Hickory Ridge HomesteadLiving History MuseumOctober, 2007Hickory Ridge Homestead is a Living History museum located on the site of the Horn In The West outdoor drama in the mountains of Boone North Carolina. According to their website: "Created in 1980, the museum is meant to further the visitor's imagination and understanding about the life of the settlers in the "Horn in the West" drama. Visitors get insight into the lifestyle of early mountain settlers, how they lived, and what constituted a 'typical' mountain homestead. As well, the self sufficiency of our forefathers can best be shown through the routines and skills they possessed that we now think of as arts and crafts. People learn crafts by doing and watching others perform. From this idea grew the whole concept of a living museum and hands-on program."
Recommended Reading: Boone: A Biography " by Robert Morgan. Shannon Ravenel (September 2007)Click on the book cover at left to learn more at Amazon.com From Publishers Weekly : "Boone comes fully alive in his pages. Morgan's objectivity gives us a completely realized man, the greatest pioneer of the Trans-Appalachian west, who helped open Kentucky to settlement but kept going, settling eventually in Missouri. His luck was as legendary as his deeds, given what he seems to have escaped. Yet Morgan skillfully assesses and often questions the validity of all the tales of good fortune and heroism attached to Boone.." |
Over 7,000 students visit the museum each year and many visitors to the High Country make Hickory Ridge Homestead and the Horn in the West show a must-see, particularly for children. 
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Each year Hickory Ridge Homestead has its "Apple Festival" in October. (see the link to the High Country Press article below) During the festival the cabins are open and volunteers in costume demonstrate weaving, making apple butter and candles, blacksmithing and more. Admission to the festival is free.
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Horn in the West and Hickory Ridge Homestead Museum are productions of the Southern Appalachian Historical Association Inc. The association is a non-profit member organization dedicated to the preservation of the cultural heritage of the Southern Appalachian Region. 
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The Mountains of North Carolina are rich in history. The Cherokee Indians, Daniel Boone and other early explorers and settlers are an important part of the history of our country. At the Hickory Ridge Homestead Living Museum you can learn what life was like in the 1700s as our country was formed and expanded. For more information, call (828) 264-2120. 
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