Charlotte Observer, 1953
By Valerie Nicholson
SOUTHERN PINES, Nov. 28 — It took a sharp eye to see anything of interest or beauty in the tumble-down cabin, standing — or rather, leaning — in a scraggly overgrown field. Its door and windows were blind, staring holes. Its chimney had collapsed into a scattered pile of rocks.
The sharp eye which spied it was that of Mrs. J. W. Causey, driving along a road in upper Moore County one day last spring with her friends Mrs. Ernest L. Ives and Mrs. Katherine McColl. Mr. Ives and Mr. Causey were along, too. Members of the Moore County Historical Association, they were hunting up an old house they had heard about."Look there," said Mrs. Causey, who is the sister of Fred Weaver, dean of students at the University at Chapel Hill. "See that log cabin — I bet it's more than 200 years old."
Events proved that she was right. The cabin turned out to be a genuine pioneer home, a relic — one of the very few left — of the original Scottish settlement of pre-Revolutionary years.
Today the cabin, carefully moved and authentically restored, stands in Southern Pines as part of a larger restoration. It stands on the grounds of the Shaw House, quaint cottage home of olden days, one of the states most famous and charming restoration projects, which has been owned by the Moore County Historical Association since 1946, operated as a non-profit museum and tea room during the Sandhills season.
Sunday, November 29, the Shaw House will reopen with a tea from 2 to 6 p.m., and opening with it will be its new acquisition, the log cabin, set up as a "cookhouse and weave-house" in the tradition of olden times.
When the Scottish settlers first came, says Mrs. Ives, who is president of the association and an ardent researcher of the past, they built simple but strong and sturdy log cabins as immediate shelter for their families. Later, after the land was cleared and farming was going along pretty well — also, as the families grew — they built more commodious homes near by. The cabins were retained for purely utilitarian purposes — cooking and weaving. Much family activity centered around them.
Visitors to the cabin Sunday — and later, for the project will be open every afternoon from 2 to 6 o'clock until April & you will see a true re-creation of the past. It has been furnished with an amazing collection of authentic items — the utensils and implements of everyday life in the self-sufficient pioneer home, secured through gift or purchase from descendants of their original owners. Here are all the things used by the family which not only did all the household chores but spun and wove its own cloth, cobbled its own shoes and made its own candies.
Many of the articles came from the Shaw House, others have been secured in the last few months, through members of the association, and by combing the countryside. Antiques are subjected to a rigid screening process, for appropriateness and well as authenticity. No matter how old they are, they don't rate unless they're right for a simple pioneer home.
Women of the country's home demonstration clubs are very interested in the project, and through them some of the best items have been secured.
Here the seeker after the real thing in North Carolina's past will see the big bulky loom, still in fine working order on which it is planned to hold weaving exhibits in the spring. Near by are the spinning wheels for cotton, wool and flax. Beside the six-foot fireplace with its frame of white clay hangs the big iron kettle, and other iron cookware stands about the clay hearth covered in fine white sand.
Here are the wooden shoe-lasts — child-size, medium and large — by which footwear for the whole family was made during the long winter evenings. Yonder are two bread-trays hollowed out of solid wood, satin-smooth with a century of dough-kneading.
After the cabin was found north of Carthage, it was quite a job tracing its ownership. It was found the land was originally granted to one Hardy Sanders, and remained in the Sanders family until 1905. It then passed into the hands of the Beebe family, which sold it to Allen and Hogan of Montgomery County, buyers of land for timbering purposes. When approached by the Association in regard to sale of the cabin for restoration purposes, the owners generously gave it to them.
Moving and restoring it, though, was a delicate, tedious and costly process. Of the total cost of about $2,000, one-half was given by the Woodland Foundation, the other half by subscription among the association membership. Jim Causey supervised the arrangements, while the actual work was done by Roy Newton, local builder. Mr. Newton happens to be a great-grandson of C.C. Shaw, who built the Shaw House as his home about 1825, and for this reason took more than usual interest in the work.
Greensboro Daily News, Nov 29, 1952
By Valerie Nicholson
SOUTHERN PINES, Nov. 28
It took a sharp eye to see anything of interest or beauty in the tumbledown cabin, standing or rather, leaning in a scraggly overgrown field. Its door and windows were blind, staring holes. Its chimney had collapsed into a scattered pile of rocks.
The sharp eye which spied it was that of Mrs. J. W. Causey, driving along a road in upper Moore County one day last spring with her friends Mrs. Ernest L. Ives and Mrs. Katherine McColl. Mr. Ives and Mr. Causey were along, too. Members of the Moore County Historical Association, they were hunting up an old house they had heard about. "Look there," said Mrs. Causey, who is the sister of Fred Weaver, dean of students at the university at Chapel Hill. "See that log cabin? I bet it's more than 200 years old."
Genuine Pioneer Home
Events proved that she was right. The cabin turned out to be a genuine pioneer home, a relic of the original Scottish settlement of pre-Revolutionary years.
Today the cabin, carefully moved and authentically restored, stands in Southern Pines as part of a larger restoration. It stands on the grounds of the Shaw House, quaint cottage home of olden days, one of the states most famous and charming restoration projects, which has been owned by the Moore County Historical Association since 1946, operated as a non-profit museum and tea room during the Sandhills season.
Sunday, November 29, the Shaw House will reopen with a tea from 2 to 6 p.m. and opening with it will be its new acquisition, the log cabin, set up as a "cookhouse and weave-house" in the tradition of olden times.
Simple But Strong
When the Scottish settlers first came, says Mrs. Ives, who is President of the association, they built simple but strong and sturdy log cabins as immediate shelter for their families. Later, after the land was cleared and farming was going along pretty well also, as the families grew they built more commodious homes near by. The cabins were retained for purely utilitarian purposes cooking and weaving.
Visitors to the cabin Sunday and later, for the project will be open every afternoon from 2 to 6 o'clock until April will see a true re-creation of the past. It has been furnished with an amazing collection of authentic items the utensils and implements of everyday life in the self-sufficient pioneer home, secured through gift or purchase from descendants of their original owners. Here are all the things used by the family which not only did all the household chores but spun and wove its own cloth, cobbled its own shoes and made its own candies.
Links Past to Present
Here the seeker after the real thing in North Carolina's past will see the big bulky loom, still in fine working order, on which it is planned to hold weaving exhibits in the spring. Nearby are the spinning wheels for cotton, wool and flax. Beside the six-foot fireplace with its frame of white clay hangs the big iron kettle, and other cookware stands about the clay hearth covered in fine white sand.
Here are the wooden shoe-lasts by which footwear for the whole family was made during the long winter evenings. Yonder are two bread-trays hollowed out of solid wood, satin-smooth with a century of dough-kneading.
After the cabin was found north of Carthage, it was quite a job tracing its ownership. It was found the land was originally granted to one Hardy Sanders, and remained in the Sanders family until 1903. It then passed into the hands of the Beebe family, which sold it to Messrs. Allen and Hogan of Montgomery County, buyers of land for timbering purposes. When approached by the association in regard to sale of the cabin for restoration purposes, the owners generously gave it to them.
Restoration Was Delicate Job
Moving and restoring it, though, was a delicate, tedious and costly process. Of the total cost of about $2,000, one-half was given by the Woodland Foundation, the other half by subscription among the association membership. Jim Causey supervised the arrangements, while the actual work was done by Roy Newton, local builder.
While most of the original timbers could be used in the restoration, there had to be some replacements and additions. A new roof was made, of wood shingles handriven in the old style. The floor, which had rotted away, was laid of wide boards secured from another old house. The steep ladder-like stair landing to the loft had to have new steps.
The chimney, and its integration with the roof, is one of the cabin's most interesting features. The house joins the roof with a thick squared log laid on a slant, and extending quite a way beyond the wall at one end. The cave follows the log on out, to cover the chimney in protective fashion. None of those involved in the restoration had ever seen a roof built like this, apparently to shield the chiseled rock from rain.