The Village of Hart Square: 1840s life captures hearts

October 28, 2010

A slight distance from Plateau Road in Vale exists a village, Hart Square, which has the largest collection of historic log buildings in the United States. Cars and buses lined up more than a mile Saturday, Oct. 23, for the 10 a.m. opening of the gates. Hart Square — owned, rescued and restored by Dr. Robert Hart — is a paradigm of Carolina life in the 19th century. Each year, on the fourth Saturday of October, Hart Square opens its gates for those eager to step back in time. By this time in October, the village (already framed within a particular time and space) is framed within autumnal landscapes, and brilliant fall colors reflect on the property’s pond. Each year, hundreds of volunteers, many of whom are skilled in their particular craft or art, demonstrate their techniques as they were performed centuries ago.

See the Oct. 28 edition of Outlook for two pages of photographs by Christian Harkins.