Image Credits
& Bibliography
Every good camp has rules, traditions, and trusted sources. This page is our well-worn field guide: the books, archives, sources, and research that helped ground this exhibit in stories, fact, memory, and care.
HOW TO CITE THIS WEBSITE
This non-commercial digital exhibit is intended for educational purposes only. The material used here has been gathered in good faith according to fair use standards with full citations of all sources. To cite or provide attribution to this site, we recommend you use the following:
MLA Style: Campfires & the Embers of Youth: The History of Summer Camps in Western North Carolina. Cashiers Historical Society, 2026. https://SummerCampHistoryWNC.org. Accessed [day-month-year].
Chicago Manual of Style: Cashiers Historical Society. “Campfires & the Embers of Youth: The History of Summer Camps in Western North Carolina.” Cashiers Historical Society, 2026, accessed [date], https://SummerCampHistoryWNC.org
IMAGE CREDITS
Unless otherwise indicated, all camp photos belong to the archival collections of their respective camps.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Camp Arrowhead Collections, 1937–2025. Camp Arrowhead, Zirconia, NC.Camp Carolina Collections, 1924–2025. Camp Carolina, Brevard, NC.Camp Greystone Collections, 1920–2025. Camp Greystone, Zirconia, NC.Camp High Rocks Collections, 1958–2025. Camp High Rocks, Brevard, NC.Camp Merrie-Woode Centennial Archives Collections, 1919–2025. Camp Merrie-Woode, Sapphire, NC.Camp Mondamin & Green Cove Collections, 1922–2025. Camp Mondamin, Zirconia, NC.Camp Sequoyah and Camp Junaluska Collections, 1924–1978. Weaverville, NC.Camp Tekoa Collections, 1949–2025. Camp Tekoa, Hendersonville, NC.Camp Ton-A-Wandah Collections, 1933–2025. Camp Ton-A-Wandah, Flat Rock, NC.Falling Creek Camp Collections, 1969–2025. Falling Creek Camp, Zirconia, NC.Gwynn Valley Camp Collections, 1935–2025. Gwynn Valley Camp, Brevard, NC.Keystone Camp Collections, 1916–2025. Keystone Camp, Brevard, NC.Rockbrook Camp Collections, 1921–2025. Rockbrook Camp, Brevard, NC.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------BIBLIOGRAPHY
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------American Camp Association. “Timeline of ACA and Summer Camp.” Accessed March 2025. https://www.acacamps.org/about/history/timeline---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Asheville Chamber of Commerce. Summer Camps for Boys and Girls in the Land of the Sky. 1937.Asheville Chamber of Commerce. Summer Camps for Boys and Girls in the Land of the Sky. 1946.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Asheville Citizen-Times. “10,000 Youths Expected at Summer Camps.” July 9, 1950.Asheville Citizen-Times. “Organized Summer Camping is Important Business in Western N.C.” June 20, 1937.Asheville Citizen-Times. “Summer Camps Will Draw Approximately 3,000 Persons to Mountains.” May 8, 1932.Asheville Citizen-Times. “W.N.C. Is Recognized as One of the Great Camping Areas of U.S.” November 21, 1937.Asheville Citizen-Times. “W.N.C. Summer Camps Face Best Season in Many Years.” June 7, 1942.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Balch, Alred. “A Boy’s Republic: The Story of Camp Chocorua.” McClure’s Magazine, August, 1893.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Balch, Elizabeth. “The Boys' Paradise: A Summer Visitor's Account of Camp Chocorua.” St. Nicholas, June, 1886.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Ball, Armand. “How the American Camp Association Has Evolved Through Certain Crisis.” Camping Magazine, September 1, 2010. https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/how-american-camp-association-has-evolved-through-certain-crisis---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Bialeschki, Ph.D., M. Deborah, and Jean McMullan and Frank “Scotty” Washburn. “ACA Turning Points: Leadership Lessons from the Past.” Camping Magazine, November 1, 2010. https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/aca-turning-points-leadership-lessons-past---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Buncombe County Special Collections. Pack Memorial Library. Asheville, NC.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Camp Arrowhead Collections, 1937 - 2025. Camp Arrowhead, Zirconia, NC.Camp Atwater. “Historic Camp Atwater.” Accessed April 2025. https://www.campatwater.org/historyCamp Carolina Collections, 1924 - 2025. Camp Carolina, Brevard, NC.Camp Founder Girls. “[Her]story of Camp Founder Girls.” Accessed April 2025. https://www.campfoundergirls.org/herstoryCamp Greystone Collections, 1920 - 2025. Camp Greystone, Zirconia, NC.Camp Greystone. Greystone 100 Years. Craig Ragsdale, Martin Printing, 2020.Camp High Rocks Collections, 1958 - 2025. Camp High Rocks, Brevard, NC.Camp Merrie-Woode Centennial Archives Collections, 1919 - 2025. Camp Merrie-Woode, Sapphire, NC.Camp Mondamin & Green Cove Collections, 1922 - 2025. Camp Mondamin, Zirconia, NC.Camp Sequoyah and Camp Junaluska Collections, 1924 - 1978. Weaverville, NC.Camp Tekoa Collections, 1949 - 2025. Camp Tekoa, Hendersonville, NC.Camp Ton-A-Wandah Collections, 1933 - 2025. Camp Ton-A-Wandah, Flat Rock, NC.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Cassell, Sylvia E. “Try An Indian Pow Wow.” Camping Magazine, June, 1955.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Crader, Ollie. "A Reflection of American Affairs and Values: The Evolution of the Summer Camp in American History." Legacy, Vol. 22, Iss. 1, Article 2., 2022.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Deloria, Philip J. Playing Indian. Yale University Press, 1998.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Edmondson, William Hawthorne. “A Survey of A Selected Group of Private Camps for Boys.” Master’s thesis, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1948.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Eells, Eleanor. Eleanor Eells’ History of Organized Camping: The First 100 Years. American Camping Association, Inc., 1986.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Elliston, Jon. “Back to Summerlane.” Mountain XPress, July 27, 2010. https://mountainx.com/news/community-news/072810back_to_summerlane/Elliston, Jon. “Burning Memories: The Short, Hard History of Camp Summerlane (Part 1).” Mountain XPress, June 18, 2008. https://mountainx.com/news/community-news/061808burning_memories/Elliston, Jon. “Storm Clouds: Camp Summerlane’s Hopeful Start Turns Troubled (Part 2).” Mountain XPress, June 25, 2008. https://mountainx.com/news/community-news/storm_clouds/Elliston, Jon. “Showdown: Camp Summerlane’s Trial by Fire (Part 3).” Mountain XPress, July 2, 2008. https://mountainx.com/news/community-news/070208cruel_summer_showdown/Elliston, Jon. “Smoked Out: Camp Summerlane’s Conflicted History (Part 4).” Mountain XPress, July 9, 2008. https://mountainx.com/news/community-news/070908smoked_out/---------------------------------------------------------------------------------English, Melanie. Images of America: Summer Camps Around Asheville and Hendersonville. Arcadia Publishing, 2016.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Falling Creek Camp. Behold 50: Celebrating 50 Summers. Scott Lithographing Co Inc., Tucker, GA, 2018.Falling Creek Camp Collections, 1969 - 2025. Falling Creek Camp, Zirconia, NC.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Ferguson, Nancy and Jennifer Burch. “Religious Camps: Common Roots and New Sprouts.” Camping Magazine, November 1, 2011. https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/religious-camps-common-roots-new-sprouts---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Ferris, Marcie Cohen. “Southern Jewish Summer Camp.” Jewish Historical Society of South Carolina. Accessed April 2025. https://jhssc.org/southern-jewish-summer-camp/---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Fields, Alison. Keystone Camp 100th Anniversary: A Celebration of the Girls of Summer. Market Connections, Asheville, NC, 2016.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Foster, Corrinne. “A Historical Gazetteer of American Summer Camps.” Master’s paper, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, December, 2022.Foster, Corinne. “To the Knights in the Days of Old: Camp Merrie-Woode and the Girls’ Camping Movement in Western North Carolina.” Undergraduate honors thesis, Clemson University, April, 2018.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Fowler, Stephen. “A Study of the Summer Camping Movement in Western North Carolina.” Master’s thesis, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1941.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Graff, Cory. "The Legacy of Courageous B-17 Pilot Colin Kelly." Published January 21, 2022. Accessed February 12, 2026. https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/b-17-pilot-colin-kelly. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Gwynn Valley Camp Collections, 1935 - 2025. Gwynn Valley Camp, Brevard, NC.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Head, Olivia P. “Camp Merrie-Woode: The Interactions of Gender Attitudes and Historic Preservation at an All-Girls’ Summer Camp.” Master’s thesis, University of Georgia, 2017.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Hunter Library Special Collections. Western Carolina University. Cullowhee, NC. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Johnson, Karen. “A Study of Present-Day Organized Camping in North Carolina.” Master’s thesis, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1957.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Johnston, C.Walton. The Unique Mission of the Summer Camp. C. Walton Johnston, 1960.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Keystone Camp Collections, 1916 - 2025. Keystone Camp, Brevard, NC.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Khan, Laurie Susan. Sleepaway: The Girls of Summer and the Camps They Love. Workman Publishing, Inc., 2003.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Kranz, Helaine. "Picturing the Past: Camp Perry-Ann For Girls." The Transylvania Times, August 10, 2025. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Lehman, Eugene H. Camps and Camping: 1927. American Sports Publishing, 1927.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Leverette, Will. A History of Whitewater Paddling in Western North Carolina. The History Press, 2008.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Miranda, Ph.D., Wilma and Yerkes, Ed.D, Rita. “Her Story: The Role of Women in the Formation of the American Camp Association 1910-1924.” Camping Magazine, March 1, 2010. https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/her-story-role-women-formation-american-camp-association-1910-1924---------------------------------------------------------------------------------North Carolina Youth Camp Association. “Economic Impact Study of Organized Youth Camps in Western North Carolina.” North Carolina State University, January, 2011. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/666b1d06a1058a18b88eba5f/t/66b51a3a72dedb1d03bf8f22/1723144764611/FINALEISNCSTATE2011.pdfNorth Carolina Youth Camp Association. “Economic Impact Study of Organized Youth Camping in North Carolina.” Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management, North Carolina State University, July, 2020. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/666b1d06a1058a18b88eba5f/t/66b51a59a56c081d2b8fbf62/1723144794525/NCYCA+2020+Report_Final.pdf---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Ozier, EdD, Lance D. “Camp as Educator: Lessons Learned from History.” Camping Magazine. September/October, 2010. https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/camp-educator-lessons-learned-history---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Paris, Leslie. Children’s Nature: The Rise of the American Summer Camp. New York University Press, 2008.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Popkin, Herman M. Once Upon a Summer: Blue Star Camps: Fifty Years of Memories. Venture Press, 1997.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Rockbrook Camp Collections, 1921 - 2025. Rockbrook Camp, Brevard, NC.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Rocoff, Leonard. Down Home: Jewish Life in North Carolina. The Jewish Heritage Foundation, The University of North Carolina Press, 2010. Internet Archive. https://archive.org/stream/downhomejewishlirogo/downhomejewishlirogo_djvu.txt---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Rosenblum, Albert, and Bessie Vigodsky Rosenblum. “Oral history interview with Albert Rosenblum and Bessie Vigodsky Rosenblum.” Interview by Sandra Lee Kahn Rosenblum and Raymond Rosenblum, Jewish Heritage Collection, College of Charleston Libraries. https://lcdl.library.cofc.edu/lcdl/catalog/251733Rowell Bosse North Carolina Room Collection. Transylvania Country Library. Brevard, NC.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Sandford, Jason. “The Camp Summerlane Documents.” Mountain XPress, June 17, 2008. https://mountainx.com/news/the_camp_summerlane_documents/---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Sargent, Porter. A Handbook of Summer Camps: An Annual Survey. Porter Sargent, 1924.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Shock, Laurie. Camp Merrie-Woode: 100 Years of Following the Gleam. Shock Design Books, 2017.Shock, Laurie, and Charlotte Page, Phyllis Shaw, Barbara Acree, Sarah Reed Carter. In the Heart of a Wooded Mountain: Rockbrook Camp for Girls 1921-2021. Shock Design Books, 2021.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Solomon, Ken. Beautiful Faces 1971: Camp Blue Star: Hendersonville, NC. Dorrance Publishing Co., 2023.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Spenley, Allie. “Segregated Summer Camps: The Origins of the American Summer Camp.” U.S. History Scene, February 16, 2020. https://ushistoryscene.com/article/segregated-summer-camps/---------------------------------------------------------------------------------The Asheville Citizen. “Summer Camps of Western North Carolina Attract Hundreds From All Points.” June 29, 1922.The Asheville Citizen. “Many School Boys in Carolina Mountains.” July 3, 1914.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------The Transylvania Times. “War Increases Enrollment For All Camps.” August 20, 1942.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Van Slyck, Abigail A. A Manufactured Wilderness: Summer Camps and the Shaping of American Youth, 1890–1960. University of Minnesota Press, 2006.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Wack, Henry Wellington. More About Summer Camps: Training For Leisure. The Red Book Magazine Department of Education, 1926.Wack, Henry Wellington. Summer Camps: Boys and Girls. The Red Book Magazine Department of Education, 1923.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Ward, Jane Shaw. Tajar Tales. Womans Press, NY, 1924.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Scene from the Cabin Life display of the museum exhibit
CHECK OUT THESE OTHER PAGES:
MUSEUM GALLERY + YOUR STORY + ACKNOWLEDGMENTS + ARCHIVAL IMAGES + CAMP SYMPOSIUM + EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS