’ where they translated the first full Bible into French”. (4) Over the course of the tour you can see various monuments and buildings that depict their journey. 

**Another form of celebration of the Waldensians is the play ”From this Day Forward”. It is the 4th longest running outdoor drama in North Carolina. (5) It tells the story of the Waldensians from Italy to Valdese, just like the Trail of Faith. The outdoor drama is split up in two acts, the first mostly about Italy and their persecution and the second act is about the founding of Valdese. (5 )They started the drama in 1967 and this year, 2020, will be their 52nd year performing. (5)

To commemorate the arrival of the Waldensians, an art piece at the old train depot depicts the train and a few Waldensian settlers. It was put up in 2018 to celebrate 125 years since the founding of Valdese. The art piece was created out of iron by Oak Hill Iron & Wood of Morganton, NC and designed by local artist Greg Mastin. (6)

Fun Facts: 

1. “Valdese” is the italian word for Waldensian (1) 

2. In 2015, Pope Francis went to a Waldensian church in Turin to ask forgiveness from the sect of the Catholic Church. (7)

3. “The Waldensians sometimes receive credit for being the first Protestants or the oldest evangelical movement”. (7)

4. The church they worshipped in, the Temple of Ciabas in Angrogna, Italy, “is thought to be the oldest church built from the ground up for Protestant worship”. (7)

1. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2020, April 23). Waldenses. Retrieved September 22, 2020, from https://www.britannica.com/topic/Waldenses
2. Steelman, Lala Carr. “Waldensians.” NCpedia, 2006, www.ncpedia.org/waldensians. 
3. Tourism. (2020). Retrieved October 06, 2020, from https://www.townofvaldese.com/community/
4. “waldensian_trail_of_faith_museum_in_valdese_north_carolina.” Trail, 2014, www.waldensiantrailoffaith.org/. 
5. Old Colony Players. “Old Colony Players Community Theatre.” Old Colony Players, 2020, oldcolonyplayers.com/outdoor-drama. 
6. Art On Main. 2020, www.townofvaldese.com/community/downtown-district/art-on-main/. 
7. Edmonds, Molly. “The Waldensians and One Small Town's Celebration of Immigration.” Slate Magazine, Slate, 31 Oct. 2018, slate.com/human-interest/2018/10/valdese-north-carolina-waldensian-immigration.html.