" CONNEMARA " Home of Carl Sandburg

FOR THE 100th POST of THE WRITERS PORCH BLOG

A VISIT TO CONNEMARA in FLAT ROCK , NORTH CAROLINA

CARL SANDBURG 1878-1967

He was a Poet/Novelist/Minstrel/Biographer/Public Speaker

In 1945, Carl and Lillian Sandburg were in search of a new
home. A place where he could write and a place where she
could continue to raise her expanding herd of champion goats.
They found it in Flat Rock, NC at a place called Connemara.

July 22, 1967, Carl Sandburg died in a downstairs bedroom

at Connemara with his family around him. His funeral was

held at St. John In The Wilderness
Church near Connemara.

In 1968, Congress authorized the Carl Sandburg Home
National

Historic Site , making it the first national park to honor a poet.

The house was left exactly like it was the day he died. All contents

are still there, including the paper in his his workroom wastebasket.

I assume it is the first to also honor a herd of goats.......
Champion


Goats that is.......................

In 1940, Carl Sandburg was awarded the Pulitzer Prize

for his 4

vol. biography of Abe Lincoln titled " The War Years"

In 1951, he was again awarded the Pulitzer Prize

for "

Sandburg's Complete Poem's "

His workroom at Connemara is two small, west

facing rooms on

the top floor.......................

From the Flame Azaleas that greet you in the

parking lot

to the multiple Rhododendrons that surround the

grounds, beauty is everywhere.

Now this is a Sun Room.....................

With a view of gorgeous flora and fauna

The walking path to the dairy barns is a walk

through
nature......like this Hummingbird Vine

Wonderful farm buildings along the

path.....................

What an inspiring place to write!

The garden is still planted, tended and watched over by the scarecrow

Carl's wife Lillian was as famous for her herd of

prize

winning, champion goats as he for his writing........

The dairy house is still as it was......

I've forgotten the

name of this machine......

This was the cooler where the milk, butter and

cheese made at

Connemara Dairy was kept...

This was the cream separator , I think.....

The Sandburg's farm equipment and vehicles are still

here in

this garage on the left.................

This is the entrance

to the dairy.....

The herd of goats still at Connemara, are descendants of

the

original herd raised by the Sandburg's..................

This

is the sister.............

Of these two little guys.......a set of triplets !

These guys and girls " have it made in the shade "

Connemara has it's own Chickens and Eggs too......

I want to thank all of you for sharing mine and Sherry Austin's tour of Connemara and for being such great commenters and wonderful friends for the past 99 posts.

" 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!

" St. John In The Wilderness" Flat Rock, NC

In 1807, the" Great Flat Rock" was named Flat Rock by the inhabitants
of the village growing up around it..............



In 1829, it changed forever. Charles Baring of The Baring Brother Banking family from England found in Flat Rock an ideal place for his British born wife, Susan, to escape the humid summers of Charleston, SC. Baring purchased 400 acres of land in Flat Rock on which he built a summer home and named it Mountain Lodge. He continued to buy land until he had acquired over three thousand acres of which he sold to other Charleston friends to build their own summer houses.Flat Rock then became known as; " The Little Charleston of the Mountains".



After the completion of their home " Mountain Lodge", Charles and Susan built a
private worship chapel on the grounds.It was a small wooden structure that later burned. In 1833, the new brick building was built by local brick makers. In 1836
20 members of this summer colony formed their own parish and the Barings deeded the church to the new Episcopal Bishop. It was from that time known as "St. John In The Wilderness " after John The Baptist.

DaVinci's St. John In The Wilderness

On Friday morning my friend, author Sherry Austin,joined me for breakfast at Flat Rock Inn B & B. She then graciously offered to take me on a tour of historic Flat Rock! Our first stop was this wonderful church.





" St. John In The Wilderness Episcopal Church "

As you walk up to it, you are just mesmerized...............

Sherry and I were stumped by this flower growing outside

the church door, anyone know what it is?

The cemetery is in tiers which makes it all the more lovely!

I got to experience a second Spring as Flat Rock is now in full bloom!

The graves to the right are one tier higher...............

These two sets are also one tier above the other...............

I cannot tell you what a peaceful place this is just to view.......

A Banner inside the door................

I found this image of the windows on the net and included it.

In 1852, the church was expanded due to growth of the congregation.

In order to expand, some graves were covered over by the expansion.

Two of those graves were Charles and Susan Baring.

Headstone plaques are mounted on the wall above their graves.......

A view of the sanctuary.......................Pulitzer Poet Carl Sanburg's funeral was held here however he is not buried here. Louise Howe Bailey is a member here.

This stone however remains as a part of the isle floor.......

Andrew Burnet Rhett also is under the chapel.......

Outside we find the African- American graves, covered in

English Ivy. Stone crosses mark the graves...................

Some are totally covered by the ivy.

A simple stone marks the entrance...............

On a historical note: Before Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation,

both the white slave owners and the slaves worshiped side by side

in the pews of this church. The first wedding in this church was between

two of the Baring's slaves.......................

The pipe organ..........................

Sherry also took me to see the Boyd House once known as

The Saluda Cottages...............

In 1830, Count Marie Joseph de Choiseul, the consul to France,

built Saluda Cottages. The family lived there until 1841....

This is the front where you can drive through the portico...It is for sale

at somewhere around $ 2 million..................

At the turn of the century, the Norton Sisters of Kentucky had additions

and gardens added by Fredrick Law Olmstead......................

St. Francis caught my eye..........

The porches and gardens are just magnificent !!!!

If only I had 2 mill..........................

Be still my heart....this is the back of the house!

However climbing these stairs does not entice me.....

Sherry was a wonderful tour guide and I'll show you more later...................