Celebrating at Spirit Dinner

Chase and Briana receive their Year Gifts at Spirit Dinner

One of the highlights at the end of each session at camp is the Spirit Dinner.  It is held on the last night of  camp and is a reflective event highlighting the session.  One of the special parts of the dinner is when campers and counselors are recognized for the number of years they have attended camp. It does not matter if it is your first year or your tenth, you are cheered and celebrated when your year is announced.

Former campers and now staff members, Chase Nelson and Briana Ozor were very excited to earn their year gifts this summer.  Chase earned her 8 year Shirt and Briana earned her 5 year pillow.  This is just another great reason to return to Rockbrook summer after summer.

The History of Goodwill

Goodwill Cabin - Rockbrook Camp, Brevard, NC

In 1895, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Peck Clarke, formerly of Connecticut, purchased over 800 acres in Transylvania County on which they built their mountain estate.  On this site, their daughter Nancy Clarke Carrier and her husband Henry established Rockbrook Camp for Girls in 1921.   One of the more interesting facts about Mrs. Carrier is that she was the great granddaughter of PT Barnum, of circus fame.  Many circus artifacts were on display in the Carrier House, and thrilled many a camper, such as the chair of Tom Thumb and many lovely home furnishings.

This circus history also has a direct link to the building known as Goodwill.   The circus winter residence was Columbia, SC and was located next to the Goodwill Plantation.  When Nancy Carrier was visiting the area she fell in love with the beautiful hand hewn chestnut log cabins located on the property, and was given the opportunity to bring two of them to Brevard to make them part of her mountain estate.  She restored the 200 year old cabins to their original beauty and made them part of the center of camp life.  The buildings were named Goodwill and Curosty (the mountain word for crafts) and both are still in use by the campers and remain a part of Rockbrook’s proud history.

Getting the ‘Old Guard’ Together

Here’s a nice photo of the “Old Guard” taken at Rockbrook’s recent Alumnae Reunion back in August. From left to right, there’s: Lucy Gibson, Brenda Byrne, Elsa Claverie, Madge Kempton, Mary Ellis Carrere Hasseltine, Jo Littleton, Phyllis Shaw and Elizabeth Acree. Years and years of camp experience right there!

“Old Counselors Never Die……”

Several attendees at our Alumnae Reunion this summer requested to go on a hike with the legendary counselor, Phyllis S. She worked at camp from ’59 to ’67.

Campers (that could keep up with her) still remember her spunkiness, funny stories – including one about the “rattlecat” – and her zest for the woods.

She’s an example of how much of an impact counselors can have on their campers. Counselors get to be that person who show campers new worlds and horizons – and if you’re lucky, the campers just might remember your name!

Today, Phyllis is a retired English professor. She loves William Wordsworth’s work, her cat and exploring every peak to be had.

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p.s. The title of this blog comes from the song sung when it’s a counselor’s birthday:

“Old counselors never die, never die,
Old counselors never die, they just look that way!”

At Yosemite this year

On the Trail