“Out of shared telling and remembering grow identity, connection, and pride, binding people to a place and to one another.” — Tom Rankin, folklorist

BLOG SERIES

Each of our blog features stands alone as a story of its own, and some of the collected stories create a chronological series.
If you prefer to read all of the stories on a particular subject, see the blog series information below.

Turn of the Century Toxaway

The Toxaway Company and the Great Resort Era
The Fairfield Inn: Then and Now
The Sapphire Inn & Cottages: Then & Now
The Lodge At Mount Toxaway: Then & Now
The Franklin Hotel: Gateway to the Sapphire Country
The Building of Lake Toxaway and the Toxaway Inn
Opening Day at the Toxaway Inn
Early Success at the Toxaway Inn
Financial Foibles in the Sapphire Country
The Lake Toxaway Dam Burst
The Lost Years of Lake Toxaway

RELATED
Life & Work of Early Area Photographers
A 1900s Transylvania County Home: R.H. Scadin

The ’60s Rebirth of Lake Toxaway

The Revival of Lake Toxaway
The Return of Lake Toxaway: Part 1
     Clearing the Lakebed and Rebuilding the Dam
The Return of Lake Toxaway: Part 2
     Refilling the Lake and Building Roads
The Return of Lake Toxaway: Boyd and Heinitsh
The Return of Lake Toxaway: A Video Documentary

RELATED
Neighborhoods: Burlingame

The History of the Greystone Inn

A Biography of Lucy Camp Armstrong Moltz – Part 1
A Biography of Lucy Camp Armstrong Moltz – Part 2
Local Historian Showcases Lucy Camp Armstrong Moltz
The Evolution of The Moltz Mansion
The Birth Of The Greystone Inn
The Greystone Inn: The Lovelace Years
Re-Imagining The Greystone Inn

RELATED
A European Grand Tour Diary – Part 1
A European Grand Tour Diary – Part 2
A European Grand Tour Diary – Part 3

INDIVIDUAL BLOGS

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Lake Toxaway Schools: 1953 Red Bird

The Historic Toxaway Foundation showcases another gem provided by longtime area residents Harry and Mary Sherwood: an issue of The Red Bird yearbook, circa 1953.
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SHR and the Red Spruce Restoration Initiative

Southern Highlands Reserve, our neighbor on Toxaway Mountain, is leading the way in red spruce restoration. Help with a donation to their greenhouse campaign!
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Lake Toxaway Schools: A Brief History

The Historic Toxaway Foundation has received a unique gift from longtime area residents Harry and Mary Sherwood: a labor of love (and research) they completed in 2004 detailing the history of Lake Toxaway area schools.
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Country Life

Local resident Nancy Henderson has a great knack for storytelling and we'll be sharing some of her short essays here from time to time in a new series of Country Life vignettes.
Indian Lake Estates entry
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Neighborhoods:  Indian Lake Estates

Indian Lake Estates is the second feature in our Historic Toxaway Neighborhood series. Peace and quiet are what this community is known for.
Rainbow Falls
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Gorges State Park

Rainbow Falls Trail is the most popular trail in Gorges State Park - but it's not the only one.
Original Scadin Home in Sapphire
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A 1900s Transylvania County Home: R.H. Scadin

R.H. Scadin constructed this home in Sapphire with help from neighbors. It is representative of the building materials and layout of 1900s-era homes.
Panthertown thumbnail
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Panthertown Valley

Panthertown Valley, the "Yosemite of the East," features granite cliffs, plunging ravines, soaring peaks, and majestic waterfalls.
Burlingame entry
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Neighborhoods: Burlingame

With the richest of histories behind it, the Burlingame community may just be the real gem of Sapphire, NC.
The Greystone Inn
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Re-Imagining The Greystone Inn

The history of The Greystone Inn comes full circle with a re-imagining by its current owners/operators, Geoff and Shannon Ellis.
Tim and Boo Boo Lovelace
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The Greystone Inn: The Lovelace Years

The Greystone Inn came about after significant financial (and personal) investment by Tim and Boo Boo Lovelace, in a partnership with the Lake Toxaway Company.
Greystone Inn 2001
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The Birth Of The Greystone Inn

The Greystone era began when Tim and Harriet Lovelace purchased and renovated the Moltz Mansion on Lake Toxaway in 1984.
Moltz Mansion
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The Evolution of The Moltz Mansion

The Moltz Mansion was sold to the Toxaway Company in 1963 and refurbished as the original Lake Toxaway Country Club.
Milky Way across PARI
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Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI)

The Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI) has been awarded the prestigious designation of International Dark Sky Park. This is in recognition of the exceptional quality of the night sky over PARI and the commitment to educational outreach.
Transylvania Times feature
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Local Historian Showcases Lucy Camp Armstrong Moltz

In the summer of 1997, a local resident historian published a treatise on the life and times of Lucy Camp Armstrong Moltz.
Lucy and Carl Moltz
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A Biography of Lucy Camp Armstrong Moltz – Part 2

Lucy and Carl Moltz enjoyed many years together, spending time at her beloved Lake Toxaway home as well as traveling together.
Lucy Mae Camp Armstrong
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A Biography of Lucy Camp Armstrong Moltz – Part 1

Lucy Mae Camp Armstrong, a prominent figure in Lake Toxaway history, married two enterprising gentlemen and was a pretty formidable woman in her own right.

Southern Highlands Reserve Deserves A Visit

In numerous features and reviews, our local native plant arboretum and research center, Southern Highlands Reserve, has been referred to as magical, amazing, spectacular, and stunning. See why in this feature article.
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McNeely’s Country Store

Do you remember when McNeely's Country Store served the Lake Toxaway area?
eiffel tower
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A European Grand Tour Diary – Part 3

Join us for the final installment of a 1930 European Grand Tour through Dresden, Meissen and Berlin, Germany; then Paris, before a sea voyage from LeHavre, France, to New York harbor.
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A European Grand Tour Diary – Part 2

Enjoy the second installment of a 1930 European Grand Tour with travels to Budapest, Vienna, Munich, and Oberammergau, Germany.
M.V. Saturnia
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A European Grand Tour Diary – Part 1

Experience a 1930 European Grand Tour through the eyes of young Frank Bennett, nephew of Lucy Armstrong Moltz, the grande dame of Lake Toxaway and Savannah, GA.
apiary
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The Buzz on Killer Bees Honey

High atop a mountain surrounded by acres of Pisgah National Forest, Killer Bees Honey has the perfect location for millions of bees to forage for nectar and pollen rich resources.
Toxaway Falls Stand
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The Toxaway Falls Stand

Long-time local owners Jack Owen and his wife Marjorie pose in front of the Toxaway Falls Stand in a photo taken around 2000.
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An Interview With Exie Wilde Henson

We celebrate Women's History Month with the first of several features on local women with important stories to tell. This one features Exie Wilde Henson.