HEARTS Collaborative is a comprehensive umbrella nonprofit serving the community as a resource for local history, nature, and the arts for privately and publicly owned sites in the Catawba Valley Region.

HEARTS encompasses a unique collaborative mission to showcase, safeguard, and share NC’s Catawba Valley culture, 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 adamantly 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 on 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 for HEARTS-related non-profits.

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

Our Vision:

The historic preservation, sustainability, and access to the Catawba Valley’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:

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 (below) 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.

Become a HEARTS Circle Member today and help us fulfill our mission!

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