Brevard Ranks
January 14, 2010 by rbc
Filed under North Carolina
Back in August, Backpacker Magazine published a list of “The best cities to raise an outdoor kid.” And guess what! Our very own Brevard, North Carolina ranked number 20 in the list. These are the best places in America to “beat Nature Deficit Disorder.” That’s not too surprising when you think about all the incredible outdoor opportunities available nearby: all the Pisgah forest trails, great rock, and nearby whitewater rivers. It’s also one explanation for why this area is so fantastic for a summer camp.
Go here and read all about it.
Rockbrook's Google Earth Location
February 2, 2009 by rbc
Filed under North Carolina
If you use Google Earth, and you know where to look, here is the view of Rockbrook Camp you’ll see. If you don’t know where to look (hint: western North Carolina, south of Brevard), download this Google Earth location file, and it will “fly” you to the right spot. Very cool.
This aerial view of camp is looking directly east. You can easily spot the French Broad River in the lower left, as well as all of the horseback riding pastures at the bottom. This view also makes it easy to see that the heart of the camp is tucked in a valley between Castle Rock and Dunn’s Rock. You can just make out the rocks in the shadows above the camp (about 11 and 2 o’clock).
It’s fun to see RBC from this perspective. Go check out camp and this part of North Carolina on Google Earth. You’ll be amazed.
New Rockbrook Camp Sign
May 14, 2008 by rbc
Filed under summer camp
You’ve read about it in the most recent RBC newsletter, but what does it look like? Well, here it is, the new Rockbrook Camp sign! The old one couldn’t be repaired, so we asked local Brevard artist Matthew Lee Hoxit to design and build a new sign for the camp entrance. After showing him some vintage Rockbrook catalogs, and selecting one of the old fonts we liked, Matthew put together this design, found the local materials (oak and locust), hand carved the sign, and installed the whole thing. We love it, and think you will too!
North Carolina Stone Hotel, c. 1840
March 20, 2008 by rbc
Filed under North Carolina
It’s always fun to bump into a surprising historical connection to camp. Here’s a great example we spotted recently— a photo of what was called the “Stone Hotel.” It’s on display in the Transylvania County Courthouse (that’s the North Carolina county where Rockbrook is located) with the caption “Built circa 1840.” But do you recognize the big rock up above and behind it? It’s our very own Dunn’s Rock! The junction of Island Ford Road and US276 (Greenville Highway) was once a bustling little town with houses, this hotel, and a general store called “Powell’s Store,” which is still standing and is currently the Mud Dabber’s Pottery. An 1870 census of the Dunn’s Rock Township, as it was called, recorded 80 men, women and children living there. You have to wonder if the hotel was still open when Rockbrook was founded in 1921, and if any Rockbrook Camp families ever stayed there. Pretty cool.
