The Moore County Hounds return to the Boyd estate on Saturday, Feb. 20, and the public is invited to attend.

Carriages of the Moore County Driving Club will enter Weymouth from the Ridge Street entrance beginning at 8:15 a.m., and will ­proceed to the Boyd house entrance.

The procession will continue to the meadow behind the house, where members of the Moore County Hounds will be gathering to begin a hunt in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the founding of the Weymouth Center for the Arts and Humanities, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving the site and the legacy of the Boyd family.

Weymouth was entered on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977, and in addition to its ­equestrian heritage, it was an ­important center during the Southern literary renaissance of the 1920s and 1930s, hosting such notable figures as William Faulkner, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Paul Green, Thomas Wolfe and ­others.

The estate was originally more than 2,500 acres in size and included a ­forest of virgin longleaf pine trees. The 1904 design for Weymouth ­commenced with plans for a great park. Public roads were opened in all directions across the hilly terrain, using to advantage natural features, and with care not to harm the old trees. Plans ultimately included ­tennis courts, a croquet lawn, a ­practice golf course, stables and riding rings.

This is the first time the hunt has been at Weymouth since the 1970s, and it is the hope of the Friends of Weymouth to reestablish this ­important community tradition at the site.

Spectators are advised to come early in advance of the equestrian procession.

For more information, call (910) 692-6261.

Ray Owen

Southern Pines