Sunday, September 20, 2020

Taking a break

Wife and i decided that the big city was driving us both bonkers and we needed a break to decompress.  We wanted to go camping but this Wuhan thing has everyone outh there nowadays.  Wasn't a tent site available inside a 5 hour drive from home.  So on a whim I looked up cabin rentals.  then this gem showed up.   200 year lod cabin, been in the same family for over 100 years.  built in 1803, rebuilt and "modernized" (lights, indoor plumbing, kitchen) in the 1980's.  

3 1/2 hours from home, 100 bucks a night (each bedroom was 100 bucks a night so if using all three...300 bucks a night).  


Picked up the keys and drove down the road.  instructions were interesting "Drive north on county road across the bridge.  Look for collapsing house on right hand side of road and take next left.  When you come to the fork in the road stay right and follow to house".  

The pic above is the gate to the place.


Here is the cabin.  Those beams were damned impressive.  All hand hewn.  Reading about the restoration, they numbered all the beams and took them down, built the new foundation using native rock in the area and rebuilt it.  It is actually two cabins joined together.  The current owners stated that her great grandfather was tired of a small place so he took apart another cabin from down the road and joined them together...over a 100 years ago!  Funny thing was that if you wanted to go from one cabin to the next, you had to go outside to go to the other side!  He only built the porch to cover you as you walked from one to the other!

This, right here, this is where the World Championship Porch Setting Finals should be held.  Just a beautiful scene across from you while sitting there.  They have all the old horse drawn farm equipment sitting out there.  You can hear the breeze through the trees, the cows mooing at the farm next door, the birds singing....



This is a two sided fireplace.  The other side is in the master bedroom.  The arrow and spear points displayed her great grandfather found on the property as a young boy (property was originally 200 acres, now is 70).  The mantle piece is a slab of cedar her great grandfather acquired.  After a storm he was walking around and came across a huge old cedar tree that had fallen.  He asked the owners if he could have some of the wood and salvaged two slabs to make the mantles out of...one here and the other in the master bedroom.

Unfortunately, there were no fires allowed in the house.  Due to the historical nature of the house (it is listed on the National Register of Historical Places) no open flames or smoking is allowed.  Can't blame them, I am sure those timbers are so dry by now a random spark would set that place ablaze.


An old surry buggy we found in the equipment shed.  


I am sure this bell tolled for many a dinner time back in the day to call the men and kids in from the fields for supper.  

The current owner of the house (fifth generation I believe) had lots of history all over the place in the house and had it all documented in a booklet.  She had the room and what the history of all the pieces in that room were.   there was a book that was filled with pictures of the rebuilding, original letters from the Civil War, pictures of family members, just history everywhere.  

All in all it was an outstanding relaxing time and the wife and I are good to go for another round!!
 

1 comment:

ASM826 said...

I've been there a few times. That's "The Old Place" in Mebane, NC.