Lying within the city limits of Hendersonville, N.C. is Brookland – one of Flat Rock’s earliest summer retreats. According to Buncombe County records, Frederick Rutledge, a rice planter of Hampton Plantation on the South Santee River between Georgetown and Charleston, bought from Samuel McCarson on October 29, 1829, 277 acres in the Flat Rock settlement which later constituted the estate of Brookland.
Read MoreAfter staring at the burning match for a few seconds, Clarence began to drop his hand toward the pool of kerosene on the wooden floor. He closed his eyes and whispered, “Forgive me, Mama.” At that moment, he heard a loud meow. Startled, he spun on his heel and saw Squirt sitting on the counter next to the cash register; staring at him with an unsettling, judgmental expression.
Read MoreClarence considered Louise’s offer, not sure if he wanted to know the story about the strange apparitions who’d been appearing in the store. He’d been alive long enough to understand that sometimes not knowing was preferable to hearing the truth. His curiosity won out. “What did grandma tell you? Is this place haunted?”
Read MoreClarence stared intently at the man who had just asked to speak with his grandmother—an elderly woman who had passed away decades ago. Oddly enough, the stranger didn’t seem the least bit shaken when Clarence informed him that Antha Hood had been dead for 40 years. He simply nodded, as if considering the news, before beginning to walk slowly along the shelves on the far side of the store, clearly searching for something.
Read MoreClarence stared intently at the mysterious young man who had just broken into his store. Was he dangerous or just crazy? “Your name is Carl Sandburg? Are you related to old man Sandburg who used to live up the hill at Connemara?”
The stranger’s placid smile morphed into a sly grin. “Am I related?” He reached down to scratch Squirt’s head. Then looking back at Clarence, he answered, “I suppose I am.”
Read MoreVirginia sat alone in the quiet of a late afternoon in Flat Rock. Her store, The Wrinkled Egg, was empty after a busy day and now the only sound was the soft rhythmic click of the clock hanging on the wall behind the cash register. The ticking of the clock echoed through the space and collected in an audible pool of time. Another day in Flat Rock had come and gone.
Read MoreAfter ten very successful years as President of Kenmure Fights Cancer (KFC), Flat Rock resident Susan Bush will be turning over the reins to new leadership and embarking on a well-deserved “retirement”. To say that her tenure at KFC has been a success does not do justice to the profound impact she’s had on the organization and, in turn, the lives and health of area residents.
Read MoreSometime during the spring of 1967, Canon Cobb called my mother and said he wanted me to represent St. Philip’s at the Young People’s Conference at Kanuga. My mother reminded Canon Cobb that I was a Presbyterian and he responded by saying some of the best Episcopalians were once Presbyterians including himself. So – off I went to the YP conference the first week of June. It was the beginning of my real love for camp and an eight-year working relationship with Kanuga.
By Missy Craver Izard
Read MoreAt the conclusion of every Flat Rock Playhouse musical, the actors take their bows and bask in the accolades of another appreciative audience. Then they turn and point to the upper left of the stage. Many patrons will not understand the meaning of this unusual gesture. But located high above the stage in a compact room known as the band loft, a small but highly talented ensemble of musicians will know that they have made another magical night of musical theatre a reality.
Read MoreThis past week, Denise Cumbee Long stepped down from her position as Executive Director of United Way of Henderson County. Denise’s successful retirement comes after 9 1/2 very productive years at the helm of a foundational nonprofit that has been at the heart of this county’s philanthropic efforts for over seven decades
Throughout her tenure at United Way, this extraordinary woman poured her heart and soul into making Henderson County a better place for all of us to live. Her story has been, indeed, Good News for our community.
This past Thursday, the new owners of The Gallery at Flat Rock, Julie and Phil Wilmot, hosted a farewell reception for the gallery’s founder, Suzanne Camarata. Suzanne, who will be returning to Texas to help care for her parents, was greeted by a grateful crowd of friends who filled the gallery to overflowing with best wishes – and occasionally teary smiles.
A fitting tribute for a remarkable woman who has been a Flat Rock fixture for the past decade.
Read MoreThe Old Mill property on West Blue Ridge Road in Flat Rock has served a variety of functions in its nearly 200-year history. Originally a grist mill built by Peter Summey, through the years the mill and surrounding property have served as a furniture factory, post office, private club, apartments, hotel, and today, as the Mill House Condominiums.
The fascinating story of a property that has been at the center of Flat Rock Village history since the 1830s. As told by Charles Lenoir Ray.
Read MoreEvery day of the year, hundreds of visitors to The Park at Flat Rock enjoy walking and jogging on the 4-plus miles of trails that wind through the Park's beautiful landscape. Along those trails are over 40 benches - each inscribed with a plaque honoring a person, family members, an organization, pets, and even the intention of the benefactor who sponsored the bench.
Although passersby only occasionally stop to consider the inscriptions, each of those plaques hints at a deeper story. They are opening lines to stories of love, of loss, of happy memories, and all the things that stir the human soul.
Read MoreIn 2018, Mickey Mahaffey suffered a heart attack in one of the most remote parts of Mexico. Fortunately for him, he was in the company of an indigenous people known for their incredible feats of endurance. Hours away from the nearest medical facility and with no vehicles of their own, Mickey's friends turned to their physical prowess to save his life.
This is the story of Mickey's miraculous rescue and his efforts to assist the people who saved his life.
In the summer of 1945 Connemara, a stately home in the heart of Flat Rock, was up for sale. By that fall, a sale agreement was signed and on October 18, 1945, Connemara belonged to Carl and Lilian Sandburg.
The Sandburgs purchased the property from the family of Ellison Adger Smyth. Smyth had owned the estate since 1900 and it was he who christened the home, Connemara.
The story of the owners who preceded the Sandburgs,
Daniel Hopkins was taking a break from a work project on his computer when he opened LoopNet.com - a site like Zillow but for commercial property. He entered parameters for a specific type of building within a specified price range and pressed the search button. A few moments later, there appeared a striking two-story brick building at the top of the listings for available properties in the Asheville area.
“My jaw just dropped,” Daniel recalls. “I grabbed the laptop and ran downstairs to show Melanie.”
In the heart of East Flat Rock stands a two-story brick building that has been at the center of the small community’s business and civic life for over 115 years. Referred to by many long-time residents of East Flat Rock as the Stepp Walker building, the large structure with a long history had, in recent years, fallen into disrepair. For much of the previous decade, local residents and passersby on West Blue Ridge wondered what the fate of the historic building would ultimately be.
Read MoreAt the heart of the Flat Rock Playhouse’s preparations for their upcoming season is the search for the talented actors, singers, and dancers who will grace FRP’s Leiman Mainstage for eight highly anticipated productions. The audition process to find the perfect performer for well over 100 roles is extensive, intensive and rigorous. When it is done, however, the patrons who fill the Playhouse seats this coming season will be entertained by some of the most talented actors in theatre.
Read MoreIn 1858, Flat Rock resident Marti Vazquez Hutson’s great-grandfather sailed into Cuba’s Havana Harbor. Greeting him was the sight of the Morro Castle at the entrance to the harbor. Almost exactly one century later in 1959, as Marti and her family fled the Castro regime in Cuba, that same castle would be her last view of the country of her birth.
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