" Touring With Sherry "

You toured Swiftwater Farms grounds with
me yesterday so I thought we'd leave the
flat land and pines and go back to the mountains
today! Flat Rock, NC, where I had a fabulous
tour guide by the name of Sherry Austin....









The author of three wonderful books and working on her
fourth, Sherry is also a lover of Appalachian history which
made her the perfect one to show me around Flat Rock!

You've already went along on our tour of St. John In The Wilderness Church

and I plan to take you on our tour of "Connemara", Poet Carl Sandburg's home

in a later post, but first I want to give you a little a little history of Connemara.

Remember on our earlier tour we learned of Charles Baring who came from

Charleston in 1829 and bought land then sold to friends from Charleston.

We saw the Boyd House that was built by Count Marie Joseph deChoiseul.

In 1838 a man named Christopher Gustavus Memminger came by horseback

with his youngest son Edward ,to Flat Rock and stayed at what was then known

as The Saluda Cottages, with the Count and Countess deChoiseul. The Count

then helped him to purchase land from Charles Baring and he built a summer

home and called it "Rock Hill ". It would later come to be known as "Connemara"

His son Robert built the home where I stayed, now known as "The Flat Rock Inn B&B."

C. G Memminger

C.G Memminger was a lawyer and statesman who

would become important to the Confederate Cause.

The graves of C.G. Memminger and his wife Mary

in the St. John In The Wilderness Church Cemetery

Another historical place we visited was "The Woodfield Inn." It is across the road from "Flat Rock Inn B&B." Built in 1852 on 28 acres, it was called "The Farmers Hotel." It served as the first stage coach stop along the Old Indian Trail. During the Civil War, Confederate soldiers were garrisoned at the hotel to protect the Flat Rock community. The soldiers hid gold and jewelry from the Union Troops in a secret room still accessible from one of the second story rooms. The formula for making gun powder is reported to be written on the wall of the secret room. the Inn is now under going a renovation.

We also drove by the famous " Flat Rock Playhouse." Founded in 1952 by Robroy Farquhar and his company of Vagabond Players, it is now listed as one of the top 10
theaters in America. In 1961 is was designated the State Theater of North Carolina.

One of it's regular performances is of course, the Henderson County native Thomas Wolfe's, " Look Homeward Angel"

We also went to see the famous Angel...................

Who after all these years is now behind bars for her own protection!

On my trip to Flat Rock, I saw no scenic views except for the nightmare in Hotlanta !!! When I got to my room at the B&B, I had my own private porch to sit on.........

It was so serene to drink my morning coffee out here.....

On Sunday afternoon, Mother's Day, I talked to my children from this scenic porch at Sherry's house...............

She says in the Winter, this view is awesome! It was pretty awesome to me in the Spring!

Upon exiting the Hotlana nightmare, I swore I would not return home via Atlanta!! In fact I never want to drive in Atlanta ever again if I can prevent it! So I went home via Asheville, Knoxville, Chattanooga. What a difference it was!

When I passed the exits off the Interstate I missed my friends whom I'd just had so much fun with! When I saw the Sylva exit, I thought of you Gary.
When I saw Hot Springs, I wanted to get off and come see your farm Vicki!
Kat, the Maggie Valley sign ,almost made me exit!
Carolyn, you know the Brevard exit made me sick you were out of town and I missed seeing Lucy and Ellie and of course YOU !

I almost talked myself off here to ride through the GSMNP!

Thank you God I saw beautiful Appalachian Mountains all the way to Birmingham
and no traffic jams!

Even Chattanooga was a breeze to get through.....

So one more tour and will be through with Flat Rock!

Till next year, I plan on going back!