Historic Preservation - Our Next Charity Selection!

There is nothing more delightful for our family than spending an afternoon outdoors.  We love taking walks in the woods and visiting community parks.  Several years ago, we spotted a historic park just off the highway.  What made this location special was that our first visit was an exploration of preserved buildings, beautiful gardens, lakes, trails and small museums.

This delightful location was none other than Historic Oak View County Park.  A restored 19th century farmstead, Historic Oak View features three museums: one at the main home with temporary exhibits, a cotton museum at the cotton gin house, and a farm history center.  There is a pecan grove, cotton field, gazebo and a water tower.

On our first visit many years ago, our daughter (4 years old at the time) had a fine time pretending to cook in the big stone fireplace at the plank kitchen.  She'd open the door, invite us in, show us her soup and push us out so we could do it all over again.  I swear we "visited" about 15 times in a row.

That day may have started her fascination with all things old - antique typewriters, homemade wax candles, feather pens with ink pots, even the cotton gin we saw at Oak View.  Sometimes the digital age just can't provide the same tactile experience of those simple machines of yore.

Historic preservation is so important to us.  Learning about our history helps provide a thread to our past and tells the story of our ancestors.  We decided to support a local organization that had a personal impace, therefore, our Charity of the Month is the Historic Oak View Park!

Historic Oak View is part of the "Raleigh Heritage Trail" that includes several historic sites, museums and facilities.  Read more at www.raleighheritagetrail.com

Donations to Historic Oak View can be mailed to:
Oak View
4028 Carya Drive
Raleigh, NC 27610

Photos of our visits to Oak View Park...