Author: Laura Windham

If you’ve ever lived in the eastern half of the United States, chances are you’ve seen the red cardinal. Also called the northern cardinal, this prolific bird can be seen in backyards, parks, forests, and wetlands.

Males feature a bright red plumage and beak, accompanied by a distinguishing tuft of feathers sticking almost straight up from the top of his head. A male’s wings and tail feathers form a richer and darker red than the rest of his coloring, and a shock of black around his red beak provides the bird’s signature contrast.

While male cardinals are easier to notice, the females are no less beautiful. A soft gray-brown covers most of her frame, though her wings and tailfeather are a warm, muted pink. Hints of orange highlight the tiny feathers around her eyes and coral beak, and a light tan runs down her chest. She, too, has a tuft of feathers forming a sharp angle on her head, tipped with the same subtle color of her wings.

From the middle of spring through the summer, you can find cardinals nesting in bushes, trees, and thickets. Both the female and the male cardinal care for their babies, with the offspring growing fully self-sufficient after 45 days. Sometimes, a pair of cardinals may raise up to two or three batches of young in a year.

Like many parents, they divide up their tasks. When you hear a female cardinal singing from her nest, her songs potentially serve as a reminder to her partner, letting him know that the hatchlings are hungry for dinner.

Like many parents, they divide up their tasks. When you hear a female cardinal singing from her nest, her songs potentially serve as a reminder to her partner, letting him know that the hatchlings are hungry for dinner.

Summer in the mountains is a special time. What a perfect backdrop to the journeys you’ll take in the books of your choice, be they in fictional worlds, or non-fiction learning and growth.

Seven Cherokee Myths by Keith Parker

Does our interview with local resident Keith Parker leave you wanting to learn more? Order his book to examine seven myths that grew out of Cherokee culture, looking at how they emerged to explain archetypal issues.

Unraveling: What I Learned About Life While Shearing Sheep, Dyeing Wool, and Making the World’s Ugliest Sweater by Peggy Orenstein

In this lively, funny memoir, Peggy Orenstein sets out to make a sweater from scratch—shearing, spinning, dyeing wool—and in the process discovers how we find our deepest selves through craft. Orenstein spins a yarn that will appeal to everyone.

Whale Fall by Elizabeth O’Connor

Debut Author O’Connor paints a portrait of a community and a woman a remote Welsh island, forced to confront an outside world that seems to be closing in on them after a dead whale washes up on the shore.

Real Americans by Rachel Khong

This exhilarating novel of American identity spans three generations in one family and weaves a profound tale of class and striving, race and visibility, and family and inheritance—a story of trust, forgiveness, and finally coming home.

The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley

This genre-bending book is the hit of the summer, incorporating a time travel romance, a spy thriller, a workplace comedy, and an ingenious exploration of the nature of power and the potential for love to change it all.

Every summer, the Brevard Music Center’s Summer Institute & Festival brings musicians and listeners alike to the small mountain town of Brevard. The Music Center came to town by chance in 1944 when James Christian Pfohl, who founded the Davidson Band Camp for Boys, came across the future site. According to President & CEO Jason Posnock, “Pfohl happened upon an abandoned camp on the outskirts of Brevard, and he knew he had found his new home.”

The Davidson Band Camp for Boys eventually became the Brevard Music Center, featuring musical lessons and performances. This decision to relocate to Brevard was monumental, both for the Music Center and for the town.

Nearby community members have long been the Music Center’s fiercest champions, attending concerts, donating to scholarship funds, and volunteering with the organization. The town, too, has influenced the music itself. “Brevard’s love of bluegrass and folk music has encouraged us to expand our concert offerings,” Jason explains. The Brevard Music Center, which once solely taught and performed classical music, now features music of all genres, such as jazz, bluegrass, and opera.

Just as Brevard has shaped the Music Center, so too has the Music Center shaped the town. Thousands flock to Brevard every year to attend the Summer Institute & Festival concerts, not to mention all the musicians who travel there to teach, learn, and play their music. “We help attract active and interesting people to Brevard to vacation and move here, make it possible for some wonderful restaurants to serve our town year-round, and are a huge part of the exciting live music scene that has emerged here over the past decade,” Jason says.

While most wouldn’t think a music center of this magnitude would flourish far from a big city, this location and community has led the Brevard Music Center to thrive. “A world-class classical music teaching and performing institution tucked into a town of 8,000 people in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The odds were probably not in our favor,” Jason acknowledges. “But our community has embraced us overthe decades and welcomed classical music, along with all the other genres we offer, into their hearts.”

To see this summer’s concert lineup, visit brevardmusic.org.

 

G. Keith Parker, PhD, is the author of Seven Cherokee Myths: Creation, Fire, the Primordial Parents, the Nature of Evil, the Family, Universal Suffering, and Communal Obligation. He graciously answered several questions regarding the indigenous history of Lake Toxaway. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Can you give us a brief overview of the history of Native Americans in the Lake Toxaway region?

“The Toxaway area was inhabited exclusively by the Cherokee people, which made up the largest tribe in the Southeast. They were located in eight present states and dominated this part of Western North Carolina, upper Georgia, and upper South Carolina. They were a mountain tribe, called such by other tribes.”

Prior to colonization, what was daily life like for Native Americans around Lake Toxaway?

“They lived peacefully in small family groups, scattered over areas to allow farming, fishing, hunting, and sports with nearby groups. They grew together ‘the three sisters’ (corn, beans, and squash) as their main food since the crops grew on the same ground. Most likely, the main staple was corn. ‘Selu,’ or corn mother, was a major spiritual figure in their powerful myths. They were marksmen with their blowguns that they used for smaller animals and birds, as well as competitive target shooting. Special preparation was necessary to take big animals since they were considered kin. They were to be thanked for their sacrifice to feed humans.”

How did their lives shift over the course of colonization, including the Trail of Tears? 

“The arrival of Europeans was a disaster immediately and long range. In 1738, a century before the forced removal named the Trail of Tears, over half of the Cherokee people died of European disease — mainly smallpox. The inability of their own Cherokee rituals to cure this helped pave the way for eventual missionaries from Europe with medicines.

All treaties with colonists were broken, even with the Colonial Governor Tryon who let them ‘keep’ the land west of Tryon Mountain in today’s Polk County before the Revolutionary War. The worst, however, was the forced removal of over 16,000 Cherokee from their homes ordered by President Jackson. In my lifetime, many modern Cherokee would not use twenty-dollar bills with Jackson’s image on it. More than 4,000 men, women and children died on that forced march to the territory now called Oklahoma.

A Cherokee pastor, Rev. Busheyhead, buried thousands and ministered as he could. His Busheyhead descendants are still active leaders in the old homeland. The late Rev. Robert Busheyhead, who helped revive and restore the Cherokee language for the Eastern Band, also helped give Cherokee names to roads and locations in Transylvania county locations, such as the Connestee Falls Development.”

How has Cherokee history been passed down and preserved through oral tradition?

“Cherokee history and culture have been passed down in re-learning their language, once forbidden by the government and in their schools. The Museum of the Cherokee People is excellent, very modern, and tells their old story, as does the outdoor drama Unto These Hills. Notable is the work of former Principal Chief Joyce Dugan, who also wrote a forward to my book. She was in education before becoming chief and really strived to have their history told and taught. James Mooney was part Native American and a member of the Bureau of American Ethnology. He lived with the Cherokee, learning their language so he could record their oral tradition and stories. His work is the standard for seeing those: History, Myths and Sacred Formulas of the Cherokees.”

Find Keith’s book, Seven Cherokee Myths, here.

At 4500 feet above sea level, Southern Highlands Reserve is home to a high-elevation garden encompassing an exceptionally diverse array of flora and fauna. There, a wildflower labyrinth bursts with purple and pale yellow blossoms, bullfrog tadpoles swim in shallow water, and clusters of flowers bloom at the brush of a bee. Along with the rest of her team, Kelly Holdbrooks, executive director of the Reserve, is tasked with preserving this beautiful biodiversity.

“Western North Carolina is one of the most biologically diverse areas in the world,” Kelly explains. This is partially because of a southern migration thousands of years ago, as species escaped the spreading glaciers of the Ice Age. “They came down the spine of the Appalachian Trail and found what we refer to as ‘sky islands,’ where they can exist,” Kelly says.

In more recent times, however, logging has harmed the region’s forests. The Southern Appalachian Spruce Restoration Initiative (SASRI), of which the Reserve is a founding member, agreed that red spruces served as the “best hope” for repopulating forests in the region that were never able to fully recover.

The Reserve has spent the last ten years propagating and growing new red spruces for distribution across southern Appalachia. They are currently building a high-tech greenhouse to serve as a nursery for the spruces, enabling them to grow more trees than ever before.
In the video below, Kelly talks about how her team is increasing the Reserve’s biodiversity through sustainable landscaping, as well as her own personal love for the environment she works every day to preserve.

 

 

Readers can support the Reserve’s Green-light the Greenhouse initiative here.

Imagine stepping through the French doors of Miss Lucy’s Sunroom onto a cobblestone patio as a spring breeze beckons you to enjoy the fresh air of the Blue Ridge Mountains. With an effortless flow between the sunroom, shaded patio, Mansion Bar, and South Lawn, this is the place to be after a day on the lake or at the Spa this spring. Mixology meets artistry with signature cocktails and seasonal sips as you enjoy games on the lawn or relish in the cool mountain air as the sun sets. With the exciting addition of live music, you’re invited to unwind as you enjoy a revamped food menu that promises to satisfy every palate. This spring, the Mansion Bar isn’t just a destination; it’s an invitation for both locals and travelers alike to savor the season.

For over a century now, Lake Toxaway has played host to an abundance of wildlife and tourists alike who are drawn to its natural beauty. Savannah natives George and Lucy Armstrong were the original occupants of the Swiss-style mansion known as The Greystone Inn today. Having built the home shortly after the lake was constructed, it remains one of the only original houses that has survived in modern times. From the Vanderbilts to the Fords, many prominent American families paid visits to this lakeside oasis, deeming it “America’s Switzerland”. The richness of Lake Toxaway doesn’t just stop with its flora and fauna; its history begins with a group of Pennsylvania entrepreneurs with an ambitious plan.

Pictured right: An old postcard from the original Lake Toxaway before the dam broke. Credit: John Nichols.

Original stakeholders C.H. Stolzenbach, W.D. Sharpe, G.W. Eisenbeis, J.F. Hayes, and C.W.R. Radeker formed the Lake Toxaway Company in 1895 and began work on their largest undertaking in 1902– the construction of Lake Toxaway and the elegant Toxaway Inn. With a costly million and a half dollars (over $16.3 million in today’s money) and 1,200 men later, the work would begin. The earthen dam would be complete in 1903, resulting in the completion of what we know today as Lake Toxaway. By that time, the Transylvania Turnpike had been engineered and developed, facilitating the transportation of workers and materials to the area for the construction of the lake and Toxaway Inn. The Transylvania Railroad had been extended to the Lake Toxaway depot in 1904, with the depot receiving four trains a day delivering passengers to stay at the Toxaway Inn or transfer to a stagecoach for further travel.

Pictured left: The Southern Railway, constructed by original Philadelphia investors during the lake’s initial construction. Photo credit: John Nichols. Pictured inset: Article clipping details the lake’s labor and construction cost. Photo credit: historictoxaway.org.

On the shores of the new lake, the massive Toxaway Inn would rise five stories. Reports dispute the exact number of guest rooms, with some claiming more than one hundred rooms en suite and others asserting as many as five hundred rooms. The Toxaway Inn had every conceivable modern convenience, including elevators, steam heat, electric lights, its own power plant, long-distance phone service, a chandelier-lit ballroom, large verandas, and open fireplaces. For guest entertainment, there were daily stringed orchestra concerts, golf, bowling, and tennis; horseback riding and hunting through the forests; and fishing in the streams snaking through the property. The lake itself was a source for entertainment, with swimming, boating, canoes, and a steam-powered boat all available for delighted hotel guests.

The creation of Lake Toxaway and Toxaway Inn became a catalyst for transformation, enticing tourists from across the country to visit this turn- of-the-century paradise, but this would soon come to a crashing halt. Just thirteen years later in the summer of 1916, North Carolina was hit with three sequential hurricanes, bringing a staggering 20 inches of rainfall to the land in less than 24 hours. This influx of water would result in Western North Carolina’s land and waters to swell significantly, causing the Lake Toxaway earthen dam to finally give way. Over five billion gallons of water would be unleashed into the gulch and towns below, with some residents having seen a wave as large as 30 feet crashing downstream. Miraculously, documents claim that the only life lost was that of a singular, blind mule.

Pictured right: A revitalized photo of George and Lucy Armstrong, whose home on Lake Toxaway became The Greystone Inn. Credit: John Nichols

As the lake line receded, so did the area’s guests. The once-buzzing Toxaway Inn closed early that season and would shut its doors for decades thereafter. Efforts to rebuild the dam were hampered by the loss of tourist income, the Great Depression, and litigation against the dam owners. The Toxaway Inn remained vacant until the late 1940s when it was sold, its contents were auctioned off, and the building was razed. Although a few private homes around Lake Toxaway survived, most of the land and lakebed remained unchanged until the 1960s.

John Nichols, grandson of R.D. Heinitsh Sr., remarks on the incredible opportunity his grandfather and father had in revitalizing the area and rebuilding the lake as we know it today. “In the 1960s, it was primarily my grandfather and his team who were developing Toxaway. By 1968, they had invited my father to join them. When my mom and dad relocated, they actually resided in The Greystone Inn for approximately a year. I was born in 1969. Afterward, they moved from The Greystone to the location where the country club now stands, and I grew up in the cottage on that property. Initially, they envisioned it as a summer house for people in the surrounding area, but over time, it evolved into what it is today,” John says.

Pictured left: Miss Lucy poses for a photo at her home on Lake Toxaway. Credit: The Greystone Inn.

He recalls a multitude of fond childhood memories while growing up as a Lake Toxaway native. “When you are from a place like this, you feel it’s your secret oasis. You meet other people and they all have the same feeling. People fall in love with the mountains and understand the history of a place,” he says. John emphasizes that its residents are keen on preserving the area in modern times. “We’re surrounded by a national forest and it’s never going to get much busier,” he explains. Lake Toxaway Estates and the Heinitsh family would continue to oversee the revitalization of the area for many years, eventually embarking on a transfer of ownership to the Lake Toxaway Community Association in the early 2000’s. Now enjoyed by vacationers and long-term residents alike, Lake Toxaway is home to a thriving community with over 1,100 home sites.

Just as it was enjoyed upon its original completion in 1903, Lake Toxaway continues to serve as an enduring haven nestled amongst 10,000 acres of surrounding wilderness. With the past ever-present in Lake Toxaway’s story, scars from the 1916 flood can still be seen along the Toxaway Falls granite embankment. As wildlife booms across the lake’s gentle waters, the story of its vitality and continued preservation are most certainly intertwined with the people who first chose to call it ‘home’ over one hundred years ago.

Pictured left: Thomas Edison and Henry Ford sit together on the grounds of Lake Toxaway. Pictured right: Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, John Burroughs, and Harvey Firestone pose together during their trip to Lake Toxaway. Credit: John Nichols.

Pictured below: Workers pose outside of the Toxaway Inn during its construction.