HEARTS weaves the threads of local lore, past and present, into a vibrant and interconnected tapestry of our region.

HEARTS gives new life for old places.

HEARTS encompasses a unique collaborative mission to showcase, safeguard, and share our region’s important history, offering a deeper appreciation for local history, nature, and the arts.

HEARTS connects and supports a broad array of regional historic sites and natural places, providing bespoke solutions for special places. Illuminating the unique aspects, details, and potential of historic places, HEARTS advocates for preservation and land conservation, delivers sustainable preservation strategies, and organizes community engagement programs to bring local attention to threatened historic places.

While HEARTS actively works to preserve our special places, it also gives those sites new life. In-person HEARTS Happenings are curated, place-based events featuring local history, native ecology, genealogy, and curated local visual art, music, and dance.

HEARTS weaves threads of local lore, past and present, into a vibrant and interconnected tapestry of our region. By maintaining a robust online database, providing operational support for participating sites, and bringing inspired place-based programming to local historic sites, HEARTS fosters a shared sense of place and belonging in local communities.

A wooden desk with a large red letter H, old black and white photographs, and a pocket watch.

H is for History

Preserving, connecting, and sharing the rich history of our region throughout time.

A large blue letter R nautical style in the center of a wooden surface, surrounded by two vintage books, a framed photograph of a man, and two brown decorative strips.

R is for the Reunion Project

Recognizing all generations who lived on these lands and connecting descendants.

A decorative letter 'T' made of green wood, mounted on a dark wooden background, with four small trees and moss in the foreground.

T is for Trails

Connecting historic sites to greenway trails and the Carolina Thread Trail.

A display of honey, honeycomb, strawberries, nuts, jam, and a large decorative letter S on a wooden surface.

S is for Store

Creating sustainable financial futures to reach project goals for HEARTS Affiliates.

E is for Ecology

Highlighting our local nature and ecology, and its cultural and historical significance

A decorative letter E with green wood inside, framed by a border, is surrounded by green plants and white flowers on a dark wooden background.

A is for the Arts

Incorporating music, poetry, dance, and visual arts to bring diverse audiences together.

A wooden box containing a paintbrush, a large letter A painted purple, a portion of a violin, and a carving chisel.

Our Mission:

HEARTS gives new life to old places through ongoing preservation, historical research, and curated, place-based community programming.

Our Vision:

The historic preservation, sustainability, and access to the region’s most treasured historic and ecological places, where place-based events deliver a deeper appreciation for local history, nature, and the arts.

  • Historic preservation and ecological conservation of significant sites and properties in the Piedmont region.

  • Respectful and responsible exploration and recognition of the vast history and ecology of the region.

  • Share stories, enhance connections, and ignite personal inspiration through music, dance, drama, poetry, and visual arts at HEARTS Happening events.

  • Honor all those from the past with connections to our lands by conducting and documenting genealogical research and sharing our findings with the public to enhance our collective understanding of those who lived here before us.

  • Provide a publicly accessible and searchable Artifact Database for museum collections and for private citizens’ collections.

  • Facilitate financially sound business management and activities for all Affiliate non-profit sites.

  • Seek connections to the Carolina Thread Trail and local greenway networks, utilizing trails to the historic structures with identification signage for historic structures, ruins, flora, and fauna.

  • Develop outdoor spaces for the arts, gardens, reflection spaces, community events, and educational opportunities.

Our Goals:

HEARTS Collaborative Annual Report 2025

The Tapestry of HEARTS

Intricately interconnected stories of people, places, and pieces in our region shape our local History, from prehistoric times through the 21st century.

The exquisite Ecology of our region throughout history includes our native plants and animals, the natural history of local lands, and our invaluable natural resources.

Live music, poetry, dance, and the visual Arts perfectly complement all our programming, offering new and interesting cultural experiences, creative insights, and bringing diverse audiences together.

Our Reunion Project leads investigative research and champions the recognition of the many generations descended from those who live or have lived in our region throughout time.

Connecting our regional Trails and greenways to the significant people, places, and pieces of our shared local history and creating new experiences.

It all began with the oldest Store in North Carolina and a goal to create and support sustainable financial futures for the preservation of our regions’ history.

A colorful maypole with ribbons extending upwards, set against a bright blue sky with clouds and surrounded by green trees.

HEARTS May Pole was created from a fallen eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) from Cedar Grove in Huntersville, NC, for the 2024 Inaural May Day event, featuring connections to history, nature, dancing, live music, and community. This annual event is fun for all ages, no experience necessary, and is usually held the first Saturday in May of each year. See Events for more details.

The HEARTS Origin Story

In the Summer of 2020, Abigail Jennings and Randolph Lewis were introduced to Cedar Grove, the 1831 National Register Greek Revival plantation home of James Galbraith Torrance. The sixth-generation descendant of Hugh Torance, Torrance Banks, was seeking solutions for the next chapter of the majestic historic landmark. Abigail and Randolph were fascinated to learn the deep history of the site, including the neighboring Hugh Torance House and Store known as the oldest standing store in North Carolina, and the natural history of the surrounding areas of preserved land.

This introduction sparked the collective determination of Banks, Liv Wu, Jennings, and Lewis to rehabilitate the historic home and connect Cedar Grove with the community by:

  • Sharing the site’s rich History including prehistoric artifacts, Native American lands, Revolutionary connections, and important 18th, 19th, and 20th-century stories.

  • Highlighting Ecology and nature, plant and animal history, and natural resources.

  • Incorporating music, poetry, dance, and visual Arts to bring diverse audiences together.

  • Recognizing the many generations descended from those once enslaved on the site through the formation of the Reunion Project.

  • Connecting the site to the local greenway Trail network, including the Carolina Thread Trail and Lake Norman’s Emerald Necklace.

  • Creating a sustainable financial future for the nonprofit Hugh Torance House and Store Inc. (HTHS), adjacent to Cedar Grove.

In the Fall of 2021, HTHS adopted the HEARTS mission and opened its doors to host newly designed place-based living history programming. HTHS quickly achieved its goal of reaching a larger audience, connecting more deeply to the community, and realizing sustainable operations. In February 2022, the first HEARTS Happening event was launched at Cedar Grove, honoring enslaved North Carolina poet George Moses Horton and his connection to the Torance family by featuring poetry readings, live music performed by local musicians, and an introduction to native plants found on the property.

Since then, growth has been exponential for HEARTS, with new audiences coming together at every event and with repeat visitors who keep coming back to support and enjoy more educational entertainment.

Recognizing the obstacles nonprofits face in achieving sustainability as 100% volunteer-led organizations while continuing to grow and reach new audiences prompted the HEARTS mission to take the next step by creating the HEARTS Collaborative, Inc., a new 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization. Designed to connect and foster collaboration to preserve and share our region’s history, HEARTS sparks community engagement and facilitates sustainable operations with its unique approach.

A large brick house with a red metal roof and black shutters, featuring a porch with four tan columns and a staircase leading up to the front door. There are trees on either side and a grassy lawn in the foreground with outdoor furniture and decorations.

Cedar Grove, the 1831 National Register Greek Revival landmark plantation home of James G. Torrance.

Two elderly women wearing aprons are in a bright kitchen, smiling and holding a bottle of sauce. The kitchen has open shelves with ceramics and a window showing a green outdoor garden. There is a vase of sunflowers on the counter, a large bowl of colorful eggs, and various cooking ingredients and utensils visible.
A woman and a man standing on a porch in front of a green house, smiling at the camera. The woman is wearing a brown patterned sweater, orange pants, and brown boots. The man is dressed in a gray hoodie, blue jeans, and gray sneakers.

Above: Torrance Banks and Liv Wu with their artisan soy sauce, available at the Hugh Torance House and Store.

Right: HEARTS Co-founders Abigail Jennings and Randolph Lewis.

A park scene with people walking and a sign for the Hugh Torance House and Store, which is the oldest standing store in North Carolina. There is a flag with colors red, white, and blue, and a green canopy tent. The area has lush green trees and a grassy lawn.

HEARTS Happenings

Nothing compares to immersing yourself in the past to see new perspectives.

A woman in a black shirt raising her hand during a presentation or performance in a room with large windows and gold curtains, with a screen displaying event information in the background.

Dancer at HEARTS Junion ‘25 event - Photo courtesy of HEARTS

Our region boasts an incredibly diverse natural and cultural history. Some stories are known, some have been lost, and some are still being discovered. HEARTS (history-ecology-arts-trails-reunion-trails-store) Happenings are events that explore these stories via place-based experiences designed to foster a shared sense of place and community by exploring what is right beneath our feet.

Juxtaposing local history and nature content with the best in homegrown music, dance, and visual arts, HEARTS Happenings are free and open to the public, with donations appreciated.

2026 marks HEARTS' fifth year of programming, bringing HEARTS programs and services to historic Cedar Grove and the historic Hugh Torance House and Store and beyond.

A man wearing glasses and a white shirt is sitting by a window, reading a book titled "Who's Your Founding Father?" with a microphone in front of him. There is a vase of colorful flowers on a table behind him.

‘Who’s Your Founding Father?’ author David Fleming reading at a ‘24 HEARTS event - Photo courtesy of HEARTS

Events
Group of men and women singing together in a room with elegant curtains and a large window, audience members seated and watching them.

The Torrence Chapel AME Zion Church Stroller Singers at a ‘23 HEARTS event - Photos courtesy of HEARTS

Group of people dancing outdoors with colorful ribbons attached to a central pole in a grassy area surrounded by trees.

Event guests during the maypole dance at HEARTS May Day ‘24 - Photo courtesy of HEARTS

Help us preserve our important local historical sites and sustainably share them with the community. Become a HEARTS Circle Member today!

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