Hillsborough celebration revels in antiquity

About noon Saturday, downtown Hillsborough traveled back in time to celebrate its 250th anniversary.

The downtown Hillsborough merchants sponsored the Harvest Moon Festival, which brought the locals back to what the town was like circa 1900.

Julia Williams, owner of Brick Alley Books in the town's historic district and a member of the downtown Hillsborough merchants, helped organize the all-day festival.

"We put a lot of special events together ourselves," she said. "This year, we are keeping all of our downtown events to a different historical period in Hillsborough's history."

On Churton Street, the district's main street, antiques from the early 1900s were displayed in shop windows and locals dressed in period costumes, leaving any event-goer with a feeling of nostalgia.

Cake walks, pie sales and even a scavenger hunt were all part of the day's festivities.

The proceeds from the sales were donated to the first responders of the Hillsborough Fire Department to help with its request for a new defibrillator machine.

Wesley Woods, a local resident, displayed antiques such as an old butter churn, plow and sled in the store window of his hardware store, the Dual Supply Company, at 115 W. King St.

"We collect (antiques) not just because of how old they are, but because they are antiques," he said.

Woods' family dates back in the town for more than 200 years, so he was more than willing to contribute to the festival.

"All of the pictures are of old buildings that were here and have been remodeled," Woods said, commenting on the old photographs that were displayed in store windows throughout the town.

Andy Zeman, co-owner of Benjamin Vineyards & Winery, stood by his antique wine press and demonstrated how it was used in 1900 at the Hillsborough Wine Company, located at 200 S. Churton St.

"This has been handed down in our family," he said. "My grandfather used to make wine with it during prohibition."

Inside the store there was a wine tasting, along with a barber shop quintet serenading the customers and filling the store with ragtime spirit. The quintet Mebanesville consisted of wine company regulars who volunteered to sing for the festival.

Further down Churton Street, festival-goers could get a detailed view of buggies and automobiles that thrived during the 1900 era. A 1931 Ford Model A Deluxe Roadster, a 1900 sleigh and an 1890 Amish courting buggy were all put on display by Hillsborough local J.C. Huskins.

The town was founded in 1754, but Williams said the reason they chose to center the festival on the 1900s is because it is a period that is often overlooked.

"It's a very interesting period," she said.

The downtown Hillsborough merchants sponsored this event and will sponsor The Hillsborough Homefront in November. The event will commemorate World War II in efforts to kick off the town's food drive that will run through December.

Merchants plan to organize more historical events such as the Harvest Moon Festival annually. "We usually have historical exhibits and living history displays," Williams said.

Williams said the merchants' weekly meetings manage to evoke a "pool of participation" from locals who want to be involved in planning and organizing events.

Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.