My family and I enjoyed a unique glimpse of the South's rural past at Horne Creek Living Historical Farm near Pinnacle in northwestern North Carolina.

A century ago, farmer Thomas Hauser, his wife and 12 children worked this prosperous 450-acre farm. Today, costumed interpreters (at right) still use horses and mules for muscle and transportation… grow heirloom vegetables in a large garden…and tend to heirloom crops like wheat, corn, oats, flax and tobacco.

The two-story farmhouse is filled with turn-of-the-century items, right down to muslin curtains in the kitchen and an 1890 pump organ in the parlor. A milk well keeps eggs and milk cool, and a 50-foot-deep well provides water.

Horne Creek Farm (308 Horne Creek Farm Rd.) is about 6 miles southwest of Pinnacle, which is along I-74/U.S. Highway 52 (Exit 129), about 30 miles northwest of Winston-Salem. From Pinnacle, follow the signs southwest on Perch Road for about 3-1/2 miles to Hauser Road, then turn right and drive 2-1/2 miles to the farm.

The living-history site is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. For more information, call 1-336/325-2298.