By Joan Sears

For the Daily News

 

In the 1840’s, Watson Store of Hyde County served as a general and hardware store with a post office in the corner. It was open until the 1950’s. It was a well-known landmark on Nebraska Road at Lake Landing, but in 2011, Hurricane Irene damaged the building beyond repair. A tornado spawned by Irene tore across the marsh and ripped off the roof of the old store. Tin and busted rafters were scattered across the neighboring field. What was left of the leaning building had to come down.

A local artist regretted the loss of the old landmark. She decided to organize a team to disassemble what was left of the old store for the sake of salvaging the lumber. Beautiful heart pine and virgin cypress beams were sorted and stacked in storage. The three 50’ beams supporting the structure measured 10 square in. by 11 square in. Shelving was used for artwork and busted rafter timbers were made into knife blocks to hold the artist’s painted oyster shuckers. But it was not known at the time what the salvaged timbers would be used for.

Less than two years later a new home for the lumber was found a few counties over. The Cascine Mill of Franklin County, originally constructed in the mid-1800’s sat unattended and deteriorating.  New owners, native to Hyde County, decided to purchase and undergo revitalization for the old mill. The Watson Store will be remembered as the salvaged lumber is given new life as part of the Cascine Mill restoration project. You can find the beautiful photographs of the Cascine Mill on Facebook and see all of the work