The WPA Cabin

Introduction

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The Southern Appalachian Historical Association's Hickory Ridge Living History Museum is home to seven log structures dating from the 1770s to the 1930s. Each cabin is used to portray a particular part of life from the North Carolina Backcountry in the 18th Century. Every Tuesday through Saturday their are tours of these cabins given by Historical Interpreters in period attire.

Images

WPA Cabin

Backstory and Context

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The WPA Cabin is the youngest cabin at the museum. It was built by the Works Progress Administration in 1935 as a bunkhouse for workers. Those workers helped to construct many buildings in Boone and on Appalachian State University’s campus. It was originally located on Appalachian’s campus where the Holmes Convocation Center is located now. When the center was set to be built in 1995 the cabin was donated to SAHA. Today it is used to portray a Longhunter cabin like what Daniel Boone stayed in during his time in the area. The cabin also houses one of the last WPA Buckeye stoves with most of them being sold and melted down during World War II.

Sources

Canipe, Steve. In the Evening West, Historical Reflections of the 60-year Tradition “Horn in the West 1952-2012. Southern Appalachian Historical Association, Boone, 2012.

“The Cabins of Hickory Ridge”. Southern Appalachian Historical Association, Boone, 2020, https://www.horninthewest.com/museum-cabins.

Image Sources(Click to expand)

Wendy Fletcher , “WPA Cabin ,” The History of Horn in the West and Hickory Ridge Living History Museum , https://sahahistory.omeka.net/items/show/69.