Cashiers Historical Society, Summary of Initial Interpretive Planning Project

Introduction

The Cashiers Historical Society (CHS) has made much progress in its first decade of life as a cultural organization in western North Carolina. Notable is the restoration and furnishing of the Zachary-Tolbert House, a successful annual fund-raising event (Cashiers Designer Showcase) to support the restoration and ongoing operations, on-site archaeological research, and development and initial implementation of a site master plan, including the construction of a new visitor services pavilion. Equally impressive is CHS’s initial series of programs and special events, including a Founder’s Day program for local schools, an Annual Symposium, and annual “rambles” to nearby historic sites, cultural and educational organizations, and other interesting places. CHS has begun to partner with other organizations in the Cashiers area to publicize its offerings and provide programs to the community.

Within this context, the Cashiers Historical Society engaged CTM Professional Services for a five-month initial interpretive planning project, aimed at engaging the Cashiers community and helping CHS stakeholders understand the important paradigm shifts that are occurring in museums and historic sites. We have entered an era in museums and sites where the traditional activities of collecting, preserving, researching, and exhibiting are necessary but no longer adequate. Museums worldwide are shifting their organizational focus from internal operations and short-term efficiency to external public service and long-term effectiveness. Since museums and sites are now justifying their existence and support in terms of the value that they provide to their communities, they are embracing interpretation, public programs, and creating meaningful learning experiences for visitors as organizational priorities.

The Cashiers Historical Society was interested in learning more about community needs and issues, building good will in the community, building understanding and excitement about their public service potential, learning more about shared interests, learning about available resources, and building partnerships with other community organizations. The initial interpretive planning project addressed these goals by focusing on engaging the Cashiers community through a communitywide gathering. This gathering sparked many conversations between CHS stakeholders and Cashiers community members, both before and after the event. 

This project was guided by a CHS core planning group, chaired by Jane Langley. Ann McKee Austin, Vanna Cameron, Marjorie Dunn, Arlene Hendrix, Gillis MacKinnon, Eleanor Welling, and Jan Wyatt served on the core planning group and participated actively throughout the project. This initial interpretive planning project was funded, in part, by an opportunity grant from The Cashiers Community Fund of the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina.  

Project Overview

This project included the following components:  

The Cashiers Community Gathering

The Cashiers Community Gathering, hosted by CHS, was held on August 7, 2006, from 5:00 to 8:00 in the evening at the Cashiers United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall. Ninety people attended the gathering, and they represented a variety of community organizations, as well as year-round residents, summer residents, and long-time local residents. Almost everyone participated in the entire gathering.

The purpose of the gathering was to: 

1. articulate what makes Cashiers distinctive as a place, what is special about the people, what people care about—now and always—and summarize the community’s compelling issues and enduring needs, 
2. explore how the community can work together to deepen appreciation of its unique heritage and preserve its distinctiveness as a place, and 
3. discuss how CHS can build a collaborative future to serve the Cashiers Valley community.

Participants at the gathering were organized into five groups, representing important components of the Cashiers experience (mountains, trees, lakes, waterfalls, and sunsets). During the group discussions, participants generated summary sheets of key points, which were shared with the entire group through brief oral reports. In addition, before each set of discussions, participants silently reflected on the questions at hand, and recorded their thoughts and ideas on “reflection sheets.”  

The proceedings from the Community Gathering were compiled into a 30-page report. It included the information from the group discussions (organized by group), and the 70+ individual reflection packets (presented as written, but mixed up, and without any names, to protect the anonymity of individuals). While this approach produced some repetition in responses, and perhaps some tedious reading, it was important to record verbatim the results of the gathering.

What did we learn from the Cashiers Community Gathering? 

Participants in the Cashiers Community Gathering were asked to articulate what makes Cashiers distinctive as a place, what is special about its people, what people care about—now and always—and summarize the community’s compelling issues and enduring needs. Then participants explored how the community can work together to deepen appreciation of its unique heritage and preserve its distinctiveness as a place, and what role CHS should play in the community. They discussed how CHS can build a collaborative future to serve the Cashiers Valley community and offered many ideas for programs, activities, and events at the Zachary-Tolbert House and throughout the community. From this data, we can ascertain patterns of responses, understand breath as well as depth of ideas, and look for synergy in ideas and recommendations.  

What is distinctive about Cashiers as a place, and special about its people?

Participants were strongly unified in their response to these questions. When asked about what makes Cashiers distinctive as a place, every group of participants mentioned the unspoiled natural beauty of the area, its mountain setting, agreeable climate, and natural diversity—both flora and fauna. They mentioned the friendly small town or village feel (or character) of Cashiers—describing it as cozy, peaceful, laid back, safe, slower paced, and NOT the same as everywhere else (no big box stores, low-key development, and well maintained). Cashiers is a place that has easy access to nearby metropolitan areas, but offers “a refuge from the city.” Participants mentioned the area’s distinctive history, and the availability of outdoor recreation. 

 Similarly, there was strong consensus about what makes the people of Cashiers so special. Every group of participants described people as friendly, kind, and neighborly, with a genuinely caring spirit. They are honest, unpretentious, and historically self-reliant. They give generously of their time and are willing to work for the betterment of the community. Regardless of whether they are long-time natives, transplanted year-round residents, or summer residents, they value the Cashiers quality of life. What brings this diverse group of people together is their love for Cashiers—they want to be there and care deeply about the community. 

What do people in Cashiers care about—now and always?  What are the community’s compelling issues and enduring needs?

The response of participants to these questions strongly echoed their feelings about what made Cashiers distinctive as a place and what made its people so special. In short, the people in Cashiers care deeply about both community and people, and preserving the wonderful mountain lifestyle and quality of life in the Cashiers Valley.  

They care about preserving the environment—protecting landscapes, water, and wildlife, and maintaining the beauty and small town character of the place. They care about pollution, erosion, limiting development and controlling growth. They care about providing adequate community infrastructure (water, sewer, maintaining roads, trash, controlling traffic) and yet do not want Cashiers to become over-commercialized. Many people are mourning the loss of green space and are angry about “greedy developers.” They recognize the importance of property rights, but want to establish some sense of order as Cashiers grows and develops. Some participants voiced the concern about the lack of official leadership for the village, and many people are worried about the future. They do not want to see destruction of everything that makes Cashiers such a quiet, peaceful, beautiful, restful, and special place. 

People in Cashiers care about “building community," in the social sense—they care about welcoming and embracing all people, regardless of their length of residency or economic level. They describe Cashiers as a family and church based community, and want people to be able to survive and thrive there. Like many communities, people in Cashiers care about education, making a living, security, and the availability of healthcare and affordable housing. People in Cashiers want to keep the caring small town atmosphere, and preserve the mountain lifestyle and quality of life.  

What have people in Cashiers always cared about? There was strong synergy in participants’ responses. People in Cashiers have always cared about the community and people—traditionally having strong family ties, taking care of each other, and protecting the land and water. They have always been proud of the small town values and atmosphere, and fiercely independent, protective of individual freedoms and property rights. Their strong connection to the land and environment emerged from survival and subsistence, giving a different significance to activities such as hunting, fishing, and hiking than may be held by modern inhabitants (more recreational uses now).  

The concern about development, or protecting against rampant and insensitive development, is a new focus for people in Cashiers. While people have always cared about maintaining the mountain lifestyle, social mores, family values, and traditional activities, it is only recently that the people in Cashiers view community development as a threat that can potentially destroy its distinctive sense of place. 

The compelling needs and enduring issues in Cashiers that were articulated by participants are directly related to the things that people care about, now and always. Issues and needs are: growth management, preserving the distinctiveness of Cashiers as a place, balancing the needs of different groups of people and providing services for all, e.g., healthcare, affordable housing, and creating a stronger bond between old timers and newcomers. There is a growing concern about the lack of representation in Jackson County and tax equity—making sure, as the tax base grows, that Cashiers gets its fair share of tax monies in order to provide the required services. Participants also noted the need for a walkable downtown, cohesive architectural unity, and keeping open mountain spaces available to all (rather than development of restrictive gated communities).   

What kinds of programs, events, and activities can help people learn more about Cashiers and expands appreciation of its continuing heritage?

Participants offered four pages of ideas for programs, events, and activities, and once again, there was synergy in the group responses and a lot of creativity in the individual reflections.

There was strong support for the CHS programs already in place, e.g., yearly Village Heritage Award, Cashiers Designer Showhouse, Symposium, and Founder's Day, and some participants offered ideas to add to existing programs, such as weekly musical events at the Dowden Pavilion during the season and a short history lecture or displays in association with the Showhouse. They liked the inclusion of Cherokee culture in CHS programs and called for more publicity for all current offerings, as things happen, and also a “summary article in the paper about what CHS does over a year’s time” (also more events and information shared by Chamber of Commerce).  

Participants were interested in seeing CHS programs, activities, and events all year long (even after the Zachary-Tolbert House closes for the season), in partnership with the community. They suggested some new programming ideas for CHS to consider, for example, “producing Ellen Greenwald's play about the Zachary-Tolbert House, The Legacy, partnering with Western Carolina University,” and developing “traveling trunks” to be used by schools, partnering with Mountain Heritage Center. Other examples of programming partnerships include teaching mountain crafts workshops, partnering with the County Extension Agents, or offering after school music classes (teaching mountain instruments as dulcimer, banjo, guitar, fiddle etc.) partnering with Jackson County Arts Council, Jackson County Schools and others (Stecoah Valley Center model). Many participants called for CHS to partner with the Library and area schools—these seemed like natural alliances, with results that benefit all organizations, and most importantly, community residents. For example CHS could work with the Cashiers Library, the School of Education at WCU and Jackson County Schools to producing lesson plans (posted on websites) for all grades incorporating a heritage element.  

Participants offered a number of program ideas that specifically relate to building community awareness about Cashiers history and heritage. They included creating a welcome book for newcomers to the community, area historic driving tours, community heritage programs presented in the schools and in the churches, monthly talks, slides, or video presentations at the Library, and displays of old photographs in commercial spaces, e.g., banks, stores, restaurants, and doctor’s offices. Participants also suggested creating book clubs or offering book lists, e.g. These Southern Highlands, offering a weekly newspapers article on heritage, e.g., Whiteside Mountain, and holding some sort of event like a Christmas parade, centered around heritage. Another Christmas idea was to offer a December tour of decorated historic churches in area (‘Tis the Reason for the Season).Participants suggested offering community forums for everyone (new people and old timers), with presentations about local concerns by knowledgeable experts, such as water quality, earth-friendly shopping, safety, churches, firemen, traffic, and play. Another approach would be to have “awareness weeks” with collaborative programming and activities, e.g., traffic week, Zen week, party week, village awareness week, newspaper week, etc.  

There was much enthusiasm for the development of an annual community Mountain Heritage Festival or “Cashiers Days,” involving many community organizations. It could occur at many sites around the community, for example, the Village Green, the Community Center land, and the Zachary-Tolbert House/site. The purpose of the festival would be to “educate young and old, visitors and residents about the history of Cashiers,” and to “honor remaining long time residents and featuring how they lived long ago, and what the area was like.” Activities could include music that tells stories of Cashiers (and other mountain music), oral histories (old timers “memory presentations”), costumes, tools, kids activities, community scavenger hunts, and activities that explore the native folklore (music, dance, stories, foodways). There could be activities that occur all throughout the year that culminate in this event, for example, school activities with displays at the festival, and children’s music and dance lessons with the recital as part of the event. The festival could also produce an annual audio program to be aired on local PBS and sold to residents and visitors. 

Some participants argued that the issue is not what kinds of programs, but how you can get ALL of the people involved—many programs, events, and activities are focused on summer people and middle/upper income locals. They suggested bringing people whose families have been here for generations into the programs and activities, offering programs for churches (they are population centers), and planning more events for children so they learn appreciation for their heritage and surroundings. There was a suggestion that CHS become a more multi-cultural organization to educate on both the built environment and the natural environment. Participants recommended that CHS get more involved in growth management in Cashiers through reviewing the ordinance, recommending amendments, participating in planning, surveying the population, and facilitating follow through (assigning responsibilities). Other ideas included educating developers about the positive aspects of preservation development, and setting up a “Percent for Preservation Program,” that would request a percentage of business and development profit for local charitable causes and preservation. 

How can the community work together to deepen appreciation of its unique heritage and preserve its distinctiveness as a place?  What role should CHS play in the community?

Participants used these questions to issue a call to action to strengthen communication, networking, and coordination among community organizations in Cashiers. Many participants suggested quarterly (or monthly) meetings to coordinate activities, with leaders from the Chamber, churches, the Library, CHS, the Community Center, schools, and other interested organizations. This group could evolve into an interagency leadership council, or a Town Council. Participants recommended developing a concept statement about “community heritage” (nine seconds long) that is repeated and shared by the community, creating blogs for Cashiers, and sending information about community coordinated activities to newspapers, magazines, and the schools. They suggested compiling information about Cashiers history and making it available.

Participants called for discussions about coordinating fundraising, where the community would come together and host 3-4 large fundraisers and distribute funds to organizations in need, rather than every school, society, and organization doing so many little fundraisers. 

There was support for partnerships (see this section of this summary report and the complete compilation document for potential partner organizations), holding events in common areas of the community to encourage more participation, and involving businesses and private enterprises (sponsorship). Participants recommended the building of a new Community Center, the establishment of a central repository for “heritage” information, and the development of a shared location for the offices of all nonprofit and charitable organizations in the area.     

Participants noted that the Cashiers community does work together if there is a compelling reason, for example, for the dental clinic. They articulated that it is now time to make preserving the distinctive character of Cashiers a compelling issue, and mobilize similar support from the community. As one participant expressed it, “work together to identify and promote preserving our sense of place, making it unacceptable to exploit our natural resources.”  

Who are CHS’s potential community partners?

Participants in all five groups recommended that CHS partner with the following organizations to develop educational activities: Cashiers Library (and Friends of the Library), all local schools (public and private) and their booster clubs/foundations, colleges in the area, e.g., WCU (different departments), SCC, Clemson, and the John C. Campbell Folk School. Participants listed local museums, historical agencies, heritage organizations, including the Mountain Heritage Center, Jackson County Historical Society, Friends of Mountain History, HandMade in America, NC Museums Council, and Blue Ridge National Heritage Area. They noted that CHS could reach out to the regional library system, including Jackson County, Sylva, and Fontana, and commented that since there is some overlap in the history in Cashiers and Highlands, it may be fruitful to partner with historical organizations in Highlands. Participants noted that there are a number of educational, historical, and tourism organizations at the state level that could become CHS partners, including NC ECHO (Exploring Cultural Heritage Online). Participants also recommended alliances with environmental groups, and preservation-minded groups for example, Mountain Wildlife, Sierra Club, Nature Conservancy, US Forest Service, Great Smokey Mountain Park, National Park Service, area land trusts, the Highlands and Chattooga conservancies, and the Jackson/Macon Conservation Alliance. 

Participants suggested that CHS go beyond other educational, preservation, and environmental organizations to develop programs with the Community Center, all local churches, the Village Green, local resorts, e.g., High Hampton, the Garden Club, and arts and crafts groups. They noted the wealth of knowledge that exists in local retirees, suggesting that they be contacted, individually or through local seniors groups and associations.   

Building on the responses to the questions about how the community can work together, participants recommended that CHS work with a number of organizations to coordinate activities through a monthly calendar, and strengthen communication throughout the community. These organizations included the Chamber of Commerce, the Cashiers Rotary and other service clubs, local and regional tourism organizations, local newspapers, i.e., Crossroads Chronicle, and magazines, local YMCAs and YWCAs, civic clubs, book clubs, and Fire & Rescue/fire departments.

The bottom line: there is a wealth of potential partner organizations in the Cashiers Valley and the region that could work together to deepen appreciation of Cashier’s unique heritage and preserve its distinctiveness as a place. Since many participants represented these organizations, CHS can assume that there is sincere interest in partnerships. The summary compilation for the Gathering, and the Gathering participant’s list include more specific contact names for many of these organizations.  

How can we tell the story of the entire Cashiers Valley at the Zachary-Tolbert House, and how can the site be utilized as a community resource?

Participants offered a number of varied ideas for how CHS could tell the broader story of the Cashiers Valley, both at the Zachary-Tolbert House and at other locations throughout the community. Many people recommended that CHS produce a high quality video or Power Point presentation that is shown to visitors to establish the context for understanding the more specific story of the site’s history. They also recommended that the same historical information could be presented in the form of a visual timeline, radio presentations, and a brochure, available on the CHS website, and in other places in the community, e.g., the Community Center, Library, or Village Green. A television documentary could be produced, incorporating oral history with native and long-time residents, and a “scholarly” history of the Cashiers Valley. Similarly, thematic heritage exhibits could be incorporated into one room of the annual Designers Showhouse.  

This broader history could be offered to visitors and residents through a multi-sensory approach—listening, seeing, touching, smelling, and tasting—through incorporating these elements into the on-site experience, for example, with a hands-on discovery area, cooking demonstrations, trail tours, “period” dinners, and “A Day in the Life” immersive programs for families. Some participants recommended that CHS reconstruct the entire farmstead, including gardens and agriculture. CHS could make a concerted effort to actively collect more broadly in the community, both the material culture and documentary evidence of the Valley’s heritage. Produce an updated version of The Cashiers Area: Yesterday, Today, and Forever. Invite the “local” families to CHS programming. Consider a musical drama somewhat like “Unto these Hills.” 

Participants were enthusiastic about using the local newspapers to disseminate on a regular basis more information about the Valley’s history, heritage, and culture. More specific ideas included a weekly column, a “historic artisan of the month,” and special inserts in regional papers. They thought that the goal of presenting the Valley’s history could be addressed by offering tours of local sites, tours of all of the local churches at Christmas, dramatic presentations—at the Zachary-Tolbert House and at schools, speakers bureaus, and programs on the archaeology (particularly because it reveals the prehistoric occupation at the site). A number of participants recommended the Zachary-Tolbert House to be open for additional hours so that more people could visit, and that public relations be increased to provide additional exposure for CHS.   

In terms of how the site can be utilized as a community resource, all groups of participants focused on the new Dowden Pavilion as a site for community activities and events, including meetings, receptions, weddings, concerts, picnics, and family reunions. These events could include a house and grounds tour. Participants recommended that CHS use the pavilion as a space to offer regular classes, workshops, and lectures for adults (for example, traditional mountain crafts), and programs for children. It could also be used for a Friday night sing-along or other music programs, and old movies, perhaps in partnership with Lake Toxaway, Camp Merriwood, and High Hampton. Participants noted that it was important to let the community know that the pavilion was available, and offer it for a modest fee for community groups, so that people felt welcome there.  

Regarding other areas of the site, participants suggested converting an outbuilding or building a reproduction of a barn with a large meeting area (this would support year round use for activities, programming, events, and community functions). However, participants noted that programming in the “off season” is desirable, regardless of facilities on site, as it will help to support CHS role as a community organization (dispelling the perception of some residents that it is an elitist organization). Participants mentioned again a desire for more open hours for the site, and more advertising to the community. Participants mentioned the need for a qualified, full-time director, accurate history, and historic landscaping at the site. Other recommendations included living history programming, decorating the house for the holidays, and positioning the site as the CHS headquarters, and the place to go to find information about other historic sites in the area. A few participants suggested a name change for the organization, e.g., Cashiers Valley Museum, to reflect this broader scope.   

Summary and Next Steps 

The Cashiers Community Gathering produced a wealth of useful information and ideas. It provided an opportunity for CHS organizational stakeholders and community representatives to come together to articulate what is special about Cashiers—the place and its people, and express what the community cares about. Participants explored how the community can work together to build awareness, deepen understanding, and preserve its unique heritage. Many wonderful ideas were generated for collaborative community programs, activities, and events. While the sheer volume of suggestions and recommendations may seem overwhelming, it is important to celebrate the strong synergy that emerged, and remember that program suggestions and recommendations were mandated for the entire community to implement, rather than CHS to undertake this agenda by itself! The Gathering created a momentum and new excitement about the community and good will for CHS. It provided important insight for CHS’s future role in the community, and will shape its future organizational mission, vision, and strategic planning.  

This project was the first step in developing a plan for CHS interpretation and programs that can facilitate civic engagement with the Cashiers community (yearlong and seasonal residents), build long-term relationships with community organizations, establish partnerships, and collaboratively develop public programs that make a difference in the lives of individuals and communities. Interpretation and programs planning is a strategic process—CHS will make numerous strategic decisions during this process about time, people’s energy and focus, money, and facilities. The resulting outcomes will direct the next stage of growth and development for CHS as an organization. Hence, it only makes sense to continue to do this planning thoughtfully and collaboratively with the people that CHS hopes to serve in the future. But how can we keep the excitement and momentum alive and keep people involved to implement all of these great ideas? We may want to develop a structure that recognizes the involvement of a broad range of community members, and allows CHS to keep seeking their counsel, networks of contacts, and feedback.  

As CHS moves forward with this planning, it can formalize this new relationship with the Cashiers Valley community by forming a CHS Community Working Group (CWG). There were many people who attended the Gathering who expressed an interest in continuing to work with CHS. The people have a vested interest in the many proposed collaborative programs, activities, and events. More importantly, they represent the many individuals, organizations, and groups that participated in the development of a shared vision for strengthening awareness of Cashiers heritage, and preserving its distinctiveness of place. As a recognized affiliate group, these community leaders can work with CHS to continue to engage the local and regional community. Their involvement will significantly enhance the next steps of interpretive and program planning.

A CHS Strategic Interpretation and Program Plan will include the articulation of: 

These steps will help the Cashiers Valley community and CHS discern the most fruitful ways to implement the many wonderful ideas and recommendations that emerged from the Cashiers Community Gathering. It will also help everyone to identify the likely community partners to work on various projects and initiatives.  

As this planning process occurs, it is important for CHS to focus concurrently on its own organizational growth and development, so that CHS stakeholders understand the strategic implications of the interpretation and program plan for site operations and site development, staffing, partnerships, and resource acquisition and allocation. Since the Zachary-Tolbert House site master planning process is already underway, it is imperative to consider programmatic use and visitor needs as soon as possible so that the implementation will not need to be redone. CHS must also coordinate program development, delivery and public service with ongoing research (including archaeology), collections planning and care for both study and teaching collections (teaching collections are items that are used in programs, events, daily interpretive activities), and administration and fundraising activities. This is a full plate of activities for a volunteer-driven organization. Hence, CHS must build organizational capacity (people, partnerships, finances, membership, and mission-related sustainable enterprise) and strengthen organizational effectiveness and efficiency (communication, structure, processes, teamwork, conflict resolution, evolving governance policies, and board development). 

It has been an honor to work on this exciting project with CHS and the Cashiers Valley community. 

Respectfully submitted,

Candace Tangorra Matelic

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