One of the most memorable vistas at Hart Square (North Carolina) – is the Chapel of Peace sited on a gentle hill beneath the treeline across the upper lake.
A bench view of the serenity of the chapel reflections in the lake.
Hart Park Chapel on the Lake
View from the benches inside the Chapel of Peace, Hart Square Village, North Carolina
Inside the Chapel
For over forty years, Dr. Robert Hart, a family physician in Hickory, North Carolina, has rescued and restored Carolina life of the nineteenth century, creating in the rolling countryside of Catawba County an entire village – the largest collection of original, historical log structures in the United States. From corn cribs and barns, to houses and chapels, and even a few outhouses, the Hart Square village has preserved over ninety original structures, all but two originally sited within a sixty mile radius of Hart Square, which is located south of Hickory about twenty minutes by car.
Here is a bench view of the Chapel in the Hart Square Village.
A Place to Worship
An example of the various materials of different textures and patterns used in the old buildings at Hart Square (A village from the 1800s preserved in its entirety right here in the hills of Hickory, North Carolina.)
Kudos to Bob Hart, a doctor, who has been going and going for 40 years now on this land. He’s gathered 100 buildings from the surrounding counties and moved them to this 200-acre haven. He’s stuffed the cabins with beds, chairs, food, dresses, shoes, brooms, medicine. Each structure represents a part of this village he calls Hart Square.
I hope you enjoyed this series on the amazing buildings and structures at Hart Square.
A Mix of Patterns and Textures
A water wheel for an old mill at Hart Square (A village from the 1800s preserved in its entirety right here in the hills of Hickory, North Carolina.)
A Water Wheel
A welcoming porch with chairs to rest but no people at Hart Square (A village from the 1800s preserved in its entirety right here in the hills of Hickory, North Carolina.)
An Empty Porch
Pottery from the past at Hart Square (A village from the 1800s preserved in its entirety right here in the hills of Hickory, North Carolina.)
Relics from the Past
An outdoor workshop from the past at Hart Square (A village preserved in its entirety. A ghost town from the 1800s, right here in the hills of Hickory, North Carolina.)
A Workshop from the Past
An interior depicting the living place of an old home Hart Square (A village preserved in its entirety. A ghost town from the 1800s, right here in the hills of Hickory, North Carolina.)
A Living Room from the Past
A covered porch to store the wagon at Hart Square (A village preserved in its entirety. A ghost town from the 1800s, right here in the hills of Hickory, North Carolina.)
A Porch for the Wagon
A view from inside a country store from the past at Hart Square (A village preserved in its entirety. A ghost town from the 1800s, right here in the hills of Hickory, North Carolina.)
Inside an Old-fashioned Country Store
Memories of an old-fashioned grocery store from the past at Hart Square (A village preserved in its entirety. A ghost town from the 1800s, right here in the hills of Hickory, North Carolina.)
A Country Store
A rustic home from the past at Hart Square (A village preserved in its entirety. A ghost town from the 1800s, right here in the hills of Hickory, North Carolina.)
A Home with a Porch
Old grinding wheels decorate the wall of a shed at Hart Square (A village preserved in its entirety. A ghost town from the 1800s, right here in the hills of Hickory, North Carolina.)
Old Grinding Wheels
Inside the Chapel of Peace at Hart Square (A village preserved in its entirety. A ghost town from the 1800s, right here in the hills of Hickory, North Carolina.)
Inside the Chapel
A chapel at Hart Square (A village preserved in its entirety. A ghost town from the 1800s, right here in the hills of Hickory, North Carolina.)
A Chapel of Peace by the Lake
An old water mill at Hart Square (A village preserved in its entirety. A ghost town from the 1800s, right here in the hills of Hickory, North Carolina.)
A Water Mill at Hart Square
Hart Square – there are no people here. Only cabins. Rows and lines of them zigzagging across the land like an Etch A Sketch drawing. Scores of logs stacked on top of each other. There’s a tavern. Tobacco barn. Water well. Doctor’s office. Post office. School. Teeter-totters. Moonshine still. Cotton gin. Church. General store. Print shop.
A village preserved in its entirety. A ghost town from the 1800s, right here in the hills of Hickory, North Carolina.
Bob Hart, a doctor, has been going and going for 40 years now on this land. He’s gathered these 100 buildings from the surrounding counties and moved them to this 200-acre haven. He’s stuffed the cabins with beds, chairs, food, dresses, shoes, brooms, medicine. Each structure represents a part of this village he calls Hart Square.
I have captured some images and portrayed them in a historical tone. Here is a cottage from the past ….
A Rustic Cottage
Photos by Ravi 