This is a brief history of how Bonclarken came to be, and of the Hotel where we will be staying.
In the early 1900s Mama and Papa began enjoying short trips to the mountains. Papa mentioned trips to Chimney Rock several times. Papa was also very interested in having a church conference grounds in the mountains. They were lifetime members of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church with membership in the old Thiatira church near Matthews, N. C. and when it closed, were many years at Sardis church near Charlotte. When members like Mr. Stewart and Mr. Ellis from the Florida Presbytery, and Mr. Galloway from Due West, (and of course others, but these were all special friends of Papa's), began discussing the purchase of the Heidelberg estate in Flat Rock, N. C., Papa was right in there with them. He became the first treasurer of this venture and the first two $100 shares were bought by Papa. (This note is framed and hanging on the wall in the family room of the cottage.)
Just for a brief history of Heidelberg----A German had built the hotel as a summer home for his bride, bringing all the materials over from Germany. His wife didn't enjoy it, so it was sold to a group who turned it into a girl's school, but there were no students, so it was sold to another group who turned it into a hospital, but there were no patients. So, then the ARP church bought it for a summer conference grounds. This was in the mid-1920s. Papa and Mama enjoyed coming up to the church grounds for a few days ever so often, but then Papa got other ideas! Here I quote from Papa's diary as it is in Papa's Poems.
First Journal Entry about our Mountain House at Bonclarken.
Sabbath night, Apr. 15, 1928 (Note: we have been saying 1926, but this date is in the diary!)
We have been corresponding with Mr. E. C. Stewart, Bartow, Fla., in regard to buying a lot at Bonclarken. We are in a notion now, and hope to stay in such notion, of taking two or three weeks every year for outing and recreation. This summer while Mr. Gambrell is in Europe, Mary Belle with her children and Zelda will, we hope, spend one month in our “summer” home in the mountains. How foolish that sounds for poor folks! Well, we'll play like rich folks, if we are poor. (Note: both Mr. Stewart and Mr. Ellis from Fla. were orange grove millionaires!! Papa was in good company even if “poor”) Our plan is to buy the lot when Mr. Stewart comes to Synod on May 10 in Charlotte, and then get my good friend, Reginald Harrelson, who lives at Hendersonville, to build us a little hut on it and have it ready for occupancy July 1st.
My memorandum book may show more about this project of a “summer home in the mountains” later. We may be disappointed.
