For a half-century, Helen’s Barn was the place where the best of Highlands’ life transpired. Paradoxically, the origins of this iconic gathering place are intertwined with what historian Ran Shaffner describes as the “most famous near tragedy in Highlands’ history.”
The story begins in 1911 when Charlie Wright historically rescued a “slightly tipsy” Guy Baty from a fall off Whiteside Mountain. After his death in 1927 this act of heroism earned Charlie posthumous recognition with the award of the Carnegie Medal. Left to navigate an uncertain future with five young children, Helen Wright, Charlie’s widow, found an opportunity in the $2,000 granted by the Carnegie Institute to purchase a four-acre plot in the heart of Highlands at 1st and Main Streets. It was there she built the square dance hall that would become the center of social life in Highlands for the next two generations.
When the doors of Helen’s Barn first opened on May 14, 1932, the town was invited to dance, laugh, and forget their troubles. Wright’s granddaughter, Helen Hedden recalls that "She started it as a place for people to come together and square dance and clog and enjoy just being together. Life was hard back then and the barn was a place where everyone could have fun."
With a 25-cent admission fee, people from all walks of life filled the barn, drawn by the lively tunes of mountain music and the promise of a good time. Locals and visitors alike could step inside and leave their differences at the door. It wasn’t long before the lively music of banjos and guitars filled the barn, and the sounds of feet hitting the floor as they buck danced and clogged and square-danced could be heard blocks away.
But not everyone in Highlands appreciated the joy that Helen’s Barn brought. Almost immediately it be-came the target of chest-thumping local preachers. In 1934, the barn was suspiciously burned to the ground and the community was shook by the loss. Arson was suspected. Harry Wright said a kerosene can was found, but no one was ever arrested. Exhibiting the same un-breakable resolve, Helen rebuilt the barn that same year. For the next 50 years, Helen’s Barn was more than a building. Known as “The Great Equalizer”, it didn’t matter if you were wealthy or working-class– inside Helen’s Barn, everyone was equal. This dance hall was a place where everyone - from summer visitors to local families met up. It was a place where local girls danced with rich men, and where rich girls found themselves twirling in the arms of local boys. Indeed, the barn’s wooden floors bore witness to countless love stories as couples met and fell in love while dancing to the infectious tunes of bluegrass and mountain music.
The barn was also a stage where young musicians learned by watching the masters, where local exhibition teams performed and where the community congregated for every-thing from roller skating to auctions, plays and craft shows.
After Helen died in 1959, her children continued to manage the barn. In 1960 the barn was expanded to include seating for close to 200 spectators, and added in the front were a horseshoe pitching court, a nine-hole Hi-Ho Chip-‘n-Putt par-3 golf course. In 1982, Helen’s Barn then managed by Maxie Wright Duke, celebrated its 50th birthday. Kate Gilson marked the occasion with a poignant ballad, of which one stanza read,
“Fifty years of Saturday night digging shins with joy
As many a man danced away therefrom being a boy Helen’s young ‘uns were schooled, fed and kept warm
With money she earned at her old red barn”
It must have been a sad day when Helen’s son, Harry Wright sold the barn along with its memories in May1984. The barn itself is now a restaurant though the legacy of its pastis etched into the scars and dents of its floorboards. Over the course of its50-year history, Helen’s Barn had be-come a beloved town tradition that is missed and remembered to this day.