“A Crime Against the County” Thieves Ransack Cabins at Hickory Ridge Homestead By Jeff Eason Each year thousands of High Country residents and visitors take a trip back in time by touring Hickory Ridge Homestead—a collection of authentic 18th and 19th century cabins—located next to Horn in the West Amphitheatre in Boone. Authorities are now wondering if some of those visitors had something other than Blue Ridge Mountain history on their minds. Thieves used a bolt cutter to break into a donation box on the porch of the Tatum Cabin at Hickory Ridge Homestead. Photos by Jeff Eason Hickory Ridge Homestead museum director Zane Hope shows where thieves broke cabin windows to gain access during a burglary last weekend. A lone pewter soldier remains after thieves stole several others from the Hickory Ridge Homestead. On Monday, February 19th, it was discovered that some person or persons had broken into at least four of the cabins at Hickory Ridge Homestead over the weekend. Taken from the site were valuable antiques and tools plus new items from the Hickory Ridge Homestead’s museum and gift shop. All told, hundreds of items worth thousands of dollars were taken from the homestead. “The people who committed this crime knew what they were doing and only removed things of great value, while damaging the remaining artifacts,” said Virginia Roseman, community relations director for the Southern Appalachian Heritage Association (SAHA). Because of tire tracks left in the snow, authorities believe that the break-in occurred sometime between late Friday and late Saturday. Thieves used a truck or other vehicle and drove right up to the cabins before entering them by smashing through doors, breaking windows, and using heavy duty bolt cutters on padlocks. “Ancient 200 year-old doors were forced in,” said Steve Canipe of the SAHA. “The log cabins were damaged and ransacked. The museum store was entered and everything from ‘tin’ Revolutionary War soldiers to arrowheads were stolen and much of what wasn’t taken was damaged. “The blacksmith shop, restored last year by two dedicated young Civil War enthusiasts under the sponsorship of an anonymous donor, lost almost all of its irreplaceable, historical tools, including an 85-pound anvil.” Joe Coffey, a Deep Gap resident and historian, had recently donated most of the tools and other items stolen from the blacksmith cabin. Other items had been purchased from Coffey’s personal collection with money raised by Hickory Ridge Homestead volunteers and their families. The blacksmith shop is the newest addition to the park and was opened last August. The cabin features signage, doorknobs, and other fixtures that have been created on site. Because of last weekend’s break-in, the blacksmith shop will be closed until the homestead is able to replace the tools necessary for public demonstrations. “This is a crime against the county,” said Terry Hamilton of the SAHA. “This is our heritage, this is not merely a collection of antiques. The homestead and the Southern Appalachian Heritage Association will overcome this. But it is a serious setback.” In addition to the items belonging to Hickory Ridge Homestead, thieves also made off with personal property, mostly tools, belonging to volunteers who work at the historical site. At the homestead’s museum and gift shop, thieves stole approximately 30 arrowheads and other Native American artifacts, some deerskins that were mounted on the wall above the fireplace, and 30-40 hand-painted pewter Revolutionary War toy soldiers. Thieves opened boxes and the cash register in an attempt to find money but most likely came away without any due to it being the homestead’s off-season. At the Coffey Cabin, they broke into a donation box that was located on the porch but authorities believe there was little if any cash inside. The WPA Cabin was also burglarized, but authorities are still trying to determine what, if anything, was taken from the building. At the Tatum Cabin, the back door was kicked in, destroying some of the near-200-year-old craftsmanship. There, thieves took a variety of antique tools including a broad ax and an adze that were used to build the cabin. Several boxes of items had been pulled onto the back porch, leading authorities to speculate that thieves had broken into the Tatum Cabin during daylight hours and had taken the boxes from the darkness of the building into the light of the porch to see what was in them. After discovering the break-in on Monday, authorities from Hickory Ridge Homestead called the Boone Police who examined the scene at approximately 6:30 p.m. The police investigation is ongoing and SAHA authorities are considering offering a reward for information leading to an arrest or the return of the stolen items. “The value of the crime has yet to be determined, inventories must be made and losses sustained,” said Canipe. “Most wood in the cabins is original, dating back to the 1700s. “How do you measure the cost of something that can’t be replaced?” Experts from Hickory Ridge Homestead and the SAHA stated that many of the tools stolen from the blacksmith shop were from the late 1700s and early 1800s. Their value is estimated to be many thousands of dollars, according to the sale price of similar items in today’s antique market. The loss of these antiques is particularly painful for local history buffs still smarting from the closing of the Appalachian Cultural Museum in Boone this past year. “Whoever violated these treasures, stole from all of us,” said Canipe.