New books to warm your winter

Upstate residents are frequent visitors to the DuPont Forest, witnessing its cascading waterfalls or trekking down one of its many trails. How many have ever stopped to consider how this place came to be a sanctuary open to all?

Similarly, Pretty Place, Cades Cove and the South Carolina Botanical Gardens are familiar destinations, but how many of those who have visited have done so more to be able to say they’ve been there, than to immerse themselves in the reflective ambiance of these natural wonders?

Now, two books, written and photographed by Carolina natives and available for winter gift-giving and reading, seek to expand appreciation of these locations.

Warm Winter Reads New books bring forest history, quiet places to life

story by Brett McLaughlin

Lake Living is like a dream — one that I can make come true.

The commercial fervor that surrounds Greenville often causes many to overlook naturally beautiful settings such as those to be found on and around the Furman University campus. Photo courtesy of Bill Robertson

Greenville residents Bill Robertson, whose photography graces the halls and offices of many corporate and healthcare facilities in the Upstate, and Pam Burgess Shucker, a popular writer, teacher and speaker on topics of nature and environment, have combined their talents to create “Round About Greenville and the Carolina Blue Ridge,” a blissful combination of words and photos in a quick, colorful read.

Danny Bernstein, a software developer and college computer science instructor turned hiker, hike leader and outdoor writer, has published “DuPont Forest: A History.” The book is an intriguing look at the grit, generosity and activism it took to produce the nearly 12,000-acre North Carolina preserve.

Here’s a closer look at both books:

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In their book, Robertson and Shucker seek to push readers beyond Greenville’s notoriety as a cultural mecca, haven for foodies and burgeoning technology center. They do this through a delightful in the market for a intermingling of Robertson’s outstanding photography and Shucker’s prose. Although the pair know each other primarily through their mutual second home? Experience Mortgage Excellence. interest in hiking and membership in the Greenville Hiking Club, Robertson is clear about the fact that the book is not a hiking guide. “We have been friends for years,” he said of Shucker. “We’ve been members of the hiking club for at least 30 years, but this isn’t about hiking. in the market for a second home? home. Whether you are purchasing a lake home, beach options available. Contact me today to learn more! Contact BankSouth today to learn more about your financing options if you are planning on buying, building or renovating a home.

“We have tried to get people to get past the bricks and mortar of Greenville and go out into the natural world and discover or rediscover home. Whether you are purchasing a lake home, beach the beauty of nature,” he said. “It’s not about trails as much as it is about locations — parks, rivers, the Blue Ridge Parkway …” “Uniquely meditative spots abound ‘round about Greenville in South options available. Contact me today to learn more! For more details, contact me today!Sue Ann Guthman Carolina’s natural environment,” Shucker writes in the book’s preface. Adding about Greenville, “Periodicals headline (Greenville) as the liveliest destination in multiple categories. These stories designate numerous exciting adventures to keep a person entertained and For more details, contact me today! SUE ANN GUTHMAN senior mortgage banker o: (864) 990-4355 SUE ANN GUTHMAN senior mortgage banker o: (864) 990-4355 Sue Ann Guthman Lake Keowee & Lake Hartwell Mortgage Specialist Lake Keowee & Lake Hartwell Mortgage Specialist stimulated. Few, however, mention the quieter, serene spots that the native knows, places which invite visitors to slow their pace, pause, become aware and reflect on nature’s marvelous gifts … “… on excursions through peaceful groves of hardwoods, streams C: (770) 856-0111 O: (864) 990-4355 sguthman@banksouth.com www.LakeKeoweeLender.net c: (770) 856-0111 sguthman@banksouth.com www.sueannguthman.com NMLS: 200802 105 A Ram Cat Alley Seneca, SC 29678 Equal Housing Lender. Member FDIC. BankSouth Mortgage Company, LLC. NMLS # 690971. Subject c: (770) 856-0111 sguthman@banksouth.com www.sueannguthman.com NMLS: 200802 105 A Ram Cat Alley Seneca, SC 29678 o: (864) 990-4355 c: (770) 856-0111 sguthman@banksouth.com www.LakeKeoweeLender.com 105A Ram Cat Alley Seneca, SC 29678 NMLS: 200802 105A Ram Cat Alley Seneca, SC 29678 NMLS: 200802 gurgling beside us, and trails winding among spring flowers, Bill and I to credit and property approval. Property insurance, and if applicable, flood insurance required. Terms subject to change without notice.Equal Housing Lender. BankSouth Mortgage Company, LLC. realize a sense of peace. We blend, in this book, our artistic expressions NMLS # 690971. Subject to credit and property approval. Equal Housing Lender. Member FDIC. BankSouth Mortgage Company, LLC. NMLS # 690971. Subject WINTER 2020 › 31 to credit and property approval. Property insurance, and if applicable, flood insurance required. Terms subject to change without notice.

and personal experiences to share with our readers some of our favorite places for tranquil retreat and reflection …”

“Pam picked the images of interest to her,” Robertson said, “and matched them with her verbiage.”

Thirty-one specific locations, as well as commentaries on wildflowers, heritage preserves and Great Smoky Mountains National Park fill the 100-page book.

On one page, Shucker uses Robertson’s photos to encourage readers to visit McKinney Chapel in the Eastatoe Valley or to walk through Greenville’s Springwood Cemetery, the oldest municipal cemetery in South Carolina. Also included is a simple photo of a sunflower, “a golden symbol of summer’s hospitality.”

“Flower composites echo the human need for community,” she writes. “Although each disc floret is a complete flower, the plant constructs a more viable life by living in communion …”

Similar essays of word and image blend seamlessly throughout the book, offering readers a quick trip from the peaks of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, down through the Blue Ridge foothills and along the rivers and streams that carry our Upstate beauty to the sea.

At one point, accompanied by a photo of

This winter photo of the Poinsett Bridge attests to the year-round beauty to be found in the Upstate. Built in 1820, it is the oldest bridge in South Carolina and served as part of a road from Columbia to Saluda. Photo courtesy of Bill Robertson autumn colors lining the shores of Lake Julia in the DuPont Forest, Shucker offers a brief explanation of the life cycle of what she calls the Ancient Sentinel, the tree. Towards the end she writes of environmental assaults that damage tree defenses, resulting in death and decay. “Eventually, the tree’s formerly healthy cells decompose, releasing nutrients to nourish new life. In nature’s delicate balance, all life ends in decay; decomposed cells recycle into nourishment for future growth.” Perhaps it is while hiking, that “DuPont Forest: A History” author Bernstein also came to understand the significance of the life cycle and was driven to write of the Forest’s origins.

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“No land is untouched,” explains Bernstein as she chronicles the forest’s history dating to a land grant bestowed on Rev. Micajah Thomas after the Revolutionary War. Thomas built a hotel and lived on the land through the Civil War. Hikers can still see his family cemetery.

Also to be seen by modern hikers are the chimney remains of the Buck Forest Lodge, a hunting and fishing “timeshare” built in 1941 in the High Falls area by Frank Coxe who had purchased roughly half (5,000 acres) of Thomas’ land.

In her book, Bernstein also outlines the history of the DuPont Corporation, whose name has been linked to the forest since its purchase of Coxe’s 5,000 acres in 1956.

A manufacturer of blasting explosives since 1802, by the mid-20th Century DuPont had evolved and was producing an array of chemical products and wanted to build a new plant to produce a little known new product — silicon chips. Coxe’s land fit the bill and was purchased for $20 an acre.

DuPont proved to be a very good neighbor. Thousands of workers were hired, many of them well paid chemists and engineers whose earnings supported the local economy. The company developed recreational facilities — six lakes and hundreds of miles of hiking trails — and encouraged its workers to enjoy the amenities as its ownership grew to nearly 10,000 acres.

A private summer camp was built for the children of employees, as well as a baseball field and an airstrip that is used today as part of a hiking trail. (It was also used in The Hunger Games movies.)

“It was better than living on a college campus,” Bernstein said of the amenities. “Ninety-nine percent of what you see in the forest today is a result of DuPont.”

In 1962 DuPont retooled to make medical x-ray film. Again, more buildings were built and people hired.

But, in 1995, a selloff began resulting in what Bernstein describes in her book as “a lot of teeth-gnashing among environmentalists and conservationists.” Eventually North Carolina purchased 7,000 acres at “bargain basement” prices.

{above} DuPont not only employed thousands of workers at its plant in Western North Carolina, but it laid the foundation for a nature preserve unlike any other. Photo courtesy of Danny Bernstein

The plant and a few thousand acres of land were sold separately, then sold again and, eventually, Cliff’s developer Dr. Jim Anthony purchased 460 acres. Again, “the locals erupted,” as Bernstein puts it, but we’ll leave that saga for you to read in her book.

For the 175-page history, Bernstein interviewed some 40 DuPont retirees, whose stories are both informative and delightful. Among those she spoke with was 95-year-old Earle Johnson, the first engineer DuPont brought to North Carolina. She also spoke with countless children of DuPont workers, most of whom are now in their 60s.

As with the Robertson-Shucker book, Bernstein’s book contains a few hikes, but should not be considered a hiking guide. It is, rather, a fascinating look at the makings of a natural wonder. n

Both books are available on Amazon and through Google. “Round About Greenville” is also available at local visitor and tourist centers as well as directly from each author. The DuPont Forest history is available at Malaprop’s Bookstore in Asheville, Highland Books in Brevard, Joy of Books in Hendersonville and REI in Asheville, as well as from the author.

{above} DuPont built Lake Alford and five other lakes on the forest property to provide recreational opportunities for its employees. Today, visitors enjoy the lakes while hiking and biking through some 10,000 acres. Photo courtesy of Danny Bernstein

{inset} Members of the Thomas family that first settled the DuPont Forest property area are buried in this small plot along one of the forest trails. Photo courtesy of Danny Bernstein

HALL MARINE GREENVILLE