Steven and Betty RV Adventures

PINOLA, NC. On Friday, July 24th, we went to Boone to see the "Horn in the West" Museum. "Horn in the West" is used to refer to both the museum and the drama. "Horn in the West" is a "symbolic expression of the pioneer spirit hearing a 'Horn of Freedom' calling settlers toward the golden western frontier" to escape British tyranny. At that time, no one lived in present day Boone. It was part of the west to which they were fleeing. Even Daniel Boone lived elsewhere, but went there to hunt. He helped lead settlers there, who later named the town after him. None of these productions are the work of professionals, but rather local ancestors who pride themselves in presenting these works each summer to commemorate their history.

The "Horn in the West" Museum is an outdoor walking tour of old cabins that have been relocated to this place in Boone as a sort of colonial town even though these cabins came from locations where they resided alone in remote settings. Pioneer families needed to be large to help defend themselves against wildlife and Indians in those isolated places. That is also why cabins did not have large windows; that sort of thing was added later. Ancestors of the settlers resided in these cabins until recently.

Entry to the Museum

Betty Approaches the Museum Office

Betty Reviews the Merchandise

Closeup of Merchandise

Photos of Early Founders

Betty Purchases Tickets from Tour Leader

A Small Group on Our Tour

The first cabin on our tour was the WPA cabin. This was a settlers cabin repurposed during the depression in the 1930s for the use of the Works Progress Administration (WPA).

WPA Cabin

Mattress Would Be Filled with Moss or Grass

Lock Down Window to Keep Out Wildlife and Indians

View from Opposite Side

Note the hole in the wall added later to accommodate a wood stove exhaust pipe.

Betty Points Out Hole in Wall

Loft for Supplies

Loft from Opposite View

The Tatum cabin has been recently moved from its original location where ancestors of the settlers lived until recently. It is under renovation from the move, so we could not enter it. You will see one of the Tatum ancestors in the drama later on.

Tatum Cabin

The Tavern was a multi-purpose building in that day. It served as post office, restaurant, doctor's office, pharmacy, church, bar, etc.

The Tavern

Bills Posted on Front of Tavern

Inside the Tavern

Table and Bench for Restaurant

Food Preparation Area, Pulpit, and Bar

Hearth for Warmth and Cooking

Stream Shed to Cover Water Source

The next building is the Blacksmith Shop. In its day it would have been better arranged than it is now.

Blacksmith Shop

Messy View Inside Blacksmith Shop

Our final building is the Frazier cabin.

Frazier Cabin

Tour Guide Explains the Usage of the Weaving Loom

Yet Another Loom

Spinning Wheels, etc.

Thus ended the Museum tour. The main feeling as we walked away was one of great thanksgiving that we did not have to live under these conditions. The tedious preparations for everything. The exhaustion of daily duties. The lack of modern food and utensils. I suppose there is a sort of romance about pioneer living, but at this point in my life, it is lost on me.

On Thursday, July 30th, we drove to Boone to see the "Horn in the West" Drama. It is the nation's oldest Revolutionary War outdoor drama, performed in Boone each summer by local residents, many of whom have ancestors who participated in these events. It is the story of Daniel Boone and early settlers in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

The Outdoor Stage

Play Opens with Entire Cast Singing Shenandoah

Scenes of Dr Stuart's Home in the East

Scenes of Dr Stuart's Home in the West

The story line follows the migration of Dr Stuart and family from their fine home in the east of North Carolina, where he was researching a cure for smallpox, to the west of present day Boone, as he follows his son's rebellion against the British and eventually is convinced of the pioneers' cause. As it got dark, it became difficult to photograph scenes, but a few follow.