French Broad Camp for Boys

 

1917 campers from a promotional brochure for French Broad Camp for Boys.
Jack Humphreys is front and center wearing black shorts.

Summer camps are a vital part of the Transylvania County economy and have been for over a century. The first summer camp, Camp Sapphire, began in 1913 and sparked a flurry of summer camp creation for the area. By 1929 when Porter Sargent’s seminal guide “Summer Camps” was published, Transylvania County was lauded as “the most important center for camps in the South,” with at least a dozen camps operating in the county at that time.

The French Broad Camp for Boys was the second summer camp established in Transylvania County. It opened in July 1914 under the leadership of Major Henry E. Raines of Charleston, SC and his colleagues Capt. John W. Moore and Prof. A.L. Hodges. Raines was a graduate and then faculty member of the Citadel military college and employed his military background to create structure and discipline for campers, while also providing independent outdoor experiences.

The original camp spanned 60 acres of land adjacent to the French Broad River and grew to over 200 acres over time. In addition to river access, the site also boasted a private lake, which provided extensive opportunities for water recreation.

41 campers were enrolled for the first 8-week long season, and the camp grew in popularity year after year. They engaged in activities such as hiking, swimming, canoeing, baseball, basketball, tennis, track games, music, photography, and social events.

The camp itself had two permanent buildings: the club house and dining room. The club house included music instruction facilities and staff offices in addition to a large meeting area centered around a fireplace. The campers stayed in furnished tents which had spring cots and mattresses. Numerous athletic fields were part of the facilities, including an indoor target practice shooting range.

Good natured competition and educational opportunities were part of the experience as well. Learning to swim was mandatory for all campers, with special instruction being given to those who did not already know how to swim before arrival.

14-year-old Jack R. Humphreys of Greenwood, Mississippi created a scrapbook for the time that he spent at French Broad Camp in 1916, which is now a part of the NC Room collection at the Transylvania County Library. This scrapbook provides some of the only images the collection has of the effects of the July 1916 flood that ravaged western NC and beyond. Through his eyes, we see not only his experience as a camper, but a view of how the landscape changed during this time.

Photographs and information for this column are provided by the Rowell Bosse North Carolina Room, Transylvania County Library. This article was written by Local History Librarian Laura Gardner. For more information, comments, or suggestions, contact NC Room staff at ncroom@transylvaniacounty.org or 828-884-1820.

The Federal Distillery Building

The Federal Distillery Building circa 1990, front view

 Built by “Babe” Cooper in 1854, the federal distillery building still stands today on Highway 276 and is part of the offices of Camp Rockbrook. The distillery was regulated by the federal government and originally had an attached mill that served the community by grinding grain for both food and liquor production through the decades.  

A flume diverted water from Dunn’s Creek to power the mill wheel as it ground grain. The front porch was built at wagon height for easy loading and unloading of the final product. Retail sales for the distilled whiskey operated directly at the site in addition to bulk sales that were transported to distributors in the region. Throughout the years, several families rented the space and operated it as a general store as well.  

The Federal Distillery Building circa 1990, rear and side view

Several different operators kept the distillery running until production shut down during prohibition in the early 1920s. It was at this time that Henry and Nancy Carrier inherited the building and used it for antique reproduction furniture manufacture. The mill wheel was relocated and used to provide electricity for Camp Rockbrook.  

One of the main craftsmen there, Walter Cantrell, eventually rented the building and used it for his own woodworking and furniture making business for over forty years before relocating further up the highway and shifting focus to antiques. This remnant of the past has shown that adaptability is the secret to longevity. 

Photographs and information for this column are provided by the Rowell Bosse North Carolina Room, Transylvania County Library. This article was written by Local History Librarian Laura Gardner. For more information, comments, or suggestions, contact NC Room staff at ncroom@transylvaniacounty.org or 828-884-1820. 

The Art Loeb Trail and Its Namesake: Part Two – Arthur J. Loeb

 

Art Loeb, Shining Rock Wilderness, 1963

In last week’s article, the Art Loeb Trail’s formation and location were described. In this second and final article, the focus will be Art Loeb’s life and accomplishments.

Arthur Joseph Loeb was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on April 27, 1914. His father Adolf Loeb immigrated to Pennsylvania from Germany in the late 1890s and worked in the family tobacco importing business known as K. Straus & Co. Inc., which was started by Adolf’s uncle Karl Straus. Karl had learned the process for making fine papers in Germany, and the family business expanded to include the production of thin paper made from flax and used for Bible pages and cigarette wrappings.

Arthur, known to many as Art, grew up in Philadelphia and graduated from Mercersburg Academy and Yale University. After graduating, he began to work for the family business and was in charge of sourcing raw materials, including flax, from all over the country. During his business travels, he met Kathleen “Kitty” Vachreau in Minnesota. The couple married in 1940, and in 1942, Art served in the U.S. Army Air Corps for 4 years, achieving the rank of captain before being discharged from service. He and his wife moved to Brevard, where Art was hired by his cousin Harry Straus as the assistant to the research director. They raised a family there and had three girls: Barbara, Joan, and Katie.

Over time, Art worked his way up in the company, eventually becoming the vice president and general manager of the Ecusta Paper Division of Olin Matheson Chemical Corporation. He was actively involved in the community as a member and officer in local civic groups, such as the Transylvania Community Hospital Board of Trustees, the National Advisory Council of the Brevard Music Center, and the Carolina Mountain Club; as well as numerous national groups, such as the Advisory Council of the School of Engineering at N.C. State University, the North Carolina Tobacco Advisory Council, and the Society for the Advancement of Management.

Art Loeb, Pisgah National Forest, 1965

Art had a family predisposition toward heart disease and a high-pressure work environment, so it is not surprising that he had a heart attack in his mid-40s. His doctor advised regular cardiovascular exercise, and this is what sparked Art’s passion for hiking. He began by exploring the areas within walking distance of his home in what is now Straus Park, eventually branching out into further and further areas near and in the Pisgah National Forest. Hiking was a different experience than today, and it often required bushwhacking, orienteering, and utilization of not-always-accurate maps. Art and his friends in the Carolina Mountain Club created or connected many of the trails that enthusiasts of the region enjoy today.

It was this connection that inspired the Carolina Mountain Club to name the connected trail system in honor of  Arthur J. Loeb after he unexpectedly passed away in 1968 from a brain tumor. His legacy of conservation, trail maintenance, and community involvement lives on with his namesake trail, a truly iconic recreational institution so representative of the beautiful Pisgah National Forest.

Thanks to a generous donation by Art Loeb’s daughter Joan, the Local History department of the Transylvania County Library now holds in safekeeping Art’s backpack, hiking boots, walking sticks, camp stove, and memorabilia associated with his namesake trail. A display is forthcoming. Photographs and information for this column are provided by the Rowell Bosse North Carolina Room, Transylvania County Library. This article was written by Local History Librarian Laura Gardner. For more information, comments, or suggestions, contact NC Room staff at ncroom@transylvaniacounty.org or 828-884-1820.

The Art Loeb Trail and Its Namesake: Part One -- The Trail

 

The original blaze for the trail -- a yellow hiker's silhouette, 1971

The Art Loeb Trail, the longest and most challenging trail in the Pisgah National Forest, winds through some of the most rugged parts of North Carolina’s Pisgah National Forest. The thirty-mile trail gains 4,000 feet of elevation one way, and 3,000 feet of elevation if hiked in the other direction, giving credence to the idea that it’s “uphill both ways.”  It takes you through meadows, river valleys, the Shining Rock Wilderness, and across the well-known peaks of Cedar Rock Mountain, Black Balsam Knob, Pilot Mountain, and Tennet Mountain.

There are four distinct sections of the trail, which was created by the Forest Service from several smaller trails. Many side roads and trails connect to the Art Loeb Trail, making it easy to choose shorter and less strenuous hikes to enjoy parts of the daunting trail. One end is located at the Davidson River Campground and the other is at Camp Daniel Boone off NC Highway 215. It’s a foot-traffic-only trail that does allow backwoods camping and is marked by white blazes, though the original blazes were yellow and included the silhouette of a hiker.

The Carolina Mountain Club is responsible for the creation of the Art Loeb Trail. The CMC began in 1923 and over time, the group developed their focus on group hiking, trail construction and maintenance, and social activities related to hiking and conservation, such as hosting speakers and advocacy. Early efforts were focused on the Appalachian Trail, but later, more trails of the region were added.

The original plaque at Black Balsam Knob (later stolen) which shows
the intended path of the Art Loeb Trail over Cold Mountain, 1985

When CMC vice-president and board member Arthur Joseph Loeb passed away in December of 1968, the club looked for a way to honor his memory. The trail seemed a fitting tribute to his memory, considering how much time he and other club members had spent creating and maintaining the many trails, footpaths, and old roads that would eventually be consolidated into one hiking trail bearing his name. Passage over Cold Mountain was originally proposed, but the land was not in the possession of the U.S. Forest Service, and so it was re-routed. The trail does connect to a spur that leads to Cold Mountain, for those who wish to follow the originally intended path. The CMC filed their trail proposal in June of 1969, and in November, the dedication of the Arthur J. Loeb Memorial Trail, now more commonly known as the Art Loeb Trail, took place.

In next week’s article, learn more about the life and accomplishments of Art Loeb and why a trail was dedicated in his memory. Photographs and information for this column are provided by the Rowell Bosse North Carolina Room, Transylvania County Library. This article was written by Local History Librarian Laura Gardner. For more information, comments, or suggestions, contact NC Room staff at ncroom@transylvaniacounty.org or 828-884-1820.

Girl Scout Little House

The Girl Scout "Little House" today

The Girl Scout “Little House” is nestled among the trees in Franklin Park and has been providing meeting space for Girl Scout troops of Transylvania County for decades.

Girl Scouting in Transylvania County began in the 1920s under the supervision of Florence Lyle, Annette Patton, and Bertie Ballard. A few years later, Elizabeth Zachary replaced Annette Patton, and it was Zachary who began fundraising for a scout building. Completion of the project was a long time in the works, however.

Early in its formation, sponsorship of Girl Scouts in Transylvania County was taken on by the Wednesday Club, a women’s club that met (and continues to meet) regularly to exchange ideas, listen to speakers, and engage in charitable efforts in the community. The drive to fundraise for the construction of a meeting house unfortunately hit a slump when the Wednesday Club discontinued sponsorship in the 1930s. The Girl Scouts continued on in Transylvania County without sponsorship due to the sole efforts of leader Rebecca Macfie.

In 1940 the Girl Scout Executive Council was formed, and with the reorganization, a significant amount of fundraising toward construction of a meeting house was accomplished. War years put the construction on hiatus, and it wasn’t until 1948 that the dream finally came to fruition.

The Girl Scout Little House held an open house on October 24, 1948, boasting a large recreation room, kitchen, bath, and storage rooms. The fireplace is original to the design and was a functional part of the heating of the building from the onset.

Girl Scout troops continue to share use of the building, which is on property owned by the City of Brevard, as they engage in activities to promote their growth, leadership, and service to their community.

Photographs and information for this column are provided by the Rowell Bosse North Carolina Room, Transylvania County Library. This article was written by Local History Librarian Laura Gardner. For more information, comments, or suggestions, contact NC Room staff at ncroom@transylvaniacounty.org or 828-884-1820.