Winkler Bakery in Old Salem

In 1799, the church elders chose Thomas Butner to be the town’s new baker. Brother Butner hired Gottlob Krause to build a bakery with a living area for his family. Unfortunately, Brother Butner seemed to prefer farming and shoemaking to baking so, in 1807, congregation leaders brought in a new baker, Swiss-born Christian Winkler, from Pennsylvania. He bought the Bakery and the dwelling house from Brother Butner in 1807.Brother Winkler, his wife Elizabeth, and their six children would live and work in this house for the rest of their lives. When Brother Winkler began suffering from asthma, his sons carried on the work of the bakery. In the fall of 1827, the Winkler’s second son, William, officially took over his father’s business. William Winkler and his descendents resided and worked in the bakery for generations afterward, until 1926.The dome bake oven at Winkler is typical of bake ovens used in Salem, both in public buildings such as the Tavern and the Single Brothers’ Workshop, and in private homes such as the Vierling House. The Bakery’s oven is still heated with wood as it was nearly 200 years ago.