The Valle Crucis Conference Center Hermitages and St. Anthony's Chapel

Hermitage Application Form

2011-03-31T08:20:00.000-07:00

If you wish to reserve a hermitage you must first find a date that is open for the hermitage you desire and then fill out an application form and return with your deposit of $40 to hold your space. Please e-mail Tom at vccc@highsouth.com to check on available dates and once you have found a date that works he can send you an application form via e-mail. The costs are $60 for a one night stay and $40 per night for a 2 night stay and $30 per night for the next 4 nights and then $20 per night after that. For another person sharing the same bed the fee is $10 per night and for a person using the pull out love seat the fee is $20 a night for the first night and then $10 per night. If you have any questions please e-mail Tom.

Photos of Hermitages, St. Anthony's Chapel and some interior shots October 2009

2009-10-13T08:08:00.001-07:00

Clay artist Becky Gray from Celo NC created a one of a kind sculpture for St. Anthony's Chapel which she deliverd on November 5th. St. Anthony of Padua is often thought of as the finder of lost things and is often depicted in art holding lilies to symbolize Christ. He is also often holding a baby Jesus which symbolizes bringing the light of Christ to the world. In this unique sculpture she has St. Anthony, a disciple of St. Francis, sitting on a tree stump holding a bunch of lilies and a lost beagle. The Christ child is sitting on his lap and is shown as an older child. They are looking into each other eyes.

St. Anthony and the young Jesus are sitting on a cherry shelf to the left of and behind the altar in the chapel.

Bedroom in The Thomas Merton hermitage

View of cliffs next to The Thomas Merton hermitage

Typical front porch on each hermitage

Fall colors on tree above The Thomas Merton hermitage

A typical kitchen area with washer/dryer (only in 3 hermitages) at far end, refrigerator with ice maker, sink and counter area, gas stove and storage cabinets.

Typical living room area with dining room table and chair, rocking chair, book shelves with books appropriate to each hermitage, oversized love seat, and a writing desk (not pictured to the right).

There is a queen bed in each hermitage with different quilts in each.

Interior of St. Anthony's chapel with cherry chairs for 8, altar made out of local catalpa tree and local ash, interior walls are cherry cut and milled from our property, hickory floors also cut and milled on the property. Perfect for meditation and reflection or spiritual direction. Also has a kneeler and icons, finger labyrinth, CD player and reflective CD's, hymnals, prayer books and accessible restroom with sacristy. Supplies are included for Eucharist if you have a priest in your group.

Front of Bishop G. Porter Taylor hermitage

St. Anthony's Chapel is wheelchair accessible as is The Evelyn Underhill hermitage.

New trails and wireless update!

2009-09-29T08:16:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the good folks at Skyline Telephone we now have wireless DSL service in all of the hermitages.

Thanks to Jeremy Early and all the good folks at Early Trailworks we now have a series of loop trails above the hermitages. We will be marking these trails for your use and as we receive donations will place benches along the trails. $125 buys a beautiful bench with a plaque in honor or memory of someone or maybe just a beautiful quote you love.

Typical Inventory - August 2009

2009-08-07T06:38:00.000-07:00

Friday, Auust 7, 2009

Typical Inventory for Hermitages
In our research we found that most retreatants change their daily habits while on retreat. These changes may or may not include changes to your normal sleeping and eating habits. While retreatants are welcome to come down the mountain for meals at the conference (if we are serving other groups at an additional charge per meal. Please check with the office regarding availability and times of meals) it was also found that most people on retreat do not want to be surrounded with noise and the other distractions of our main campus.

We have tried to stock each hermitage with the following list of items so that you will know what you might need to bring with you in terms of food and other supplies. If you should use the last of some item we stock in the kitchen please let us know in your evaluation so we can be sure to purchase another before the next retreatant arrives.

We would ask that you please do not leave left over food items in the hermitages upon your departure.We have put a lot of thought into the placement of the furniture in each hermitages and in that regard we would ask that you not move our larger items of furniture around in the hermitages. If you should have suggestions on furniture placement please let us know on your evaluation so we can consider your suggestion.

We have also carefully considered the books in each hermitage and would love your suggestions but we would ask you to please not leave any books without first consulting the office.The following is the inventory for the Thomas Merton hermitage but would be typical of each of the hermitages except for the books, icons and other art work specific to Thomas Merton

Bedroom
Bedside clock
Flashlight
1coaster on each bedside table
1 Icon
Wooden handmade Cross
Queen bed with quilt
Stool
1 wooden basket
10 plastic hangers in closet
4 pillows on bed - 2 in pillow cases and 2 in quilted shams
2 extra pillows in closet (for pull out love seat)
1 king blanket on bed with 2 extra in closet
3 single bed blankets (for pull out love seat)
1 ceiling fan
1 supplemental heater

Bathroom
1 plastic trash basket
Assorted housekeeping supplies in closet and under sink
1 bin under sink for cleaners etc.
1 towel rod
1 toilet paper holder
1 nightlight
Assorted bed linens
Towels, wash cloths and bath mats
Basket for individual soaps
Toilet bowl brush
Toilet bowl plunger

Kitchen
1 coffee maker
1 toaster
1 microwave
1 refrigerator with freezer and ice maker
2 magnetic chip clips on refrigerator
1 gas range
1 combo washer/dryer (not in accessible hermitage)
1 magnetic knife strip with 5 kitchen knives
1 hook with cutting board and pot holders
1 LED emergency flashlight
1 strainer
1 colander
1 cheese grater
1 baking sheet
3 mixing bowls - red
1 glass baking dish
1 cooking pot with glass lid small
1 cooking pot with glass lid medium
1 cooking pot with glass lid large
1 small fry pan
1 medium fry pan
1 whistling tea kettle
4 sets silverware - regular and salad forks, regular and soup spoons, knives
1 silverware basket with compartments
1 silverware basket plain
4 steak knives
1 whisk
1 set of measuring cups
1 set of measuring spoons
1 corkscrew
1 vegetable peeler
1 manual can opener
3 wooden spoons in mason jar
3 plastic cooking utensils (extra set in top of cupboard) in mason jar
1 large box of salt
1 salt grinder
1 pepper grinder
1 bottle olive oil
1 bottle regular oil
1 bottle balsamic vinegar
1 bottle soy sauce
1 honey bear
1 jar cinnamon
5 glad plastic food storage containers
1 box saran wrap
1 box aluminum foil
4 wine glasses
4 pottery mugs
4 pottery dinner plates
4 pottery bowls
4 pottery glasses
2 small glasses
2 large glasses
Assortment of Celestial Seasoning Teas in individual packets
1 regular Folgers coffee
1 decaffeinated Folgers coffee
1 box coffee filters
dish towels
dish rags
1 in sink disk drainer
2 dish brushes
1 bottle of dish soap
1 fire extinguisher under the sink
1 under sink revolving lid trash receptacle
1 under sink bin for housekeeping supplies
1 swifter with extra swifter cloths in cabinet over refrigerator
1 box trash bags in cabinet over refrigerator
1 box of laundry soap
1 box of dryer fabric softener sheets
1 mop
1 broom
1 dustpan
1 flyswatter
2 brown cloth placements
4 brown cloth napkins
1 basket with extra batteries, matches etc. in closet
1 basket with packets of white sugar, raw sugar, Splenda and Equal
1 extra basket in closet
1 plastic folder with all instruction manuals for cabins

Living Room
1 A/C heater unit with remote control
1 rocking chair
1 pull out love seat with 2 cushions
1 reed trash basket
1 writing desk
1 lamp on writing desk
1 coaster on writing desk
1 chair for writing desk
1 dining room table will fold up leaves
1 dining room table chair
2 floor lamps
1 area rug with non-slip pad
1 side table with bookshelves w/2 coaster
1 photo of Thomas Merton
1 ceiling fan
1 reed footstool with pillow
1 step stool to use to reach high shelves
1 plastic shoe and boot holder for wet shoes and boots
2 walking sticks behind door - please return after use
1 vent less propane gas heater with thermostat

Porch
2 rocking chairs
1 side table
1 set wind chimes (on Merton and Julian)

Books - Each Hermitage has books appropriate for that Hermitage
Year with Thomas Merton - Thomas Merton
Seeds (selections from his work) - Thomas Merton
Becoming Who You Are - James Martin, SJ
Thoughts in Solitude - Thomas Merton
Dialogues with Silence - Thomas Merton
Seven Storey Mountain - Thomas Merton
Good Poems - Garrison Keillor
The Lotus Flowers - Ellen Bryant VoigtThe Book of Common Prayer
The Holy Bible with Apocrypha
Hymnal - 1982
Lift Every Voice and Sing
Voices Found
Wonder, Love and Praise - Supplement to 1982 Hymnal
The First Valle Crucis - Ruby Clark Demyen
Dobie ‘n’ Me in Hoot Owl Holler - Doris Smith Bliss
Echoes From Hoot Owl Holler - Doris Smith Bliss
Valle Crucis - David Yates and William Bake
Missionary Life at Valle Crucis - Susan Fennimore Cooper
Valle Crucis A History of an Uncommon Place - I. Harding Hughes, Jr.
My Valle Crucis: the 1930's - I. Harding Hughes, Jr.

July 26 2009 Dedication Service

2009-07-29T05:54:00.001-07:00

John and Faye Cooper, Bishop Taylor, David Finck, Mike Galleher and Tom Eshelman

One of the Sisters of The Transfiguration from Cincinnati Ohio who happened to be at their Chapter House in Bat Cave and drove up for the service. Bishop Weinhauer was their spiritual director for many years

Bishop Taylor gave some wonderful remarks. He likened the people who have stayed and will stay at the hermitages to the Butterfly Effect in that the ripples of what they learn on their time in this special place will ripple out into the universe.

Bishop Taylor has knocked on the door with his crozier and then made the sign of the cross on the threshold of St. Anthony's Chapel

Pipe Major Sandy Jones played the bagpipes for the service. He opened with Highland Cathedral and closed with Amazing Grace

The crowd gathers in a semi circle

July 2009

2009-07-26T07:02:00.000-07:00

Sign at entrance to Hermitage Site installed on July 21, 2009

July 2009

2009-07-10T07:19:00.001-07:00

David Finck master woodworker inspects his altar creation in the chapel

Jack Weisman plants a few more Rhodos

Jack Weisman and crew including the dog

Freeman Gas installs the heater for the chapel and acessible cabin

Rock work is finished around the chapel

Doesn't this look great!

Mixing the mortar for the stonework

It is hard work making all the stones fit in place

Thanks to John and Faye Cooper we were able to have rockwork put around the base of the chapel

The rockwork

May 2009

2009-05-13T06:14:00.001-07:00

John and Faye Cooper and Fred and Lisa Martin in front of the chapel

John and Faye gave the chapel in memory of their son who died when he was 22 in an accident

The Valle Crucis Conference Center Board visits the Chapel on Monday, May 18, 2009
L-R - The Rev. Jane Smith, Sandy Jones, Susie Morgan, Jim Banks, Bob Brigham - Iona Brigham wife of Bob, Mary Armstrong and Katerina Whitley - Absent from photo are Bishop Taylor, Karen Kassinger, Chuck Forester and Richard Lance

The beautiful handmade altar out of local woods that David Finck built with the prayer desk behind it

The altar and prayer desk with the tops of the cherry chairs

We received our final CO on Friday May 15, 2009 from the Watauga County Building Inspector

View out the door to the Julian Hermitage

The handmade hickory bathroom/sacristy door

The accessible toilet, grab bars, sink and hot water on demand in the sacristy/bathroom

We can now see out the windows after their protective plastic coating has been removed

Wow isn't the view beautiful!

Love the view into the chapel and the cross between the windows.

The cross

A view into the chapel

Paul and Chris pack up their equiptment to leave. We will miss them but thank them for all their hard work on the project as well as all the folks at Galleher Construction Company especially Mike and Debbie Galleher.

Paul installs the screens while Chris pulls off the plastic coverings on the windows

Paul installs the final piece of trim work in the vestibule! Hooray!

The handmade hickory door on the sacristy/bathroom

April 2009

2009-04-01T11:24:00.001-07:00

The floor has been sanded and the first coat of polyurethane has been applied

Floor after being sanded and a coat of poly

The chapel

The floor has been laid and nailed and waiting to be sanded

The floor has been laid and nailed in place

The floor as seen though the open door

Nailing down the floor

Putting the floor down

Looks great

Chris and Paul start to lay out all the boards like a big jigsaw puzzel to make sure they fit and we have enough for the floor.

Laying out the boards

Chris carries some board inside the chapel. the accessible ramp railings are finished

Chris trims each floor board. The boards are all hickory that we cut on the property and then had milled and tongue and grooved.

Chris and Paul trimming all the floor boards

March 2009

2009-03-06T12:49:00.000-08:00

The sconces inside the chapel have been turned on!

The sconce in the vestibule

The ceiling fan and track lights on the beams have been installed

The sconces have been put up on the walls

They have finished the stain on the outside of the chapel

Staining the chapel

The front of the chapel stained

Looks nice!

What a great space for reflection and prayer

Nice look in the sunlight

Starting the staining process to process

The paint crew takes advantage of a beautiful but cool day

Lot of work involved in staining the chapel

Spreading the mulch around all the plantings

The mulch looks great! Thanks Jimmy!

The Bihsop Taylor Hermitage

The Evleyn Underhill Hermitage

Chaepl staining

Getting the stain in those hard to reach spaces under the eaves

He is almost laying down to get under the eaves

Spreading mulch

Staining the trim around the windows

The two accessible ramps

The gravel has been graded between the accessible hermitage and the chapel

The interior walls are finished

Bathroom tile is grouted

Looks great.

The second coat is done with some sanding in between the coats. WOW!

The whole crew is taking advantage of the nice day with temps in the 70's

Painting the trim

The paint crew starts on the outside trim

Gravel is brought in the bring the grade up to the ramps

Marley guards the chapel door

The clear coat really brings out the grain in the wood

The painting crew is putting a clear coat on the cherry to preserve and protect it

At the same time they are putting a clear coat on the beams and the ceiling boards

Clear coat on the cherry board

Snow on the chapel roof. We had about 12 inches of snow on March 1-2 and then by Friday March 6 it was 60 degrees and almost melted.

The ice guards on the roof really do work!

Paul and Cris build the chapel deck and railings

The chapel railings are put in place

Working on the deck and the accessible ramp

Working on the ramp

Paul works on the deck and ramp

Paul works on the porch pickets

Working on the chapel porch

Sanding all the beams and ceiling and walls is a big job

January and February 2009

2009-02-06T11:10:00.001-08:00

The Chapel door has been framed and trimmed and the deck has been added

Finishing the trim work above the entrance door

Working on the last bits of trim work

I love the way the door looks

The Bathroom tile in the chapel goes down

Paul and Chris work of the outside walls. Lots of cuts to get it right!

It is a small space to work

Paul has no fear of heights

Paul and Chris on the roof

View from The Julian Hermitage

The Thomas Merton porch

The rockers on the Thomas Merton porch

The Bishop Taylor Hermitage with new rhododendrons

The Thomas Merton Hermitage with new plantings

The new chapel door. Isn't it gorgeous!

The new chapel door

The new door

The door opens

The new door

The Evelyn Underhill Hermitage with new plantings

St. Anthony's Chapel

The Chapel

The Thomas Merton Hermitage with new plantings

Working on the Chapel

Working on the door

The door

The door gets framed

Paul puts the door in

Paul does a great job!

View from the hill

Trucks loaded with Rhododendrons

St. Anthony's Chapel

View from below The Thomas Merton Hermitage

The rock cliffs next to Thomas Merton

Thomas Merton from below

Jack Wiseman and his wonderful crew plant the Rhododendrons

That's Jack in the middle.

The crew from Three Oaks nursery dig all the holes

Trucks loaded down

They brought 65 Rhododendrons to plant on a very cold and very windy day!

Look at all those Rhododendrons!

Looking out from the chapel bathroom

The dry wall is up and sanded above the cherry wainscotting

Doesn't this look nice?

Tommy Carver and his crew arrive in January to begin puting on the green metal roof for the chapel

They are working on the other side. The very high winds the week before have ripped the tar paper off the roof.

You can see what the winds have done to the Tyveck

It is hard work on this steep roof. Lots of measuring and cutting to get it right.

Takes a lot of guys to install the roof.

Do you think he is afraid of heights?

This side is finsihed

The gutter and the snow guards have been installed

Testing out the snowguards

While inside work progresses

The sheet rock goes up in the bathroom

Spencer and Chris put up the sheetrock

The finished roof looks great

Typical Inventory for Hermitages

2009-01-04T07:59:00.000-08:00

In our research we found that most retreatants change their daily habits while on retreat. These changes may or may not include changes to your normal sleeping and eating habits. While retreatants are welcome to come down the mountain for meals at the conference (if we are serving other groups at an additional charge per meal. Please check with the office regarding availability and times of meals) it was also found that most people on retreat do not want to be surrounded with noise and the other distractions of our main campus.

We have tried to stock each hermitage with the following list of items so that you will know what you might need to bring with you in terms of food and other supplies. If you should use the last of some item we stock in the kitchen please let us know in your evaluation so we can be sure to purchase another before the next retreatant arrives. We would ask that you please do not leave left over food items in the hermitages upon your departure.

We have put a lot of thought into the placement of the furniture in each hermitages and in that regard we would ask that you not move our larger items of furniture around in the hermitages. If you should have suggestions on furniture placement please let us know on your evaluation so we can consider your suggestion.

We have also carefully considered the books in each hermitage and would love your suggestions but we would ask you to please not leave any books without first consulting the office.

The following is the inventory for the Thomas Merton hermitage but would be typical of each of the hermitages except for the books, icons and other art work specific to Thomas Merton

Typical Inventory for a Hermitage
Bedroom
Bedside clock
Flashlight
1 coaster on each bedside table
1 Icon
Wooden handmade Cross
Queen bed with quilt
Stool
1 wooden basket
10 plastic hangers in closet
4 pillows on bed - 2 in pillow cases and 2 in quilted shams
2 extra pillows in closet (for pull out love seat)
1 king blanket on bed with 2 extra in closet
3 single bed blankets (for pull out love seat)
1 ceiling fan
1 supplemental heater

Bathroom
1 plastic trash basket
Assorted housekeeping supplies in closet and under sink
1 bin under sink for cleaners etc.
1 towel rod
1 toilet paper holder
1 nightlight
Assorted bed linens
Towels, wash cloths and bath mats
Basket for individual soaps
Toilet bowl brush
Toilet bowl plunger

Kitchen
1 coffee maker
1 toaster
1 microwave
1 refrigerator with freezer and ice maker
2 magnetic chip clips on refrigerator
1 gas range
1 combo washer/dryer (not in accessible hermitage)
1 magnetic knife strip with 5 kitchen knives
1 hook with cutting board and pot holders
1 LED emergency flashlight
1 strainer
1 colander
1 cheese grater
1 baking sheet
3 mixing bowls - red
1 glass baking dish
1 cooking pot with glass lid small
1 cooking pot with glass lid medium
1 cooking pot with glass lid large
1 small fry pan
1 medium fry pan
1 whistling tea kettle
4 sets silverware - regular and salad forks, regular and soup spoons, knives
1 silverware basket with compartments
1 silverware basket plain
4 steak knives
1 whisk
1 set of measuring cups
1 set of measuring spoons
1 corkscrew
1 vegetable peeler
1 manual can opener
3 wooden spoons in mason jar
3 plastic cooking utensils (extra set in top of cupboard) in mason jar
1 large box of salt
1 salt grinder
1 pepper grinder
1 bottle olive oil
1 bottle regular oil
1 bottle balsamic vinegar
1 bottle soy sauce
1 honey bear
1 jar cinnamon
5 glad plastic food storage containers
1 box saran wrap
1 box aluminum foil
4 wine glasses
4 pottery mugs
4 pottery dinner plates
4 pottery bowls
4 pottery glasses
2 small glasses
2 large glasses
Assortment of Celestial Seasoning Teas in individual packets
1 regular Folgers coffee
1 decaffeinated Folgers coffee
1 box coffee filters
dish towels
dish rags
1 in sink disk drainer
2 dish brushes
1 bottle of dish soap
1 fire extinguisher under the sink
1 under sink revolving lid trash receptacle
1 under sink bin for housekeeping supplies
1 swifter with extra swifter cloths in cabinet over refrigerator
1 box trash bags in cabinet over refrigerator
1 box of laundry soap
1 box of dryer fabric softener sheets
1 mop
1 broom
1 dustpan
1 flyswatter
2 brown cloth placements
4 brown cloth napkins
1 basket with extra batteries, matches etc. in closet
1 basket with packets of white sugar, raw sugar, Splenda and Equal
1 extra basket in closet
1 plastic folder with all instruction manuals for cabins

Living Room
1 A/C heater unit with remote control
1 rocking chair
1 pull out love seat with 2 cushions
1 reed trash basket
1 writing desk
1 lamp on writing desk
1 coaster on writing desk
1 chair for writing desk
1 dining room table will fold up leaves
1 dining room table chair
2 floor lamps
1 area rug with non-slip pad
1 side table with bookshelves w/2 coaster
1 photo of Thomas Merton
1 ceiling fan
1 reed footstool with pillow
1 step stool to use to reach high shelves
1 plastic shoe and boot holder for wet shoes and boots
2 walking sticks behind door - please return after use
1 vent less propane gas heater with thermostat

Porch
2 rocking chairs
1 side table
1 set wind chimes (on Merton and Julian)

Books - Each Hemritage has books appropriate for that Hermitage
Year with Thomas Merton - Thomas Merton
Seeds (selections from his work) - Thomas Merton
Becoming Who You Are - James Martin, SJ
Thoughts in Solitude - Thomas Merton
Dialogues with Silence - Thomas Merton
Seven Storey Mountain - Thomas Merton
Good Poems - Garrison Keillor
The Lotus Flowers - Ellen Bryant Voigt
The Book of Common Prayer
The Holy Bible with Apocrypha
Hymnal - 1982
Lift Every Voice and Sing
Voices Found
Wonder, Love and Praise - Supplement to 1982 Hymnal
The First Valle Crucis - Ruby Clark Demyen
Dobie ‘n’ Me in Hoot Owl Holler - Doris Smith Bliss
Echoes From Hoot Owl Holler - Doris Smith Bliss
Valle Crucis - David Yates and William Bake
Missionary Life at Valle Crucis - Susan Fennimore Cooper
Valle Crucis A History of an Uncommon Place - I. Harding Hughes, Jr.
My Valle Crucis: the 1930's - I. Harding Hughes, Jr.

List of Donors for Hermitage Project

2009-01-04T06:28:00.000-08:00

Donor List - Hermitage Project - As of January 2009

$60,000 and above
John and Faye Cooper - St. Anthony’s Chapel - in memory of John Earl Cooper III
and The Rev. Frontis Anthony
The Church of the Good Shepherd - Cashiers NC - Julian of Norwich Hermitage
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church - Wilkesboro NC - Thomas Merton Hermitage
and landscaping - in honor of The Rev. Frank and Martha McKenzie

$15,000 - $59,999
Larry Turnbow and Majory Holder
Sam Tallman
The Episcopal Foundation of Western North Carolina

$10,000 - $14,999
Anonymous
Tom and Tina Barrett
Julia Morton
The Cathedral of All Soul’s - Asheville NC
Grace Episcopal - Morganton NC - Furnishings for 2 cabins
St. Mary’s - Asheville NC

$5,000 - $9,999
Walter and Jennifer Browning
Ella and William DuBose, Jr. In honor of William Dubose III
Mike and Debbie Galleher
Bo Henderson and Ed Springs
The Rt. Rev. Robert and Julie Johnson
The Kistler Trust
Dennis and Margaret Lehman
The Rev. Beth and Tom Lilly - art work and pottery
The Mitford Chiildren’s Foundation
Carolyn and Dan Shepherd
The Rt. Rev. Porter and Jo Taylor
Ralph Tilden - In memory of Jeffrey Richard Moylan - furnishing for chapel
Diana Mast White - Furnishings for a cabin
VCCC Conservation Easement Endowment Funds
The Winston- Salem Foundation -
The Mr. And Mrs. James N. Andrews Family Fund
St. Mary of the Hills - Blowing Rock NC
St. Mary of the Hills - Blowing Rock NC - ECW Tour of Homes

$1,000 - $4,999
The Rev. Cynthia and Jim Banks
Brenda and Faye Binning
Bob and Iona Brigham
The Rev. Brian Cole and Susan Weatherford
Deborah Smith Douglass
The Rev. Jeanne Finan and Tom Eshelman
Chuck Forester
Sally Hatch and Gary Swartz
Maggie Hover in honor of Dorcas and Sandy Jones
for landscaping
Barbara Hudnall
Sandy and Dorcas Jones
Karen Kassinger
Lynn McClure
Susan B. Morgan
The Rev. Thomas and Hadley Morris
The Rev. Robert and the Rev. Deacon Jeannette Reese
in honor of Tom Eshelman
St. James Episcopal Foundation - Black Mountain NC
St. Luke’s Episcopal - Boone NC
St. Peter by the Lake - Denver NC
St. Philip's Church Women - Brevard NC

$500-$999
Mary and Ernie Armstrong
Polly and Bob Capps
Walter Clark
Tim and Dianne Finan in honor of The Rev. Jeanne Finan
and Tom Eshelman
The Rev. Morgan Gardner
John W. Goodrich
Betty Haywood
Katerina and Rudy Whitley
Richard and Mollie Lance
Fred and Lisa Martin in memory of Virginia Cooper
Burt and Phyllis Melton
Francis and Sibyl Pressly
Dorothy and Rob Ramsdell
Andy and Emily Stallings
Margie Barrett in memory of Home Barrett
Christ Church Episcopal of Alleghany - Sparta NC
Holy Cross Church - ECW - Holy Cross NC
St. James - Hendersonville NC
St. Patrick’s Episcopal - ECW - Mooresville NC

All Other Donors
Pamela Barrett
Margaret and Dick Beckman
Peter and Vicki Bergstrom
Sue Ellen and Ben Bridgers
The Byerly Foundation
The Rev. Elizabeth Canham
Mary and John Catmur
Margaret and Ernest Caudill
Godfrey Cheshire, Jr.
Allen and Thora Chilson
Julie C. Clarkson
Henry L. Coble
The Rev. Mike and Elizabeth Cogsdale
Nicholas D. Colantonio
Michael Conway in memory of my wife Lola
The Rev. Carl and Nelia Cunningham
Rachel Dillard
Jane Earl in honor of The Rev. Deacon John Earl
The ECW of the Diocese of Western North Carolina
E.C. Dowse
Henry and Saeli Eshelman and Victoria Miller in memory of our
dear sweet kitty, Sam
Agnes, Marian, George, Kerry, and Renna Farthing in honor of
Glenn Farthing and in memory of Martha Farthing
Meg and Frank Fary
John and Ruth Fitzgibbon
Beverly J. Gaines
Carolyn R. Foster
Becky Grazhorn
Mac and Anne Greer in honor of the 50th anniversary of
Jack and Joan Webber
Anne and George Greer in memory of our parents
Lisa Griffin
The Rev. Clem and Lucy Gunn
Jeanette T. Haas
Louise Hatch in memory of Bud Rabley
Louise Hatch
Betsy Barber in memory of The Rev. Richard Wainwright Barber
Julie and Ken Hettiger in memory of
The Rev. Frank and Martha McKenzie
Mary Ann D. Hogue in honor of Sarah Dawson Davis
H.C. Howard, Jr.
Ginny Huggins
Harding and Dorothy Hughes
Dr. Sterling and Nancy Hutcheson in honor of The Rev. Jeanne Finan
Fran and Johnny Keesee in honor of Tom Eshelman
and The Rev. Jeanne Finan
Janet and David Keller
Margaret King in honor of the ministry of the Rev. Jeanne Finan
Anne and Arthur Korff
Ingrid and Ben Mast
Cobb and Jane Milner
Cathleen Nixon
Nancy S. Oxford in honor of The Rev. Scott Oxford’s 20th year
of ordained ministry
Inez F. Pearson
Carol and Sam Perry
The Rev. Robert and the Rev. Pat Reuss
Blanchard and Madge Seaver in memory of B.F. Seaver, Sr.,
and in honor of our son Wendell
Patti Sjostrand in honor of my sons
Nancy Smit
Cheryl Smith
Dorothy and David Smith in memory of Malcolm Glovier
Sarah M. Smither
Sean and Carolyn Swift
The Rev. Beth Turner
Chal and Hugh Vaughn
Dr. Ken and Lucy Wallenborn
David and Judy Wall
Geraldene and Robert Ward
Matthew and Erin West
Betty White
Mary A. Workman in memory of John Cooper’s mother and
in honor of Faye Cooper’s birthday
John Youel, Jr.
Christ Church - Charlotte NC and the Rev. Verdery Kerr
Society of Transfiguration in memory of Elizabeth Matthews
St. Gregory’s Abbey in memory of Br. William West Skiles
Holy Cross - Tryon NC
St. Paul’s Episcopal - Monroe NC

In Kind Donations
Ralph Daughtry
Dennis Lehmann
Tom Paneck
Warren Construction of Vilas, Inc.
Chestnut Ridge Log Cabins, Inc. - Nebo NC
Galleher Construction Company
Karen Kassinger - handmade welcome notebooks
Nancy Carter - origional art work for welcome notebooks
Erin New - design and lettering for welcome notebooks
Jim Banks - photo of Thomas Merton
Joe Rickman - Atlantc Media - Bronze plaque in honor of The Rev. Fran and Martha McKenzie

Rocking chair gifts
In honor of Dorcas and Sandy Jones by Maggie Hover
In honor of The Rev. Jeanne Finan by Diana White and Susie Morgan
"To all the saints who have gone before us and upon
whose shoulders we stand." by Bob and Iona Brigham
In honor of Jim and Rose Andrews by The Parishioners of
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Wilkesboro, NC
In honor of The Rev. Dr. Virginia Hill Monroe by
Ginger and Jack Dempsey
Carolyn and Sam Magruder
Lois and Dick Williams
Lella and Frank Bromberg
In honor of The Rev. Thomas and Hadley Morris by
The Parishioners of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Wilkesboro, NC

In memory of The Rt. Rev. William Weinhauer and
in honor of his wife Jean
$1,000 - $4,999
The Rev. Dan and Deener Matthews
The Rev. Jane Smith
Betty Haywood
The Rev. Scott and Diane Oxford
The Society of the Transfiguration

$500 - $999
Jean Weinhauer
The Rev. Tim and Beverly McRee
The Bayshore Company

All other donors
Lewis and Elizabeth Blodgett
Sue Ellen and Ben Bridgers
Edith Brothers
Kirby C. Brown
The Rev. Elizabeth Canham
B.J. Coleman
Ruth and V.F. Coughlin
Mr. And Mrs. H.G. Craddock
Roy and Madeline Davis
Katherine Dixon
Edmund Dowse and D.D. Runyeon
The Rev. William G. Edwards
The Rev. Jeanne Finan and Tom Eshelman
Robert and Elizabeth Gash
Jacques and Diane Geitner
June Groce
The Rev. Clem and Lucy Gunn
Alan B. Hayes
Louise Hatch
The Rev. Arthur and Sarah Holder
Dorothee Ann Hoppen
Margaret King
Matilda O. Kistler
The Rt. Rev. Robert and Julie Johnson
Judy Lincks in memory of Bob Lincks
The Rev. Robert and Kay McCloskey
Claire and Tom McDonough
Gertrude McKee
Merrill and Joyce Miller
H.E. and Joy Minnick
The Rev. David and Mary Nard
Lucy and Thomas Oliver
Edward and Pauline Reynolds
Blanche Richards
Frank and Roberta Rhodes
Jack and Carol Romine
The Rev. Susan Sherard
Lynn and Judy Sluder
The Rev. And Mrs. Stewart Stoudemire
The Rev. Leroy and Joan Summerfield
The Rev. Brian and Kathy Suntken
Brewster and Camille Ward
Anne Weatherford
Mr. And Mrs. T. Bryant Williams
The Rev. William Whisenhunt
The Rev. Harry and Genelda Woggon
Terry and Patricia Wright
Susan N. Young
The Rev. Alfred and Anne Zadig
The Mr. And Mrs. James N. Andrews Family Fund
Gould Killian CPA Group, P.A.
Grace ECW - Morganton NC
The Episcopal Diocese of Long Island and
The Rt. Rev.Orris G. Walker, Jr.
St. Gregory’s Abbey

Application Form to Reserve Hermitage

2009-01-02T14:49:00.000-08:00

The Valle Crucis Conference Center Hermitage Registration Form
Today’s Date_____________
Name__________________________________________________________
Address________________________________________________________Zip Code___________
Religious affiliation (if any)________________________________________
Telephone (home)______________________ (cell)(very important)______________________
E-mail address_________________________________________
Dates requested________________________________________
Reasons for use _____________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
In case of emergency my contact person is_________________________________________________
Telephone (home)___________________(work)_________________(cell)______________________
Many people come to our hermitages for retreats of many types. Some come seeking spiritual growth, others seeking stillness from the pace of daily life. Reading, writing, prayer, mediation, worship, nature walks, all can be part of a retreat. Some spend part, or all of their retreat in silence. Our hermitages are intended as places of retreat and reflection not as vacation cabins.
Each retreatant is responsible for their own meals and food purchases. If the Conference Center kitchen is open you are welcome to purchase meals with advance notice at an additional cost. The Conference Center has a strict no pet policy for our hermitages. The entire hermitage complex is completely non-smoking. CD players and radio’s are permissible as long as they cannot be heard outside of your hermitage out of respect for others on retreat. DSL service is available in each cabin but we recommend you think very carefully about whether a computer will improve or diminish your retreat.
Costs: $40 per night for 1st and 2nd night, 3rd-6th night is $30 per night, 7th and up is $20 per night.
Reservations are confirmed upon receipt of a non-refundable/ non-transferable deposit in the amount of $40.00 and this registration form. If for some reason you are unable to make your retreat we will consider your deposit a donation to our ongoing ministry of hospitality. The remainder will be due 2 weeks prior to your retreat by cash or check. Sorry, but we do not take credit cards.
The Valle Crucis Conference Center reserves the right to decline applications for retreats or place applicants who have made a number of retreats with us in the past on a waiting list so all may enjoy our hermitages. Valle Crucis may also exercise discretion over admission based on other priorities. Deposit checks are returned to applicants if they are placed on a waiting list or are declined.
The Valle Crucis Conference Center - PO Box 654 - Valle Crucis NC 28691 - 828-963-4453 - vccc@highsouth.com - www.highsouth.com/vallecrucis

December 2008

2009-01-01T12:10:00.003-08:00

Chris and Spencer work on the diagonals. It takes a lot of work to get them just right.

Wow the finished wall looks terrific!

Now for the front wall.

Can you see the cross in the wall between the windows?

Lito working on the walls in the vestibule.

Spencer and Lito getting the bathroom walls ready.

Beautiful isn't it?

Now we are ready for the window trim.

The Rev. Jane Smith. Karen Kassinger and Sandy and Dorcas Jones made the trip up the mountain during the VCCC Board meeting in December 2008 to check on the progress.

Dorcas Jones checks out her camera.

Jane Smith looks at the bathroom.

Karen Kassinger is amazed by how beautiful it is!

Bathroom wainscotting. There will be dry wall above.

Ready for the trim work

Trim work on bathroom doorway

Trim work around the door frames.

More trim work around the doors

November 2008

2009-01-01T12:10:00.001-08:00

Bishop Taylor was the first "official" guest at the hermitages when he came up for a retreat after the Diocesean Convention in November. Unfortunately the weather was very cold and the heater in the hermitage was not working properly so Bishop Taylor had to abandon his retreat and come down to the Inn for the remainder of the week where he had a great time sitting by the fire. We thank him for his good humor and constant smile during his stay.

Tom Eshelman in front of the plaque installed on the Thomas Merton hermitage.

Blizzard conditions

It was cold and snowy but very beautiful.

You could hardly see across the site the snow was blowing so hard.

Snow covered everything on this very cold and windy day

Joe Rickman and Erwin McKenzie come up in the middle of a real blizzard to install the bronze plaques on the St. Paul's and Good Shepherd Hermitages. Erwin's dad was the Rev. Frank McKenzie and in whose memory along with his mother Martha St. Paul's raised the funds to build the Thomas Merton Hermitage.

Dale Townsend looks at the cherry boards as they go up the wall in the chapel. They are going to be beautiful when finished.

Lito looks at the progress.

Up and up they go!

The blue circles are the electric boxes for the wall sconces.

A cold wintry day.

October 2008

2009-01-01T11:08:00.001-08:00

Chapel siding is complete on this side of chapel.

Working on the chapel siding

Interior of chapel before insulation is added.

Working on peak of chapel

Full kitchen in hermitage - gas range, microwave, sink, refrigerator with icemaker, washer/dryer (in three of the units) and all the utensils, pots and pans, dishes, glassware etc. you will need on your retreat.

Hermitage living room area with plush pull out loveseat, mission style rocker, dining room table with chair and desk with chair.

Local potter Steve Williams made the pottery plates. Many different potters from around the country were chosen to provide handmade bowls, mugs, tumblers and plates for each hermitage.

Cross made on site by our wonderful maintenace crew

3 of the hermtages have washer/dryers

Working on skirting underneath the porch

Propane gas lines are dug to the hermitages

These trees will grow up in a few years providing cover for each hermitage.

More plantings are scheduled for spring 2009.

The cap is installed on the skirting around the hermitages

Installing the heat tape on the pipes to keep them from freezing in the winter.

The first snow fall of the year!

The snow is beautiful.

The Rev. Jeanne Finan with our good friends and donors Sam Tallman and Mike Zuravell.

Tommy Carver Gutter Company installs the gutters and snow guards on the roofs of each hermitage

Sandblasted wood signs with 911 emergency number are installed on each hermitage . They were made by our good friends at High Country Signs in Boone NC.

September 2008

2009-01-01T09:47:00.001-08:00

Roof decking goes up on Julian of Norwich Hermitage

Working on the roof decking.

First layer of roof sheathing goes up on chapel

Skirting is finished on Thomas Merton Hermitage

The chapel roof goes on

Working on the accessible hermitage porch roof.

The chapel windows arrive each with its own cross

Tar paper on porch roof

View of The Thomas Merton Hermitage from the hill

The chapel roof insulation panels arrive

Cutting out the window openings

The bottom windows are all cut out now for the top ones!

Lito on the scaffolding

The back side of the chapel with all the windows cut out

Tar paper on the roof

Wrapping the chapel with Tyveck. Heys guys is that upside down?

Now they got it right side up!

Finished wrapping the chapel

Installing the roof insulation panels on the chapel

Evelyn Underhill Hermitage with rockers in place just waiting for a retreatant to come.

Mountain Electric company comes out to hook up the permanent power and disconnect the temporary power. Everything works!

The Valle Crucis Board gets a tour - (L to R) The Rev Thomas Morris, Chuck Forester, Katerina Whitley, Karen Kassinger and The Rev. Scott Oxford

The Board names the Bishop Taylor Hermitage in honor of Bishop Taylor - (L to R) Katerina Whitley, Jim Banks, Karen Kassinger, Chuck Forester, The Rev. Thomas Morris, the Rev. Scott Oxford, Iona Brigham, Bob Brigham, The Rt. Rev. G. Porter Taylor

Bishop Taylor checks out the chapel

Lito installs the windows

Side windows are installed

Windows from the inside

Lowe's installed the pull down window shades in all the hermitages

Chris Mastin with the Shawneehaw Volunteer Fire Department helps us out by filling up the 1,000 pump tank with fresh water so the health department can test the system. We are so blessed to have these men and women in our community.

Dale Townsend holds the hose while waiting for Christ Mastin to turn on the water

Ouside sheathing on the chapel

Installing the sheating on the chapel

Andy Henderson from Chestnut Ridge Log Cabins comes up to put the final touches on the hermitages and go over the final punch list.

Chris and Paul measure and cut the outsdie sheathing for the chapel.

Finishing up the acessible wheelchair ramp railings

The furniture has been delivered and the bed is made.

The living room is set up.

Our great friends from Penland's Furniture in Swannanoah NC delivers the furniture.

Three Oaks Nursery plants another load of trees around the hermitages.

Installing the roof metal on the porches.

Planting more trees

Don't they look nice!

August 2008

2009-01-01T08:30:00.001-08:00

Work begins on the wheelchair ramp for the acessible hermitage

The Rev. Jeanne Finan visits the site

The chapel roof beams go up

Paul covers the sheathing of the roof with tar paper

What a great view of the project from up on the hill

Paul has no fear of heights!

The wheelchair ramp is almost finished

The Bishop Taylor hermitage porch is almost ready for the roof decking

A rocking chair waits on the porch

Marley pays a visit and says I want to see.

The porch roof decking is on.

The skirting for the hermitages goes up.

Jack Weisman and his great crew from Three Oakes nursery plant some Norway Spruce trees

By code we have to leave the tongue of the Park Model's on each of the units. We will plant some bushes around them later.

July 2008

2009-01-01T08:05:00.001-08:00

Dale Townsend inspects the porch on the Thomas Merton Hermitage

The Rhodes family visits - Roberta, Chris, Tyler and Michael

Sandy and Dorcas Jones check it out

The Rev Thomas Morris and the St. Paul's Wilkesboro parish family retreat checks out their hermitage. Most of the group walked all the way up the mountain from the Conference Center while the rest of us drove. It took them about 50 minutes.

Karen Kassinger looks at the view from Thomas Merton

The Thomas Merton porch

Jean Weinhauer and her family pay a visit thanks to The Rev. Jane Smith

The chapel walls go up

The chapel roof beams go up

Wow doesn't that look beautiful!

The porch railings go up

Mike Galleher checks the chapel plans to make sure everything is how he wants it to be.

Leto and Paul work on the chapel

February 2008

2009-01-01T07:50:00.000-08:00

Digging the footers for the chapel

Constructing the cabins at Chestnut Ridge Log Cabins in Nebo NC. Inside their huge building they can build all four cabins at the same time which allows us to save money.

June 2008

2009-01-01T07:12:00.000-08:00

Blake Mobile moving company brings the cabins from Nebo in Early June 2008

These guys can put a cabin almost anywhere

View from the hill overlooking the site

Foundation holes for the porches are dug

Cement footers being poured. Due to building regulations the porches have to be free standing and cannot be attached to the units.

Sandy Jones peeks in the window

Julia and Jim Banks come up for a visit

Chapel floor joists are going in.

Richard O'Brien installs the underground electric and what a job that is keeping everything straight

Chapel sub-floor goes down.

Chapel walls go up!

Porch on The Thomas Merton Hermitage goes up.

Electric meter box

Tom just has to be the first one to rock on the porch!

Mike Galleher checking out the chapel.

May 2008

2009-01-01T06:53:00.001-08:00

Living room and bedroom. Hickory floors and built in cabinets

Lowered litchen counter and roll under sink in acessible unit

Sam Tallman gets a tour in May 2008

Our dear friend from Panama The Rev. Glenda McQueen visits with us and gets a tour.

Freeman Gas delivers the propane tanks which will be buried.

Our amazing crew from Warren Contruction Company have installed the septic system and buried all the untilities

The front door of one of the units

Three of the units are complete and awaiting delivery to Valle Crucis

The acessible shower

The Next Phase

2009-01-01T06:27:00.001-08:00

John aqnd Faye Cooper visit the chapel in
March 2008

After much research and talking with local contractors it was decided the most cost effective building would be a Park Model Modular unit built by Chestnut Ridge Log Cabins in Nebo NC. We spent much of the winter months talking with Robert Gay and Byron Boyd about our needs for each cabin. They were wonderful to work with and never seemed to mind all the changes we asked for at each meeting. They had never designed an accessible unit and did a great job modifying one of their cabins. Since we did not identify a donor willing to sponsor the duplex accessible unit it was decided to build 3 of the units the same and the fourth unit as an accessible unit with wider hallways and doors, an accessible bathroom and lowered counter in the kitchen.

Wendell Seaver and Robert Gay in March 2008 watching our cabins being built

Our cabins become a reality

Our board president Susie Morgan and Tom Eshelman visit in April 2008

We made an application to Watauga County for a road to be named after Bishop Weinhauer and his wife Jean. In April 2008 the county installed the sign and added our site to the county road maps and GPS Emergency 911 system.

Karen Kassinger visits in April 2008 on the day the road sign was installed by the county.

The chapel foundation gets its cement cap in May 2008

We identify and grade the sites for each hermitage in May 2008

We Begin the Construction Phase

2008-12-30T11:14:00.000-08:00

Cloe goes everywhere that Kevin goes

In July 2007 we began to clear and prepare the site. Warren Construction Company brought in its heavy equipment and began to shape the site and take down all the small trees and brush and build the road. Kevin Combs operated the Trac Hoe and was an expert at his job. He always had his faithful companion Cloe with him.

We then began to talk with the Watauga Health Department and the Planning and Inspections Department on placement of the buildings, where to dig the well and how the septic system would work. Alan McKinney came out in October 2007 to help us plan the system.

Alan McKinney checks out the soil for the septic system

Dave Johnson digs the test holes for Alan McKinny while Dale Townsend looks on.

After lots of negotiations and tests and holes dug we were given plans for our septic system which included a 1,500 septic tank, a 1,000 gallon pump tank and station, seven eighty foot trenches, a pump station distribution box, trenches up the hill and through the woods. The well site was laid out and the construction of this over sized system was begun.

The chapel foundation was started by Galleher Construction Company in February 2008. Mike and Debbie Galleher are members of Holy Cross Church and run an amazing contruction company that does very high end work around Watauga County. He and his crew are amazing and they always give us quality work for the best price possible and they actually donate part of their fees back to the conference center.

Steve Tester lays the block foundation while Dale Townsend looks on in March 2008

Bishop Taylor visits the site in March 2008

The well was dug by Dewey Wright in February 2008. We dug a 200 foot well through 36 feet of dirt, 70 feet of granite, 2 feet of shale and the rest was granite. The well yielded 4 gallon per minute.

The Hermitage Project Moves Forward

2008-12-30T10:46:00.001-08:00

Once the fund raising efforts were moving forward in a positive way and we had pledges committed which would complete the project we began conversations with the local building inspectors, contractors, excavators and others.

We had initially identified a 13 acre parcel of property off Dutch Creek Road which had been saved out of the conservation easements placed on the adjacent conference center land. This piece of land was beautiful and very pristine and consisted of deeply sloped land full of large oaks and rhododendrons.

Photo is of vestry of St. Paul's Wilkesboro visiting the first site during their anual vestry retreat.

Due to restrictions and requirements of the Planning and Inspection Department of Watauga County the road and infrastructure requirements would have environmentally hurt this beautiful pristine forest and negated the peace and tranquility we were trying to bring with our retreat houses. In addition the costs associated with road requirements and underground utilities would have used up over half of our funds and required us to scale back the project.

We began looking at other sites on the Valle Crucis property and found another beautiful site on top of Bishop's Ridge approximately 1/2 mile off Upper Crab Orchard Road in the Matney area. We explored using this piece and again found that in order to bring the road up to code and bury the utilities the costs would have been exorbitant. In addition most people to whom we showed the site expressed feelings of stress at being "so far off the road" and "so isolated". We decided that to begin someones private retreat by introducing an element of stress was probably not a good thing. However, when looking at this site we were able to identify numerous mature cherry and hickory trees. We contacted a local portable sawmiller Elwood Crestinger who came over from Tennessee in December 2007 and sawed these trees into boards which were then allowed to air dry over the winter and then were taken to their mill and kiln dried for 3 months and then tongue and groved. The cherry would become the walls in the chapel while the hickory would be used for the flooring. It was very cold up on Bishops Ridge!

So on to plan C. We had an old field that had been used in the 1960's as the site of the Earth Studies Program at ASU. Since that time the field had been allowed to grow up in weeds, briar's and small trees. It had the old but dismantled wind tower on site. It was right on Upper Crab Orchard Road, which is a dead end road, at the top of our property. The Conference Center also has 2 employee houses close to the site. And the best thing was that we would not have to spend as much of our funds on the infrastructure which would allow more of the funds to be used for the hermitages and chapel.

Photo of our property manager Dale Townsend with contractor Kevin and his constant companion Cloe

We began to show this site to friends associated with the project and they all liked it and felt good about its potential for our hermitage project. It was decided to move forward.

The History of the Hermitages at the Valle Crucis Conference Center

2008-12-30T10:10:00.000-08:00

For many years the Valle Crucis Conference Center board and staff had recognized the need for us to be able to provide private spaces for those who wished individual retreats. Many times during the year we would get phone calls and requests from individuals seeking places to retreat. We could always place guests by themselves in an open building not being used by our other groups but this often made those guests feel uncomfortable at using an entire building for just themselves.

In September 2004 the board formed a task force to look at this opportunity to expand the ministry of The Valle Crucis Conference Center into this new and exciting area of private retreats. The Rev. Jeanne Finan, Jim Banks, Betty Haywood, The Rev. Thomas Morris, Karen Kassinger, The Rev. Brian Cole and the Executive Director Tom Eshelman met to outline and begin the process at their first meeting on November 4, 2004.

At this first brainstorming meeting many ideas were thrown out and written up on newsprint. Over the next year these ideas were discussed and discussed and discussed until what we thought was a final plan was formulated and presented to the the board in 2006. We were to learn during the process that our thoughts and our plans would change many times before the end. But this was a good thing as we gained new insights and thought through the process. We were working in "God's Time" not our time.

A survey of clergy and laypersons was developed by the task force to see if indeed there was a need for private retreat houses. The task force began collecting data from other retreat centers to see what was available in this area and throughout the country. The survey was distributed to clergy in our Diocese as well as lay persons at our Mission and Ministry Conference.

After 1 1/2 years of meetings and study it was found that, yes, there was a need for private retreat spaces for individual retreats and the recommendation by the task force to the board of directors was to move forward with the project and develop a case statement to use in our fund raising efforts.

After much discussion it was decided to build 2 single retreat houses and a duplex retreat house that was accessible for those with accessibility issues and perhaps needing a care giver to accompany them on retreat. There would also be a small chapel for meditation and prayer and which could be used for spiritual direction if needed. A site on the Valle Crucis property was identified and preliminary estimates were gathered for road construction, utilities and retreat house and chapel construction. An architect donated his time and came up with an initial set of plans to use in the case statement and a budget was developed.

The task force also decided to call the cabins "hermitages" to further indicate their intended use as single private and silent retreat spaces.

The case statement was printed and bound copies were made and fundraising began in February 2006 with our first donations being received in March 2006 with pledges from each Valle Crucis Board Member as well as each member of the task force.

Bihsop Taylor and Fr. Richard Rohr both gave us quotes to use in the case statement.

"To be a Christian is to pray, prayer is at the heart of
our relation to God in Christ. Because it is so central
to our identity, we must be intentional about our
prayer life and nourish it. I have found the need to
go on solitary retreats. We know that Jesus often
went away to pray and be alone with God. However,
in our busy crowded world, solitude is a scarce
commodity. Having space for private retreats at
The Valle Crucis Conference Center is a tremendous
gift to our diocese and the wider Church. Thomas Merton
used to say that it is important to have one sane place
in a crazy world. The hermitages are such a place."
–The Rt. Rev. G. Porter Taylor
Bishop of Western North Carolina

"In a time when religion itself has become so busy,
verbal, and even contentious, the perennial Christian
tradition of the hermitage is finding a strong new
appeal and plenty of short term hermits! There
seems to be no other way for many of us to
clean the lens, stop the tongue, quiet the ears, and
soften the heart for God and for the world. We live
in such an ego controlled culture that we need to
go to a place where our egos mean very little and
profit us not at all. Treat yourself to ‘the one thing
necessary’, and although it will feel risky at first, no
other form of retreat will ever quite satisfy you again."
–Fr. Richard Rohr, O.F.M.
Founder, Center for Action and Contemplation
Albuquerque, NM
Author and Conference/Retreat Leader

The Janirve Foundation in Asheville was approached as a major donor but unfortunately they were not able to match their giving requirements with this project. We were disappointed but knew this project was a worthwhile one and forged ahead. A grant application was made to the UTO to sponsor the accessible duplex hermitage but they were not able to make a grant for the project.

However churches around our Diocese and individuals were approached and were extremely generous with their gifts. Most of the money was raised for the project by the beginning of the summer 2008. Everyone who was approached and shown the case statement were excited about this project and almost all of them were able to make a donation and 100% of all pledges made for this project were received which is remarkable in any fund raising effort.

Local residents and the owners of the Mast General Store, John and Faye Cooper made an extremely generous donation to fund the chapel as St. Anthony's Chapel, to be named after the Rev. Lee Frontis Anthony who was a priest at Holy Cross Church from 1917-1919. He died at the age of 30 on January 5, 1919 in the influenza epidemic of 1919 while ministering to the people of Valle Crucis. John and Faye also wanted to build the chapel in memory of their son, John Earl Cooper III who died at a young age on October 19, 1988.

St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Wilkesboro, NC, under the leadership of the Rev. Thomas Morris, agreed to sponsor one of the hermitages in memory of their long time rector and his wife, the Rev. Frank and Martha McKenzie. The parishioners also raised additional funds to help with the landscaping for the project.

The Church of the Good Shepherd in Cashiers NC under the leadership of the Rev Dr. Virginia Monroe agreed to sponsor another of the hermitages.

In addition the family of The Rt. Rev. William G. Weinhauer offered for all the memorial gifts for our former bishop to be used for the project. These funds paid for the road into the project and that road was named Weinhauer Way in his memory and in honor of his wife Jean.

The Episcopal Foundation of Western North Carolina was approached and made a very generous challenge grant of $25,000 once we had reached $300,000 in pledges. This amount was reached and exceeded in record time as donors made their gifts. Three churches within our Diocese made pledges of $10,000- $15,000. Five individual donors pledged $10,000 - $15,000 with 12 others pledging $5,000-$10,000. With over $360,000 pledged we felt assured we could reach our goal of $420,000 from individual donors. By the summer of 2008 we had reached our goal.

A local architect, Dennis Lehmann donated his time to draw up the plans for the chapel and local builders and friends Mike and Debbie Galleher agreed to build the porches and underpinning for the hermitages as well as the chapel at a very favorable rate.