Tag Archives: Hart Square

Country Store

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Built circa 1790 by John and Susan Little, this is one of the older structures at Hart Square. It is unclear if this building served as a country store, but as it has been restored, it is a beautiful example of one. The inside is chock full of period wares, which give a fantastic feel for what one of these establishments must have been like once upon a time.

Becky Hart has furnished each cabin with artifacts from the 1800s that she and Bob Hart have collected over the past 60 years at flea markets and estate sales all over the Eastern United States; such are displayed inside the Country Store.

Country Store

Inside Country Store

Snuff Inside Country Store

Pit Saw

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A pit saw is a large, specialized saw operated by two people to cut logs into planks. One person, the pitman, stands in a pit or under a trestle below the timber being sawed while the other person stands on top of the wood and pulls the saw.

Though this log cabin was designated as a Pit Saw at Hart Square and used for such activity, it was surprising to see various-sized grinding stones hanging on it, which have nothing to do with cutting wood.

Pit Saw

Pit Saw Sign

Pit Saw Side View

Pit Saw Corner View

Hicks and Bradshaw Grist Mill

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In Hart Square, parts of two old water mills, circa 1760, were used to reconstruct this 18th-century grist mill, which was operational until 1957. The grist mill was one of the most important businesses in early settlements. Settlements frequently appeared as a direct result of the existence of a grist mill. The importance was due to the fact that this was where people brought their corn and grain to be processed, two foodstuffs that were staples of life then as well as now.

Grist Mill

Entry to Grist Mill

Peace of Chapel Reflections

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The Chapel of Peace at Hart Square is at the lower end of Upper Lake. This old log church is a complete original circa 1871. It served an Episcopal congregation in the nearby community of Whitnel, North Carolina, and operated as a place of worship until around 1920.

The views of the chapel over the Upper Lake offer striking reflections on the water from various angles. The moon in the sky adds to the image.

Chapel Reflections

Chapel of Peace Reflections with a Moon in the Sky

A Wider View of Chapel Reflections

Closeup of the Chapel Midst Nature

Walker Covered Bridge at Hart Square

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Walker Covered Bridge was moved to Hart Square and restored in 1999. It is the least historic of all the structures at Hart Square. This 17-year-old covered bridge provides a unique walkway from the main ‘street’ across the dam to the Chapel of Peace. The window provides a view of the other side of the Upper Lake.

Walker Bridge

View from the Bridge Window

Bridge Leading Out

Covered Bridge to the Chapel

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The Walker Covered Bridge at Hart Square leads to the Chapel of Peace.

Most of America’s covered bridges were built between 1825 and 1875. By the 1870s, most bridges were covered at the time of construction. The original reason for the cover was to protect the bridge’s trusses and decks from snow and rain, preventing decay and rot.

Covered Bridge to the Chapel

Cross Top Bell on the Chapel

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Here is an image of a bell and cross above the Chapel of Peace at Hart Square.

A steeple bell was first used as a community emergency alarm to call citizens together in case of fire, marauders, or bad weather. The cross symbolizes faith, hope, and charity, the three theological virtues of Christianity. 

Cross Top Bell on the Chapel

Hart Square Village

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Our Catawba Valley Camera Club went on a private excursion to Hart Square Village last month, and we will post images captured there in the coming weeks.

Hart Square (located in Vale, North Carolina) is the nation’s most extensive collection of historic log cabins. Dr. Bob Hart, with the help of friends and volunteers, envisioned rescuing these pioneer structures and moving them to Hart Square to be preserved and enjoyed by the public. The square has 103 structures and is laid out well with an informative map and well-marked signs.

Hart Square Sign

Hart Square Village Map

Guidance Sign

Bench View – Hart Park Chapel on the Lake

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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

Bench View – Chapel at Hart Square Village

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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

A Mix of Patterns and Textures

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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 Mix of Patterns and Textures