friends of the cradle - cfaia · • 1898-1913: biltmore forest school is operated by dr. carl...

Autumn 2012Friends of the Cradle

I hope you will join us on October 6th (Forest Festival Day) to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Cradle of Forestry in America Interpretive Association. We are looking forward to celebrating many past successes and future goals. To get in the mood to celebrate with us, read over highlights in the Cradle’s history:

• 1898-1913: Biltmore Forest School is operated by Dr. Carl Alwin Schenck• 1914: Edith Vanderbilt, widow of George Vanderbilt, sells 86,700 acres to the U.S.

Forest Service to become the basis of the Pisgah Ranger District• 1968: 6500 acre Cradle of Forestry site established by Congress• 1972: CFAIA established as non-profit partner for Cradle of Forestry• 1988:Visitor Orientation Center opens (fire destroyed original visitor center in 1985)• 1992:groundbreaking for the Forest Discovery Center• 1997: Current exhibits installed and dedicated• 1999: Education Wing opens, completing the Forest Discovery Center• 2011: Centennial of the 1911 Weeks Act, which allowed federal funds to purchase

private forest land for conservation• 2012: 40th Anniversary of the CFAIA

Just this year, the site has seen some exciting changes and new opportunities:• May: Hobnob at the Cradle reopens the cafe• June: Cradle selected as 1 of 5 Signature Sites for National Get Outdoor Day (over

100 sites participating)• July: Amphitheater roof dedicated during Songcatchers• August: Climate exhibit kicks off with renovation of water-related exhibits (new

exhibit will open in Spring 2013)

At the summer meeting, the Friends voted to use membership dues to set up a Constant Contact account for email marketing and to renovate the Wildlife Habitat and Pollinator Garden behind the Cradle. Chad Campbell from Appalachian Ecologic has completed the assessment and will work with a group of volunteers on Saturday, September 29th, National Public Lands Day. Finally, I want to encourage you to “lend your hands” to the Cradle on National Public Lands Day. Join a modern group of “Schenck’s boys” (and girls) to help renovate the Wildlife Habitat and Pollinator Garden, beautify the flower beds around the Discovery Center, or support the completion of the Pink Beds boardwalk. Entrance to the site is free on the 29th. Contact Devin Gentry ([email protected]) or me ([email protected]) for more information.

“Lend me your ears!”: Fall events, reflections on 40 years of the CFAIA, and accomplishments in our second year as a Friends group

by Carlton Murrey, Executive Director - CFAIA

http://www.cradleofforestry.com 1 http://www.facebook.com/cradleofforestry

James & James Environmental Sponsor, Climate exhibit

We’re thankful to the Cradle of Forestry’s

2012 sponsors!

Presenting sponsor, Forest Festival Day and Woodsmen’s

Meet, October 6th

Presenting sponsor, “The Legend of Tommy Hodges”

Sponsor, Songcatchers series

Sponsor, Climate exhibit

Sponsor, Climate exhibit

Crafters Corner: Bob Miller: Toymaker of Blessed Memory

When my wife Patti and I first visited the Cradle of Forestry in 1995 we made the mistake many of our visitors make: we arrived about 4 p.m. expecting to take in all the Cradle had to offer in the last few hours of a busy day touring the North Carolina mountains. When we inquired at the information desk, we were offered a full day’s choices, and decided to at least dash around the Biltmore Campus Trail before closing. Near the Commissary we encountered an old hillbilly in his overalls. He was rushing around, but he paused to talk with us. I remember feeling welcome and even more determined to come back with time to visit and explore. I’ve since learned that 4 o’clock is “Miller time” – the time Bob and Barbara Miller began to pack up to go home. The talking Bob had such a gift for Barbara referred to as “politicking”; and she maintained he’d done enough of it to get himself elected to any office he chose. Bob Miller prided himself in being “the best ol’ granddaddy

you ever seen”, and also in being an old hillbilly. He could turn his hand to pretty much anything that came to hand. When he and Barbara moved to Transylvania

County in 1951, Bob set out to build them a home, even though he had little experience as a carpenter and none as a builder. According to Barbara, he produced an acceptable house. By the time I first saw it, it was a cozy and functional home. But he worked on it the rest of his life to make it just what he and “his woman” wanted. His first love, of course, was his woman, but followed closely by his love for kids and for wood and the things he could make from it. Like a number of us, he followed his significant other into crafts. (Barbara Miller was the subject of the Friends summer article.) He went with Barbara to

events at the Folk Art Center, like the Heritage Weekend, and commonly participated in the whimmey diddle contests that were part of the Weekend (which Bob referred to as the “whimmey diddle do”) . When the person who had been providing the whimmey diddles for the contest was incapacitated, Bob was asked to supply a few (probably as a result of his ‘politicking’) and given a sample to work from. He worked from the sample until he had a product he was satisfied with; knowing Bob, I’m sure was a significant improvement. Whimmey diddles can be made from anything from

popsicle sticks to rebar, but Bob made his from well-cured rhododendron sticks gathered from the Forest. The sticks were carefully notched, the propellers carefully carved and attached with just the proper size and type of nail, and each device was tested by its maker before it was added to the stack. Bob described rhododendron as smart wood, easy to train. And guests, especially kids, were convinced and amazed when Bob said “gee” and the propeller spun to the right then reversed itself and spun to the left when he said “haw”. Initially, he made several dozen whimmey diddles for the contest and to sell in the Allanstand shop of the Folk Art Center, though he was not at the time a member of the Highland Guild. He first submitted for Guild membership on the basis of the whimmey diddles, but the Guild requires more than one product. In the process of working on the house and indulging his love for woodworking, Bob had acquired the tools for making tops and other toys he remembered playing with as a boy. So he resubmitted on the basis of both whimmey diddles and other wooden toys and was accepted. Bob made toys, primarily for sell at the Allanstand shop, for several years before he and Barbara began at Cradle in 1988. One could count on Bob’s toys being functional and also things of simple beauty. He experimented with different types of wood, chose his materials carefully, and finished each toy meticulously. Of the various and sundry toys he made, his favorite and also his best seller was the whimmey diddle. In his final season, he was selling 600 to 700 a year at the Cradle, the Allanstand shop, and several other craft outlets. Back in the day, visitors would visit and revisit the ol’ toymaker on the Commissary porch, and his warm welcome is much missed today both by returning visitors and by those of us that were blessed to work with him.

by Ernie Caldwell


A Moment in the History of Pisgah Forest: Rural Free Deliveryby Bill Alexander, Biltmore Estate Historian

Fall Events

If you anticipated a letter with news from a dear friend or relative, imagine riding 20 to 25 miles round trip on horseback to get it, sometimes in inclement weather! Before 1902, that is what residents in the Pink Beds and other parts of Pisgah Forest had to do to get their mail. It would make for a long day! In late August of 1902 I. B. Ledbetter, Postmaster of Davidson River, advised Dr. Carl Schenck that the Deputy of Rural Delivery Routes wished to see him about establishing a route between Davidson River and the Pink Beds.1 Dr. Schenck was in discussions with George Vanderbilt about constructing the Davidson River Road and the industry it was attracting. Schenck wrote to Vanderbilt in early September advocating for rural delivery from the postal service on his properties. The proposed route would pass by foot of Vanderbilt’s proposed Looking Glass Lodge, two rangers’ houses and the commissary at the Pink Beds. If Vanderbilt agreed to rural delivery, Avery Creek Road would need to be repaired. Schenck advised that rural mail delivery will have a “civilizing influence” on the people living in the mountains.2 Writing from Bar Harbor, Maine on September 13, 1902, Vanderbilt said he received Dr. Schenck's letters and that Dr. Schenck could begin work on Avery Creek Road. He approved of Dr. Schenck's free postal delivery plan and advised building Avery Creek Road instead of Pink Bed Road and to carry mail with one of Vanderbilt’s teams and use his name.3 He mentioned that, “If Mr. Moody is elected through enough republican votes, he will facilitate rural delivery routes through the Pink Beds.” Vanderbilt thought Schenck should encourage men who had not registered to vote to do so.4 It appears that at least one rural free delivery route was successfully established. Surviving blank copies of petitions “asking that rural free delivery route No.1 from Pisgah Forest not be discontinued” are dated August 14, 1907. 5

1. I.B. Ledbetter to Carl Schenck, August 27, 1902, Biltmore Estate Archives. 2. Carl Schenck to George Vanderbilt, September 8, 1902, BEA. 3. George Vanderbilt to Carl Schenck, September 13, 1902, BEA. 4. Ibid, October 13, 1902, BEA. 5. Community Issues, Box 28, Folder 18, 1897-1909, BEA.

September 15: Afternoon Tea with LlamasSeptember 22: Monarch Butterfly Program (2:00 p.m.)September 29: National Pubic Lands Day (free event)October 6: Forest Festival Day and Intercollegiate Woodsmen’s MeetOctober 13: Camping in the Old StyleOctober 19-20: The Legend of Tommy Hodges Outdoor Drama (evening program)

Save the Dates for 2013

March 23, 2013: Our first Friends of the Cradle of Forestry meeting. Please come and join us!

April 13, 2013: Opening Day at the Cradle.

Families’ Cornerby Larry Ascher

On average, today’s kids spend more than seven hours each day in front of electronic media and far less in unstructured outdoor play. The National Wildlife Federation is committed to getting kids outdoors, and their website (http://www.nwf.org/) has some great suggestions to balance “screen time” with “green time,” including an “Angry Birds” craft and game, outdoor digital photography, and geocaching! The photo activity allows families to upload their pictures to Ranger Rick’s Photo Contest (www.nwf.org/rrphotocontest) and be entered to win prizes! Check the NWF website for more fun inspirations and games.


Join or Renew your SupportPlease complete the following and mail to “CFAIA” to 66 S. Broad Street, Brevard, NC, 28712. Name(s): __________________________________________ Mailing Address: ____________________________________ ________________________________________________ Phone Number: ____________________________________ Email: ____________________________________________

I am: o Joining as a Friend of the Cradle o Renewing my membership o Interested in volunteering o Providing an in-kind donation from the Wish list*

___$10.00 Student ___$100 Schenck ___$25.00 Individual ___$250 Pinchot ___$35.00 Couple ___$500 Vanderbilt ___$50.00 Family ___Other: _______ ____Check (Payable to CFAIA, with “Friends” in the memo) ____Credit Card (Call 828-884-5713, ext. 19)

To learn more about the benefits you receive at each membership level, visit www.cradleofforestry.com.

As a lifelong learner, I enjoy the Cradle of Forestry’s interpretive events. They force me to study the topic at hand, and I always glean something new. Bug Day is particularly inspiring, considering the many ways insects influence our lives and forests. It was on a hot, sunny, late June day, shortly after Bug Day that I had a close encounter with an insect that I would not have experienced without my enhanced curiosity. Enjoying a day at home gardening, I heard a broad-winged hawk. I picked up my binoculars to take a look, but the bird flew out of view. As I lowered them I spotted a large bumblebee-like creature fly past me and land in a nearby dogwood. I thought it strange that it just sat on a leaf rather than flying to a garden blossom. Was it really a bumblebee? Since some flies mimic bees in appearance, I studied it, hoping for a better view of its wings and patterns. This insect was mostly still, now and then appearing to groom itself. I was still, too, except for occasionally adjusting my tiring arms as I

held my small black binoculars. Finally, it turned in my direction. Was it watching me? I wanted to learn what this critter was up to on this lovely day. We were staring each other down, but I was determined to stand my ground. Suddenly, a fuzzy black blob appeared in my field of vision. As I lowered my binoculars, the insect bopped me on the head, startling me into running off with an AHHH!!!! Glad

there were no human witnesses, I went inside laughing at myself and looked up bee mimics in my favorite insect field guide. I confirmed my conclusion that I had encountered a robber fly when I saw it the next day in hunting behavior among day lily and fern foliage. In a less confrontational stance, I quietly apologized to this fascinating, bold predator. My binoculars must have looked like huge compound eyes. I felt thankful to have shared a mutual awareness with this insect, but more thankful to be too big to be eaten! I hope our events enhance curiosity and enrich the lives of those who attend them. Lifelong learning is full of surprises!

“I felt thankful to have shared a mutual awareness with this insect, but more thankful to be too big to be eaten!”

Nature at the Cradle: A Close Encounter of the Curious Kindby Cindy Carpenter

Education & Interpretation Program Curator


• Ivory soap bars• White or off-white cotton muslin for

quilting project (for details, contact Cindy Carpenter, [email protected] or (828)877-3130)

• AA batteries

**Cradle Wish list

Robber fly eating Japanese Beetle.. Photo: John Borom (Weeks Bay Reserve Foundation)

friends of the cradle - cfaia · • 1898-1913: biltmore forest school is operated by dr. carl...

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