Hart Square
We stepped back in time for a few brief hours... and how hard it was to step forward again. What a privilege to make some music at Hart Square, the largest privately owned 19th century log village in the world. Over forty years ago, Dr. Bob Hart bought 100 acres in Vale, NC for a small wildlife preserve. A neighbor mentioned that his old log cabin would look nice on Dr. Hart's property. So Dr. Hart moved the log cabin and found the passion of his life. He has since moved 92 log and wooden structures from the Catawba County area to Hart Square, now comprising 200 beautiful acres, constructing a lovely village and preserving a portion of NC history that would have otherwise been lost. Once a year, for only one day, Dr. Hart opens Hart Square to the public. For this one day, always the fourth Saturday in October, the whole village comes to life with over 200 reenactors. Truly, this was like nothing we had ever seen. How appreciative we are of Dr. Hart for his vision of preserving a part of NC for future generations.
The surveyor - he really knew his stuff. Very fascinating!
The chuck wagon - homemade biscuits and stew. There's nothing better.
Blacksmithing
The cotton press
Spinning flax into linen
Eustace Conway from Turtle Island Preserve (a 1,000-acre primitive living site and educational camp just outside Boone, NC)
The ferry ride was the highlight for all the younger folk. Fortunately, everyone stayed upright and dry.
Making moonshine will get a fellow locked away for a while...
Here is a video I put together of our day at Hart Square. We could have spent days exploring this amazing village.
The following is a video produced by NC PBS showing Hart Square and an interview with Dr. Bob Hart.