Lingle Hut restoration effort picking up steam

 aShortChronicle previously told readers about efforts to restore the historic log building on Davidson's Watson Street called the Lingle Hut.  The "Hut" as it's called had long been a gathering place for Davidson's Westside Community as part of Reeves Temple AME Zion Church.  The church at this location and the Hut also have a connection to the College.  See this earlier post for more on that aspect of the story that makes the hut part of the fabric of Davidson .

However, in recent years the Hut has fallen into disrepair and can no longer host the community activities it once did.  For a taste of what's missing, check out the pictures at the bottom of this post for snapshots of what used to take place here.

Seeing a need and with a well known history of community activism, Kurt and Maria Naas of Cornelius have been coordinating an effort to raise funds to get this building back into shape.  For the past several weeks, they have been organizing bi-weekly meetings of church members and community volunteers at the Davidson Library to come up with a game plan to raise awareness and hopefully some money to get the effort off the ground.

According to recent meeting minutes provided to aShortChronicle, these efforts appear ready to swing into a higher gear.

The group will be presenting at the upcoming Davidson Town Board meeting on September 11.  They also plan to be at the Davidson Farmers Market in later in the month on the 29th and next month on October 6th.  And if things continue to go well there will be a carnival/fundraiser in October to raise funds for the project.

If this sounds like something you'd be interested in helping make a reality stop by the Davidson Library this Thursday at 6:30 for the next meeting.

Images from the Hut's heyday...