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Five Fun Facts about Brevard’s Summer Camps
Each summer, Transylvania County hosts thousands of young people from all over the nation and world at the many summer camps in and around Brevard. Ranging from days with backpacks and bug juice to internationally renowned music programs, Brevard’s summer camps are a treasured part of our history and a large contribution to what has made our community so beloved for generations.
As we round out the end of care-package season, here are five things you might not know about Brevard’s summer camps:
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SUMMER CAMPS HAVE A RICH HISTORY.
Hundreds of children of all ages come to Brevard every summer. The relationship between summer campers and the larger community can be felt all over town, from the camp-specific flavors of ice cream at Dolly’s near the entrance to Pisgah National Forest to the shops downtown that offer camp care packages. The sounds of happy voices filling the forests and waterways with laughter, joy, and imagination echo the seemingly limitless possibilities of summertime when you’re young at heart.
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Brevard’s first summer camp opened in 1913.
Camp French Broad opened its doors in 1913, and Camp Sapphire arrived a year later in 1914. Keystone Camp, the area’s first camp for girls, which is still producing new generations of happy campers, started two years later in 1916.
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The Brevard Music Center was originally called Transylvania Music Camp.
James Christian Pfohl moved his summertime Davidson Music School from Davidson College to Brevard in 1944. Two years later he launched the first Brevard Summer Music Festival.
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Today there are sixteen summer camps in Transylvania County.
There are six camps for girls (Camp Illahee, Camp Kahdalea, Carolina Point, Keystone Camp, Rockbrook Camp, and Girl Scout Camp Pisgah); three for boys (Camp Carolina, Camp Chosatonga, and Camp High Rocks); and seven co-ed programs (Mountain Roots, Camp Muddy Sneakers, Eagle’s Nest, Green River Preserve, Gwynn Valley, Ridge Haven, and The Wilds).
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Transylvania County enjoys one of the highest concentrations of summer camps in the Southeast.
Hundreds of children of all ages come to Brevard every summer. The relationship between summer campers and the larger community can be felt all over town, from the camp-specific flavors of ice cream at Dolly’s near the entrance to Pisgah National Forest to the shops downtown that offer camp care packages. The sounds of happy voices filling the forests and waterways with laughter, joy, and imagination echo the seemingly limitless possibilities of summertime when you’re young at heart.
