Did you know that before Rockbrook was a summer camp it was well known in the area as a working farm? Henry P. Clarke, the father of Nancy Carrier, camp founder, was a well respected farmer in Brevard. After doing some research we have found that Mr. Clarke bred chickens, shorthorn cattle and even raised dogs. There was a large garden plot, muscadine grape vines and a dairy that was run by a family member of Mr. Clarke. When Rockbrook was founded in 1921 the farm provided all of the food and meat for the whole camp!
The chicken yard at Rockbrook Farm
A Man of Many Talents
While researching the history of the farm, we came across Mr. Clarke’s name in several publications. We learned that Mr. Clarke operated a kennel called Brevard Kennel. Here is a snippet from The Field Dog Book:
We also discovered an interesting advertisement in the back of The Country Gentlemen Magazine for Rockbrook Farms Shorthorn Cattle. Check out the ad as well as a birthing record of two of the cows Lady Mell and Minerva.
It is clear that Mr. Clarke was a man of many talents! In our next blog we will share a great article about Mr. Clarke “saving the farming season” with his new modern tractor.
[…] Times, 1920October 10, 2012Rockbrook in The New York Timesby Charlotte Leave a CommentIn our last blog post we shared some interesting information about the history of Farming at Rockbrook. During our […]
[…] became the main event of the day, an amazing Rennaissance Festival held on the grassy lawn of the Clarke-Carrier House in the center of camp. Built between 1895 and 1889 by H.P. Clarke, the father of Rockbrook’s […]