Blue Ridge Country July/August 2024 - 65

COURTESY OF THE ROWELL BOSSE NORTH CAROLINA ROOM, TRANSYLVANIA COUNTY LIBRARY
the most recent report published by the
Transylvania County Tourism Development
Authority.
Suddeth believes Lake Toxaway also
gave rise to the county's summer camp
industry, which today has an estimated
annual economic impact of $126 million,
according to a study released in
2020 by N.C. State University.
To put it succinctly, " [Lake Toxaway]
put the county on the map, " says Suddeth.
Of
course, many things changed in
1916.
Heritage Museum, the inn boasted everything
from flushing toilets to French
chefs. These amenities attracted a highend
clientele.
" The guest register boasts the names
of early century greats like Thomas Edison,
J.P. Morgan, Cornelius Vanderbilt,
Henry Ford, Harvey Firestone, John
Burroughs, the Dukes, the Wanamakers
and R.J. Reynolds, " says Suddeth.
During their time at the inn, visitors
had plenty to do, from sailing regattas
and hiking expeditions to bowling parties
and boozy ballroom dances. (Despite
Transylvania County being dry, the Toxaway
Company managed to serve liquor
anyway.) The atmosphere was convivial
but quite exclusive.
" The inn would not have been a social
place for the locals, " confirms Laura
Sperry, a local history librarian with the
Transylvania County Library. " To put it
into perspective, hotel rates were about
$10 nightly; a teacher's salary in Transylvania
County at that time was about
$40 per month. "
Many prosperous patrons even arrived
by private Pullman car-the same
way " that a jet-setter might take their
private plane to travel, " says Sperry.
TRANSFORMING THE MOUNTAIN
ECONOMY
It's possible that the glaring socioeconomic
divide between natives and visitors
created a culture of haves and havenots.
But if this was the case, there is
little evidence of it today. Newspaper
articles make subtle jabs, referring to the
area as " a rich man's playground, " but
there is no explicitly negative language.
" I am sure some [locals] were unhappy
about it, but from what I've heard and
been told, most people in the area were
glad to see it come, " says Suddeth.
The inn needed housekeepers, bellhops,
front desk clerks, waiters and
maintenance technicians, and natives
needed jobs. Plus, Suddeth adds, the
" hotel required supplies that could be
bought from local people. "
The activity in Lake Toxaway also
positioned Transylvania County as a
tourism destination, paving the way for
what has since grown into a nearly $200
million-a-year
industry, according to
WASHING AWAY AN ERA
People had long speculated that the dam
might break. In 1903, for instance, The
News and Observer announced that
James L. Orr, president of the Piedmont
Company in Greenville, had " carefully
examined " the earthen embankment,
after which he determined the structure
" insecure. " He went on to say that " if
water should rise above the surface of
the dam, it would be washed away in
two hours. "
The Asheville Citizen soon clapped
back with a detailed editorial that concluded
with: " The heaviest rains of the
season have not raised the water in the
spillway more than four inches. Thus, it
may be seen that all cause for alarm ... is
entirely eliminated. "
There was, in fact, cause for alarm.
In July of 1916, a Category 3 hurricane
slammed the Gulf Coast and then
headed straight for the hills of western
North Carolina. A week later, a Category
2 hurricane dumped even more rain,
causing catastrophic flooding across the
region. The folks up in Lake Toxaway
JULY/AUGUST 2024 65
COURTESY OF THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Blue Ridge Country July/August 2024
