HISTORIC HOMES C Connemara
ONNEMARA, NES- tled in the mountains of western North Carolina, is a 248-acre farm with a three-story
main house, a barn complex and several outbuild-
BY MADELAINE COCHRAN
ings. Located in Flat Rock, it also was once the home of American writer, editor and poet Carl Sandburg and is today a National Historic Site. Sandburg bought the home – or village, as he called it – in 1945 for $45,000 from Capt. Ellison Smyth of Charleston, South Carolina. His wife, Lillian Steichen Sandburg, also known as Paula, wanted the property for her goat farm. The Sandburg fam- ily lived and worked at Connemara for 22 years. Mrs. Sandburg’s goats – the Chikaming herd, which is Native American for “by the waters” – numbered 200 at its peak. Daughter Margaret worked mostly in her flower garden, which she planted according to a detailed plan. The Sandburgs’ other two daughters helped care for the farm, which included a large vegetable garden, an orchard and livestock. The family left the home after Sandburg died on July 22, 1967, at the age of 89. Just more than a year later, on
Oct. 17, 1968, Congress established the Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site, which is now adminis- tered by the National Park Service. A visit to the Carl Sandburg Home
Historic Site is a fascinating side trip, a chance to relax while taking in the breathtaking view of the mountains and the pleasant climate. Guided tours of the Sandburg Home take you through the 9,000-square-foot main house, giving you access to the more than 65,000 artifacts on display. An
FLAT ROCK, NORTH CAROLINA
NPS Photo, Courtesy of Carl Sandburg Home NHS.
NPS Photo by Phil Smith, Courtesy of Carl Sandburg Home NHS.
important part of the main house is Sandburg’s library, which includes more than 10,000 volumes. It takes the museum staff six years just to clean his vast book collection. The goat dairy also is a key compo-
nent of Connemara, and the National Park Service still maintains the three breeds of goats raised by Mrs. Sandburg. But there’s more to Connemara
than books and dairy animals. If a peaceful walk in the woods is what you want, you can hike the many
trails that weave their way through the 248-acre property. The average visitor spends two-and-a-half hours at the Carl Sandburg Home, a pleasant morning or afternoon excursion. There is no admission charge to
wander the grounds, trails and barns of the Carl Sandburg Historic Site. Guided tours of the house are available for $5 for adults and $3 for seniors.
For additional information, call (828) 693-4178 or visit
www.NPS.gov/carl/.
www.CoastalMi l l ionDol
larHomes.com | www.Daniel IslandBui
lders.com | www.Mi l l ionDol larReal
tors.com 13
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