Newspapers / The Carolina times. / July 10, 1982, edition 1 / Page 19
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At 100, Green Park is -Still the Grand Dame SATURDAY, JULY 10, 1982-THE CAROLINA TIMES-3 At 100, Green Park is Still the Grand Dame ' . ',- . fty Glenn Mays Travel Editor BLOWING ROCK A century of elegance, beauty, charm, t hospitality . and ' delightful ' cuisine is being celebrated this year at one of North Carolina's most famous inns the Green Park. This "Grand Dame" has long been a retreat from the harried pace of cities and a summer respite in "nature's air conditioning" for folks from warmej climates." Sitting astride the Eastern Continental Divide and just a few hundred yards from the Blowing Rock, the granite out cropping from which ; this small town takes its name, this Victorian inn has been the scene of some interesting events. From the inn's" famous wicker-furnitured lobby, to its 74 guest rooms, dining room or Continental Divide Lounge, the Green Park exudes warmth Sunday and hospitality just as it has for the past century, playing host to its hundreds of thousands of visitors! But during its storied past : this old inn has basked in glory along with its "near-miss" moments. The inn and some of its fur niture became a life-saving shelter many years ago to a group of travelers who didn't have reservations at the Green Pak. In this small resort town,' the Green Park is the first July 11. 1982 mm 00 I 30 WFMY J WPTF I WTVD I WUNC I WTTG. CH.2 I CH.28 I CH. 11 I CH. 4 I CH. 5 Ctble 11 I Cable 3 Cable 6 Ctblt 9 Cable 10 Jimmy ; Swaiggart VIRAL I CH. 5 I Ctble 12 I 45 I I MA ! 4 Copeland t Jerri Ftlwell Mighty Mouse' HeckteJeckle i Blackstar '" 500 15 30 45 Hex - r Humbert ' I Mr . 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' ffajel' 1 r News 1 Jerry ABC News: ' FalweH Late Movie: 79 i ParV X Open Up Ave.l" . ' I " ' Wews i J AffC News I too If (s I I Entertain ' This Week ' Xl0 ill' 1 100th Anniversary Green Park Inn in Blowing Rocjt, North Carolina, sits astride the Eastern Continental Divide and is welcoming guests in its 100th year of operation. - V structure a traveler sees as he completes the climb up the mountain via U.S. 321 from the south. One group of travelers found it a welcomed sight when caught in a blizzard and their bus could not go any farther. However, the inn had been closed for the winter, the normal practice until 1982' when year-round operations began. The travelers broke into the inn seeking shelter from the blizzard. To provide warmth, they broke furniture and burn ed it in the fireplace until the blizzard subsided and they could continue their journey. No charges were ever made for the "breaking and entering". The inn was honored to have ... jt hem as "guests' W , . Another story about the inn dates to the 1920's when Fred Hewnham was the first golf, pro at Blowing Rock Country Club. Hewnham,' while talking with a guest at the hotel one evening' in front of the fireplace in the inn's huge sit ting room, found himself challenged to a golf match. As the story is told, his challenger was not so much of a golfer as he was a long ball hitter. Hewnham was not known for hitting the ball long but prided himself on ; ac curacy. The challenge became more and more intricate as the golfers talked. When it was sealed, Hewnham told the other golfer, who has slipped into anonimity through the years, that he would play the match using the poker which was standing- beside the fireplace rather than conven tional golf clubs. Though somewhat scarred, the ball which Hewnham used to begin the nine-hole match ; was still in play at the end. And. Hewnham won by' "several" strokes, the story goes. The Green Park's golf course was prominent too in another event in the inn's col orful history. . A U.S. Mail plane made an emergency landing on the fair way of the hole closest to the inn many years ago when it . ran out of fuel. All was well to t that point. Safely on the ground, the plane was refueled for the pilot to resume his- flight. (However, when the plane took off again it barely cleared the top of the inn before crashing into a parking lot beside the inn's front entrance. But the story had a happy ending. The pilot ., was , not seriously injured and the inn , was spared any damage. - Other tidbits of colorful history have also marked the inn. At one time the inn's sup ' ply of ice was gathered in ! winter from a nearby lake, . packed in sawdust and placed ; underground in ice houses to ' be used during the next season. For a time too drinking . water for guests at the inn . came, from a spring near the inn. Waitresses would bring fresh, cold water from the spr ing in pitchers to serve guests .without adding ice. The history df the inn's for-; tunes has not always been rosy. Originally, a group of area investors started the inn. Its fortunes rose and fell with the times. At one low point, the inn almost closed but' a group from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, purchased it and kept it open. And at one time it was owned by a furniture company in Lenoir. But today, Charlotte businessman Ben Douglas owns this Grand Dame and he describes it aptly. "We have the ambience of a different age," Douglas pro claims. "You can have drinks, sit on the porch and watch the world go by." Today the inn's rocking chairs on the porch are still quite popular but guests find themselves able to take advan tage of many other activities and attractions in the area as well. Such things as Tweetsie Railroad, Grandfather Moun tain, "Horn Mn The West" outdoor drama, Linville Falls and Caverns, golf courses, hiking trails, crafts museums, parks and many others. Through the years, the inn has undergone renovations and refurbishments taking on new conveniences according to demand. But one thing has not changed. That's Green Park's charm,, elegance and hospitality-. "V i
July 10, 1982, edition 1
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