~   Twenty-fourth Annual Village Festival at Hart Square   ~
~   October 24th, 2009   ~

For over 30 years, Dr. Robert and Becky Hart have been involved with building what has become the 1840s Village of Hart Square, which sits on about 200 acres in Catawba County. This includes the air strip from which Dr. Hart flies, often locating old buildings that he will eventually savage and reconstruct as part of Hart Square. Over the years, Dr. Hart has always been personally involved with the de-construction and reconstruction of the many log structures. He particularly enjoys rebuilding the fireplaces and chimneys, many of which are built with either the original hand-made bricks or local soapstone. Searching for items to authentically furnish the buildings, inside and out, is another favorite pastime, and a source of many adventures. Hart Square is reputed to have the largest collection of hand-hewn log structures on a single site in the United States, most of which were originally located in the general vicinity of Hart Square.

2009 was the 24th year that the Hart's have opened the Village to the general public. Tickets are necessarily limited in number and rapidly sell out each year. I first participated in 1993 and, unfortunately, do not have a map and list for that year. In 1994, there were 60 'stops' on the map. Many were buildings with one or more demonstrators doing different activities, while some stops featured outdoor activities, such as cider-making, split oak shingle making, rope making, trail cooking, natural dying (wool), the bee-hive oven, and the pottery kiln. The 2009 map shows 93 stops, an increase in both buildings and outside activities.

For each of many years, Dr. Hart has been promised his wife that there would be no more new (old) buildings. A sincere promise that lasts until someone locates and offers a building that is different than any currently on the property. 2008 - 2009 marked the addition of what is now the oldest building in the Village; 1763 according to the date on both a hand-made brick in the chimney and noted again on the original wood mantel. That building was located only twelve miles from Hart Square.

In the years that I have been participating, the Harts have added the grist mill (complete with a nearby hidden still), another Episcopalian chapel, a doctor's home, the doctor's office, the post office/stagecoach stop, the fishing shack with the rope-propelled raft to its island location, a Native American cabin and two fantastic Native American bark houses, a covered bridge, a horse or mule-drive cotton gin, a cotton baler with a huge wooden screw ..... just a few of a very long list of buildings outfitted to be fully functional to their intended use. The cotton baler is of modern construction (an extremely rare exception), but is true to authentic design and operation, and immediately produced the first hand baled cotton in North Carolina in nearly 100 years

The goal is to make everything as authentic as is reasonably possible. This has involved a great deal of research on their part, not only on the history of the buildings, but also the authenticity of the reconstruction, because many were substantially altered over time. In some instances, original parts were missing or decayed and needed to be replaced as authentically as possible. The same is true of the furnishings. The Hart's have documented, to the greatest extent possible, the history of each of their buildings and the original use; although the current use is not necessarily the same as its original function.

The old expression 'sleep tight' allegedly comes from these rope beds. As the rope stretches, it became necessarily to occasionally tighten the rope to make a firm surface for the straw or feather tickings/mattresses.

There is great pleasure in having current generation family members visit and see how their families lived. I was fortunate to be bobbin lacing on a day when a man came through the Barger House who had lived in it while it was still a residence in Hickory. (It later had other uses, including Girl Scout headquarters). They did not know that the main structure was a log cabin until a telephone repair man brought it to their attention. In the interim, it had been resurfaced on the inside, re-sided outside, a kitchen added in the back with bedrooms on one end and other rooms tacked on the other end. He had no relation to the family of the builders of the home but his fascination with the history of the structure was evident. It is not unusual for descendents of the original families to come to visit these memories of their past. Often, several related local area families maintain their connection with a single structure that is part of their joint ancestral history.

This annual event involves a tremendous number of volunteers. The air strip is converted to serve as a parking lot. People have to take tickets, hand out maps, direct traffic - all of the logistics associated with a major event. The Harts try to have at least two hostesses to share duty in each house; to keep an eye on the tremendous number of antiques, answer questions, and volunteer information on the history of the building (for the original building, other uses over the years if applicable, and the reconstruction and furnishing at Hart Square). There are weavers and spinners in several of the houses. Duplicating activities in this way also enables visitors a better opportunity to see these old activities from a close-up perspective and to ask questions. Because there are so many structures, so much area, and so many activities, it is impossible to see everything even if the visitor arrives at the moment the gates open and stays until the last minute. Also, as an example, one weaving loom is not the same as another ..... and even if similar in structure, having multiple looms and weavers enables Hart Square to show the different items that a single loom could have produced, depending on the needs of the family.

There have to be some modern considerations, of course, partially for safety purposes (i.e. smoke alarms and fire extinguishers) and also for weather. Therefore, you will see the occasional modern blue tarps stretched over outdoor activities rather than a more authentic waterproofed canvas. Some activities simply cannot be moved indoors if it is raining or cold or both. These modern concessions offer a bit of protection for demonstrators to be reasonably comfortable, and very few activities cannot go on as planned for the hardy visitor. For myself, I'm happy to be ensconced near the blazing fireplace - but still, in some years I have worked in thermal unmentionables and a long wool coat/cape, and been marginally comfortable. There has always been some attentive gentleman willing to add wood to the fire and keep it going but, trust me, that is not equivalent to central heat and being warm by today's standards. Some years both visitors and demonstrators get a really authentic 'feel' for what life was like at that time. Would I stay home - no way! If I ever keel over at Hart Square, bury me in the cemetery with the mule.