What was once an empty and forsaken home place has now been brought back to life. With the help of the owners, the Marvin Poer family, Tommy and Debbie Caraway have turned the old farm house across the street into a multi-functional “Gathering Place.” “I had the vision many years ago to bring this old house back to life in some form, ‘’ said Debbie Caraway. “We have lived across the street from this house for years and I have always told my husband that this old house has got to have life in it in some capacity,” said Caraway. “Mr. Poer decided that it was time to do something with the place about five years ago and had a vision of what he would like, ‘’ said Caraway. “When he asked my thoughts, I told him I really would like to see the place used, if nothing else, just as a place for the community to come and gather, and that is how this project was started,” she explained.
“We really want this house to be used for the Lord’s glory,” said Caraway. “It is really a multi-functional facility that can be used for retreats, weddings, meetings, or even a get-away,” said Caraway. “The possibilities are endless.”
“We have already hosted several wedding showers and baby showers and even had the Special Friends, a group for adults with special needs, here for a dance and party,” said Caraway.
“We can host up to seventy-five people at a time and can sleep up to twelve in beds with plenty of room for air mattresses,” Caraway explained.
According to Caraway, the house has been standing for centuries.
“The original sections of the house, the two front rooms and the kitchen, were built somewhere between 1850 and 1860 as a homeplace for the Hart family,” said Caraway. “The Poer family acquired the place after the family inherited it from the Harts,” explained Caraway. “We have always referred to this area as Poer at Hart.” When the project began, Caraway’s vision and dreams started to become a reality. “After Mr. Poer agreed to let us level the house and get started, I stood in the doorway of one of the front rooms and started envisioning what I wanted it to look like,” said Caraway. “As the house began to level, the original beadboard walls started appearing as the cracked sheet rock fell off and the ideas just started flowing,” Caraway explained. “I could just see it.” “We saved as much from the original house as we could,” said Caraway. “Most of the decorations and even some of the furniture were found inside the house during the renovation.” “We did everything we could with all the original wood that was in the house. Tommy even made some of the light fixtures and countertops out of that material,” said Caraway. Also in the renovation was an old store that stood right next to the house for people to buy goods. “We decided to renovate the old store building as well,” said Caraway. “The store can be used as a beverage barn, groom’s quarters or even a bunk house as it is equipped with a bed and a bathroom.” Next to the house and store stands an octagonal gazebo with endless possibilities of use. “My husband Tommy built this awesome gazebo from the structural beams of an old chicken house,” said Caraway. “This covered area is a great place for small, intimate weddings or celebrations and we are very excited about it.”
“We have really poured our hearts into this place,” said Caraway. “We worked nearly every day for a year on the original renovation and are still working to better this awesome piece of history.”
For more information including bookings at The Gathering Place at Poer at Hart, contact Debbie Caraway at 903-278-3253.
