Located in the historic Moravian community of Salem, Salem College was originally a girls' school established by the Moravians, who believed strongly in equal education for men and women. On April 22, 1772, the "Little Girls' School" was founded. Sister Elisabeth Oesterlein, who travelled from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in 1766 at the age of 17, was hired as the first teacher. In its early years, the girls’ school at Salem was led by the Single Sisters, the unmarried women of the Moravian community. The Single Sisters lived together and were economically self-sufficient, a rarity for women in the eighteenth century. It became a boarding school in 1802 and in 1866 it changed its name to the "Salem Female Academy". The school began giving college diplomas in 1890. In 1907 the name was officially changed to "Salem Academy and College" and to this day both Salem Academy and Salem College share the campus adjacent to Old Salem. Salem College History Salem Academy - About Salem - History