RIVER WALK, HILLSBOROUGH, NC: Reliving History at Occaneechi Village

Historic replica of Occaneechi Village, Hillsborough, NC

In late November, on a cool but bright fall day, we took a walk along the Eno River in Hillsborough, North Carolina, with our family. The Riverwalk path follows the river bank through the town park and links with other hiking trails. Not far from where we joined the trail near the Weaver Street Market we came upon Occaneechi Village, a historic replica of a native American village as it would have been in 1701.

Thatched dwelling.

At that time the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation lived on the land, growing food and hunting in the surrounding forest. The village was an important trade location where the Occaneechi people traded with Europeans as well as nearby tribes such as the Tuscarora. Many descendants of the Occaneechi tribe continue to live in Hillsborough.

Village surrounded by stockade of wooden posts.

Inside a stockade of wooden stakes are several thatched dwellings, open air shelters, places to build fires and prepare food, and other work areas.

Sample of caulking along the lower part of the stockade.

Openings between the wooden stakes could be filled with a lattice of sticks caulked with mud.

River Park path.

After exploring Occaneechi Village we continued walking along the paved path through River Park. 

Map of the Oxbow archeological site.

Signs further along the trail explained the historic significance of this location. Toward the end of our two mile walk we learned that archeological research of the ten-acre site within the oxbow bend of the Eno River has revealed that it was home to Occaneechi villages going back to 1000 A.D.

Footbridge across Eno River at Oxbow.

At the bridge near the oxbow, the trail veers away from the river bank and heads into the forest. We turned around here and headed back to our car. (A large parking garage is located near the trail head.) On our way back we passed a deer busy browsing, who paid little attention to us or other walkers.

Deer.

Occaneechi Village is located along the Riverwalk, within River Park, behind the Farmer’s Market Pavilion in Hillsborough. It is open 8am to 7pm. Hillsborough is about a half-hour drive from Chapel Hill, where our daughter and her family live.

Puppet Parade, Hillsborough, NC

Giant puppets are animated with large sticks.

Picture giant handmade puppets, rollicking ragtime bands, performers on stilts, dancing troupes, and hundreds of children and adults marching through the streets of a small North Carolina town celebrating the diversity of their community.  In October 2010, when we were in North Carolina visiting family, we went to the handmade puppet parade to watch our granddaughter’s Girl Scout troop carry their giant caterpillar “puppet” through the streets of Hillsborough, a historic town not far from where they live in Chapel Hill.

Caterpillar created by the Girl Scouts

  The girls had spent weeks assembling their caterpillar with cloth, paint, and hula hoops.  It resembled a giant Chinese New Year dragon and required several girls to carry it.  The girls took turns and we followed along, marveling at the ingenuity of the “puppets” which, in some cases, towered over our heads and required teams to adults to move them along and to operate their limbs and other moving parts with long sticks.  The theme was wildlife found along the Eno River, which runs through the town.  We saw various bird puppets, including a great blue heron, a woodpecker and an egret, a giant decorative snake created by a local school class, bugs of all sorts, and some imaginative creatures.  It was a perfect fall day and a wonderful low-key entertainment.  While many spectators lining the parade route were friends and relatives of the participants, it was truly an event that anyone could enjoy.

Everyone who participates in the parade must wear a costume!

The Hillsborough Handmade Parade was conceived in 2007 as an annual community participation celebration by Mark Donley and Tinka Jordy. In the spring of 2008 a series of workshops both public and private were initiated that led to the First Annual Handmade Parade in October 2008.  Parades were also held in 2009 and 2010.  The next parade will be in 2012.  Check the Arts Council website for the date and details on how to register and participate. 

This large puppet reverses to have a smiling face and yellow costume on the other side.