Style

July 2012 13
Style Spotlight~Where History Comes Alive!
By Melissa Haydon
Horse drawn
carriages carrying
folks wearing their
best could be seen
in the town square
in Heathsville, Virginia in the early
1800’s. Rice’s Tavern/Hughlett’s Hotel
(RHHT) was the central location for
the county. The men folk would come
to sell the fruits of their labor while
the women would come to purchase
much needed goods to run the home.
A visit to the tavern restaurant
after attending court or purchasing
or selling goods was common. Unlike
today, a quick run to the store was
not possible. Families had to live off
the land. That often meant long hard
days working the family farm. That
meant working from sunrise until
sunset on a daily basis. Children who
attended school went to a one room
school house and attending school
only until about fifth grade. Mothers
often made their children’s clothing
and items needed for the
home. This was an essential
way of life in those times.
Listening to Ellen
Hollows, Director of
Operations for Rice’s Hotel/
Hughlett’s Tavern, it clearly
shows in her voice
how much she
cares about what
she does. “This is a
1795 Courthouse
Tavern and not
many of them are
left standing in Virginia—
we are looking at a piece of
history” As we walk through
on a tour of the three bedroom
tavern it is almost like we
stepped back in time. From
the uneven floors to the
rooms that are set up just like they
would have been back in the 1800’s.
RHHT is on a mission to try and
preserve the arts of that era. The
Blacksmith, Woodworker, Quilt,
Spinners and Weavers, and the
Scrapbook Guild have all been
formed. Members of these guilds
meet on a regular basis. I had the
pleasure to tour the Blacksmiths shop
the day I visited. The Heathsville
Blacksmith Forge is set up with
a working coal forge powered
by a manual bellows. The Guild
fashions all types of metal work.
Two gentlemen were happily
pounding away on metal creating
wonderful works of art the day I
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visited. They have many items on
display for purchase and will happily
make something for you by request.
You could clearly see the pride in
their work as they showed me some
of the things they had created.
Recently, a college level
weaving class was offered to the
community at a much lower cost
than what would have been charged
elsewhere. Going forward they will
be offering many classes to the
community to further nurture the
creative spirit of the community.
Many events and programs are
offered throughout the year.
A fire in April of 2009 damaged
part of the building. The guilds came
together in unity and preserved
some of the history of the building.
Throughout the hotel you will see
handmade quilts and curtains by
the Quilters Guild. Also, the iron
curtain rods were fashioned by the
blacksmith from the Blacksmith
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Guild. An original quilt designed
by Anna Holland was destroyed in
the fire. This was replaced by the
guild in 2011 to match the one that
was destroyed. Without the guilds,
these would have been lost.
Rice’s Hotel/Hughlett’s Tavern is
trying to preserve that town square
environment by offering farmers
markets from spring through fall for
the past eight years. Local farmers and
art and craft vendors loyally return
each month for the market. This gives
local residents the opportunity to
purchase items all at one location as
you would have back in the 1800’s.
RHHT is run for the most part by
volunteers. Ellen explains that there
may be times when there is no one
there if you visit. Tour boards are
at every building with a wealth of
knowledge for its visitors. This could
be upcoming events or just the history
of the grounds or the buildings.
If you would like more information
about upcoming classes or events
check out the website for more
details. There is always something
being offered that may be of interest
to you. Visit www.rhhtfoundation.
org. The website offers a wealth of
knowledge into the history of RHHT
and the Guilds. I encourage you to
visit and soak in a little history.
Ellen Hollows with recreated quilt
after original was destroyed in the
fire. David works in blacksmith’s
shop Melissa Haydon photos.
mhaydon@chesapeakestyle.com