Hart Square

For more than thirty years, Dr. Robert Hart of Hickory has rescued and restored Carolina life of the nineteenth century, recreating an entire village, Hart Square—the largest collection of original historic log buildings in the United States.  Dating from 1782 to 1873, the seventy log structures—chapels, barns, houses, shops, and more—are all furnished, and volunteer artisans demonstrate the period techniques of cooking, pottery, making moonshine, music and so much more.  This incredible village (it truly is a total village) is nestled in a beautiful wooded spot, complete with a lake for fishing, just outside of town.

Mark and Leah spent the day exploring Hart Square, awe-struck by the magnitude, detail and authentic charm of this world that for the day (they only open it to the public once a year) transcends time.  Leah was in a suspended state of thrill seeing up close many of the elements of her beloved Little House on the Prairie books (a cotton gin, a wagon of hay drying in the sun, a one room schoolhouse, a “fancy” buggy, log houses with straw mattresses, smokehouses, root cellars...oh my!).  Our California roots were showing, we both immediately thought of what a great location it would be for filming- much to the dismay of the true historians standing next to us.

If you are contemplating a fall North Carolina trip, it is well worth planning it around this special event.  Seeing the rustic beauty and simplicity of the log homes was a good reminder to us that there is peace, truth and splendor in having less, in being useful, in sheltering your family with quilts, food and love.  Mark is thankful to be back to the time where doorways and ceilings are over six feet, Leah plans to walk to the library and check out a few of those old favorites (so sad, no clue where her original set of Little House books from childhood ended up) and maybe, just maybe, we can embrace that feeling of treasuring the basics and take it with us into the overdrive and chaos of modern life.