Opening Day At The Toxaway Inn
The highly anticipated day had finally arrived: On July 31, 1903, it was reported that the new railroad to Toxaway would begin operating the following day, with the President and other representatives of the Toxaway Company on board to formally open the new Toxaway Inn.[1]
A full-page feature in the Charlotte Observer[2] described the new hotel in great detail:
“The Toxaway Inn, the new hotel opened yesterday, is one of the finest resort houses in the land. It covers the top of a mountain and is five stories high. The building is 420 feet long by 85 in width, with a porch 450 feet long and 12 feet wide.
From the basement to the garret, the Toxaway Inn is as complete in finish as a sea shell. The first floor, which has the music room, the office and lobby, and the dining room, which will seat several hundred at a time, is very handsome.
The floors of the building are done in maple and the trimmings on the first floor in birch. The second floor trimmings are of chestnut, the third of oak and the fourth and fifth poplar. These are native woods to that region. They are left so that the natural color will show. The paper-hangings for the walls are of the best quality and harmonize with the woods.
UNIQUE FIREPLACES
The fireplace in the lobby of the hotel is eight feet long and made of soap stone, which is impervious to fire. The fireplace in the music room is after the same fashion. The most attractive fireplace is the one on the back porch. It is large and roomy, done in soapstone and trimmed in dark gray granite.
NO BACK ROOMS TO THE HOUSE
One interesting feature of the Toxaway Inn is that it has no back rooms. The rear windows face beautiful mountains and the lake can be seen from every room. The front of the house looks out upon the lake and has pretty views. As is true of The Franklin Hotel in Brevard, there is no window in Toxaway Inn but what gets sunshine and light.
BATHS, PRIVATE AND PUBLIC
There is a public bathing place on the opposite side of Lake Toxaway from the hotel. A bath house is to be built and suits will be furnished. There one can bathe and swim to his heart’s content. There are more than 100 private baths connected with single rooms and suites of rooms in the building. The facilities for bathing are first class.
GETTING TO THE HOTEL ENTRANCE
When completed, the railway station at Lake Toxaway will be one of the many attractions. It is to be a model. Passengers will leave the train at the station, cross the platform, and walk under a long, sheltered bridge to the steps of the hotel building. The bridge is over one prong of the lake.
THE PORTE-COCHERE
The porte-cochere of the hotel faces the depot. It is circular and plenty large for a two-horse carriage to turn under.
THE BOAT LIVERY
The boat livery at the Toxaway Inn on Lake Toxaway is good. Forty or more row boats are kept for guests, and those who desire it may have an electric, a naptha or a gasoline launch. The stables are filled with the best of boats.
PICNICS AND ASSOCIATION MEETINGS
The Toxaway people will cater to the various organizations and try to have annual meetings held there. Excursions will be run to the lake. It is a charming place to go. There is so much to see and so much to do. In connection with excursion tickets, a free ride will be given on the lake. One of the naptha launches, which holds 40 or 50 people, will be used for special occasions and parties.”
It was everything General Manager J.F. Hays and the other principals of the Toxaway Company could have hoped for.
Within a week, it was noted that “The tide has turned. Like one mighty caravan, the turnpikes of this beautiful Sapphire Country present the picture of a steady stream of tourists…The weather is superb and every opportunity for pleasant recreation is offered.”[3]
As at the other Toxaway Company resorts, there were plenty of activities for guests to participate in:
“Orchestra music and dancing was frequently scheduled in the ball room. Concerts were held daily, sometimes in a gazebo on top of the little island.
The grounds around the hotel touted 50 waterfalls and 30,000 acres of fishing and hunting in patrolled game lands.
Horse drawn surrey carriages with fringed tops and curtains that could drop in bad weather and seating for 9 to 12 people were offered as a guided tour service to the other Toxaway Company owned hotels, the Sapphire Lodge, the Fairfield Inn and The Lodge, leaving the Toxaway Inn at 9:30 A.M. and arriving in time for lunch at the Fairfield lnn.”[5]
The lake offered boating and swimming, as well as a walking or riding lane all around. In addition, a billiard parlor and bar lounge were on the Inn’s entry floor, with a separate bowling alley building nearby. Importantly for many of the wealthy clientele, telephone and telegraph services were also available at the hotel for those needing to stay in touch with business associates and family.
