Cabin Keepers: A High Country foundation is protecting historic log structures for future generations

Nestled in the quiet, farming community of Vale is a unique educational facility showcasing preserved log cabins from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. At 200 acres, Hart Square Village is the largest of its kind in the country. Although it became a nonprofit in 2005, Hart Square Village has offered a unique glimpse into lives past for forty years.

There are 103 cabins and corn cribs on site, dating from 1760-1880, notes Rebecca Hart, executive director of Hart Square Foundation. Rebecca is the granddaughter of Dr. Bob Hart, who created the village. In 1973, he moved an old log cabin onto his property, log by log, and was so enamored with the restoration, history, and cultural importance, he amassed the structures currently on site.

Along with volunteers and family members, Dr. Hart and his wife Becky worked as a team, Rebecca says. Dr. Hart drove an old, heavy truck to the cabins’ sites and disassembled them, log by log. Rebecca grew up playing in the cabins, picking up nails, and other chores.

Some of the old buildings were in disrepair, which required washing each log with Murphy’s Soap and linseed oil. “He would then tag them, making them easier to put back together,” Rebecca says. For the logs that were beyond restoration because of water damage or termites, Dr. Hart used other, similar timber.

Rebecca came aboard in 2014, establishing the foundation and raising $4 million for the educational facility, which fully opened to the public in 2021. She has also modernized aspects of the Village, incorporating mission-driven events with hands-on classes, tours, and events. The buildings, along with more than 10,000 antique artifacts, are from Western North Carolina and the state’s Piedmont region. While the painstakingly-preserved cabins may be the main attraction, there is so much more to enjoy at the Village, including workshops on revered Appalachian traditions, history, culture, crafts classes, tours, field trips for students, and more.

“I want people to feel something about our cabins,” the former teacher explains. “We see kids using their critical thinking skills . . . They’re making cornhusk dolls, for example, something they are proud of, and we are passing along knowledge about crafts and other cultures.”

Though the nonprofit holds no formal event to raise funds, there is an annual Heritage Fall Crafts Festival in which 550 artisan volunteers dress in period attire. Visitors can witness old Appalachian traditions, such as hay baling, and apple butter making, while enjoying music.

In December, guests can enjoy activities during Christmas in the Village, attend services at a chapel dating to 1844, sing Christmas carols, and interact with historical interpreters and artists who demonstrate Appalachian yuletide traditions.

Hart Square Village
5055 Hope Rd., Vale
(828) 222-3727
hartsquare.com