Charlotte Page is a longtime Associate Director at Rockbrook. She began her career at Rockbrook in 1980 when she was a junior camper and has served in many roles since then, including a Cabin Counselor and Program Director. She is a graduate of Converse College with a degree in Education of the Hearing Impaired. When Charlotte isn’t at Rockbrook, you can find her coaching S.M.A.R.T Girls Run, teaching therapeutic riding lessons at Free Rein Riding Center, or volunteering with the North Carolina Boys & Girls Club.
Mrs. Carrier and Peggy on The Rockbrook House lawn
Many campers and staff from the early days of Rockbrook often mention Mrs. Carrier’s dog and sidekick, Peggy. We were thrilled to find a photograph of Mrs. Carrier and Peggy together so we could “meet” the girls favorite mascot during those early years. Here is a great excerpt about Peggy, written by a former camper:
“All the campers knew and loved the Great Dane, “Peggy”, who followed Mrs. Carrier wherever she went. She seemed in her canine way to be part director, for she watched the girls as though responsible for their safety. She was a harlequin, the bright patches of white over-lapping the black spots, and though her bark was frightening, she had the gentlest of natures. Seeing her bounce up the hill at the side of Senior Lodge, one knew that Mrs. Carrier could not be far behind and that as long as her mistress stayed in the camp area Peggy would be nearby.”
If you have any Peggy stories you would like to share we would love to hear from you!
In a time when we all lead such busy lives it is nice to have a place like Rockbrook where you can step out of the hustle and bustle of the modern world and live a more simple and thoughtful life. We recently discovered a chapter in the Rockbrook Memories Book that was written in the 1960’s that expresses this same thought. Whether it be the 1960’s or the 2010’s, we all appreciate that Rockbrook provides a haven for girls to reconnect with themselves, friends and the natural world.
“Living in a world so filled with change that it is difficult to communicate with one’s grandchildren, it is good to know that girls still enjoy living close to Nature, hiking down mountain trails, sleeping under the stars, cooking over an open fire and swimming in a rocky pool. It is refreshing to discover that there is one area, at least, where time has stood practically still. That area is summer camping where a cardinal is still a cardinal and although one may picnic on plastic instead of paper, one gets the same thrill from a mountain sunset or a flamboyant rainbow covering the earth with its semi-circle of jeweled colors.”– Mary Bissell McIver Thompson
Our good friend and Rockbrook Alumna Phyllis Shaw sent us word of the passing of former Rockbrook counselor Sue Alley. Sue and Phyllis were counselors together in the early 60’s.
Phyllis says: “Sue and I kept up closely, bound by that Rockbrook connection. Despite her numerous health issues over the years, she maintained a positive outlook and spoke of her health problems with wry humor. I last saw her two years ago when I got a last-minute weekend fare and flew out to surprise her for her birthday–a real Rockbrook SURprise, for sure!”.
We were saddened to hear of Sue’s passing, but are so thankful to have such a wonderful group of Alumnae that create our huge Rockbrook family. Her obituary can be read below.
Sue B. Alley (February 17, 1940 – February 24, 2011)
Sue B. Alley, age 71, a resident of West Chicago, died February 24, 2011, at Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield, Illinois. She was raised in Elmhurst, the daughter of Edward and Bess Baierbach.
She graduated from York High School where she was active with women’s sports and GAA. She received a Bachelors degree in Physical Education from IL State University. She was a camp counselor at Rock Brook in North Carolina and Lake Geneva Youth Camp. On October 17, 1964 she married Scott Alley. She was a member of College Church in Wheaton and Lombard Gospel Chapel.
She was inducted into the Illinois Basketball Hall of Fame as a super fan. She enjoyed watching Wheaton Academy Sports and following her “grandchildren” Andrea, Rachel, Joseph and Benjamin.
She is survived by her husband, Scott, two daughters, Jenny (Tony) Dudasik of LaGrange Park, and Carol (William) Melton of Mulberry, AR, and one sister, Jean (Ben) Hinckle of Dongola, IL.
She was preceded in death by her parents.
A visitation will be held on Monday from 4 to 8 p.m. at Hultgren Funeral Home, 304 N. Main St., Wheaton. A funeral service will be held on Tuesday at 11 a.m. at Lombard Gospel Chapel, Stewart and Pleasant St. in Lombard.
Memorial gifts may be directed to An Open Door Adoption Agency, Melton Fund, P.O. Box 4 218 E. Jackson Street, Thomasville, Georgia 31799 (opendoor@rose.net)
Since the founding of Rockbrook in 1921, Horseback Riding has been a perennial favorite for many of our campers. Our program is based on the forward seat style of riding and we have always had horses and instructors to work with all skill levels. In a Rockbrook catalog from 1926 the Horseback Riding program is a featured activity. Here is an excerpt:
“A string of well broken horses affords every girl an opportunity to enjoy this wholesome sport. In an enclosed field each camper is instructed by experts in the arts of horsemanship. She is taught how to bridle, saddle and mount a horse; how to care for it on trip; how to feed and groom her mount as well as how to ride gracefully and securely.”
Here is another featured comment of the 1926 catalog:
“The horse show of Event Week attracts spectators from the neighboring country and cities and Rockbrook has been referred to as “The Camp where the girls are taught to ride so well.”
So as you can see from the 1920’s or 1970’s up to today, our riding program continues to offer girls a wonderful place to learn the skills and joys of horseback riding. If you have any great horseback riding stories from your time at camp we would love to hear from you. We would love to know more about some of the overnight trail rides and any of your favorite horses. Some of the horses we often hear stories about are Sambo, Peaches, April, Be Good and Druid. Please help us add to our horseback riding archive!
Visit our website to learn more about our current horseback riding program.
Sarah, McKenzie, Mercer and Mandy enjoy a visit in VA
During the fall and winter we travel around the country sharing Rockbrook with potential campers, current campers and their families. We always love it when Rockbrook Alumnae are able to join us at the parties and share their camp memories and stories.
Just a few weeks ago we had a great show in Charlottesville, VA and were thrilled to be joined by McKenzie Harper Inigo and Mercer Reeves. McKenzie and Mercer were both campers and counselors for many years. Mandy and Sarah enjoyed getting to catch up with both of them! Those Rockbrook friendships sure are special no matter how many years it has been since you were at camp together!
One of our favorite and long standing Rockbrook traditions is the special treat known as “The Biltmore Train.” It is an all you can eat ice cream extravaganza that has been happening at Rockbrook for many years. It is a Rockbrook “Surprise” and is announced with a special “choo choo” train song and skit. When the tradition started the actual Bitmore Dairy Truck would drive up to camp and serve the ice cream (as seen in the photo above). The Biltmore Dairy is no longer in business but we sure still enjoy it’s namesake activity. “Biltmore, Biltmore” can often be heard being chanted around camp as the campers hope for the surprise ice cream day to arrive.
We recently uncovered another piece of Nancy Carrier’s history while searching through some old documents. One of these documents was the Bryn Mawr College Calendar and Register of Former Students. Guess who was listed? Nancy Barnum Clarke! Nancy was listed as a Graduate Student in Psychology, Geology and Biology in 1909-1910. It also indicates that she received her Bachelors of Science in 1909 from The College for Women in Columbia, SC.
Bryn Mawr was the first college in the United States to offer Graduate Studies for women. We can imagine Nancy leaving Brevard and venturing to Pennsylvania for further schooling. She was quite an amazing woman and very ahead of her time!
See the image below for Nancy’s record. She is listed third from the top.
Bryn Mawr Register of Former Students and Alumnae.
Nancy Carrier and Peggy on The Rockbrook House lawn
As part of our continuing efforts to document the history of Rockbrook and its founders, we have been doing some genealogical research on camp founder Nancy Carrier and her famous Great- Grandfather P.T. Barnum.  We have explored some fascinating genealogy books and websites and have also visited the Transylvania County Courthouse and Library. We will soon be blogging a more detailed story of their lives, but we need your help in unraveling some of the story.
Those of you who were campers and counselors during Mrs. Carrier’s time at camp can add a lot of detail to the story. We are particularly interested in any information that you remember about her children, Henry and Helen. We would also love to hear any recollections you have on her daughter in law Helen, who directed the camp. Your stories, photos and memories will assist us in painting a more accurate picture of Mrs. Carrier and Rockbrook. Please let us know if you have anything to add!
We were so excited to see former Rockbrook counselor and Junior Line Head extraordinaire Christy Middleton Buchanan when she stopped by the RBC office last week. She came by to introduce us to her sweet baby girl Mirabelle! Mirabelle was born July 1, 2010. She is absolutely adorable and already has been introduced to all of the Rockbrook songs! We wonder what her favorite song is?
Christy says that she is already counting down the days until Mirabelle can be a Rockbrook camper! Summer 2018 will be here before you know it! We will be waiting Mirabelle!
While going through our archives recently we came across this fascinating article about Nancy Carrier, published in The Transylvania Times in 1989. It was printed in honor of what would have been her 100th birthday. It is a wonderful addition to our archives, and is a testament to the legacy of Nancy Carrier. Besides being the founder of Rockbrook Camp, she also was one of the founders of Brevard Music Camp, now Brevard Music Center. She also was a chairman of the first hospital auxiliary in Brevard and helped found Lyday Memorial Hospital, the first public Hospital in Transylvania County.
We also loved learning more about the early days of Rockbrook. Did you know that through Mrs. Carrier, the local Red Cross met at Rockbrook and made bandages for the war effort. Or that sewing circles were held at Rockbrook to make useful items for soldiers during World War II?
Nancy Carrier passed away in 1977 and is buried right down the street from Rockbrook in St.Paul’s-in-the-Valley Cemetery. We hope to locate more information on Mrs. Carrier and will share it with you as we uncover more about our remarkable founder.
