High on a hill on Little River Road in Flat Rock is Saluda Cottages, or “The Wedding Cake House,” as my children named it when they were little. Built in 1836, it was once a simple, two-story home until turn-of-the-century renovations transformed it into a grander home reflecting a French Second Empire-style mansion. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Saluda Cottages sits on more than 20 acres in the heart of Flat Rock.
Read MoreWhen Tish Hilyer first entered the building that would eventually house her new endeavor, she knew immediately that the warm and inviting room with an expansive view of Highland Lake would be perfect as a yoga studio. “They opened the door and I thought ‘This is a yoga space.’ It just felt like a straight-from-the-divine opportunity.”
One year later, Tish and her Wild Lotus Yoga Collective are thriving in their new home in Highland Lake Cove.
Read MoreOn January 31st, Polly Angelakis, Park Superintendent at Carl Sandburg National Historic Site, will retire from the National Park Service after a long and varied career of 38 years. During that time, Polly has worked across these United States - at Salem Maritime NHS, USS Arizona Memorial, Everglades NP, Jean LaFitte NHP, Acadia NP, Shenandoah NP, Assateague Island NS, Olympic NP, Marsh Billings Rockefeller NHP, National Capital Regional Office, George Washington Memorial Parkway, Intermountain Regional Office, and finally here at Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site.
In honor of Polly’s years in Flat Rock, we are republishing an article about her life and work originally posted in 2020.
Read MoreOn a Sunday morning in June of 1815, Scotsman James Brown found himself staring across the countryside of Waterloo, Belgium. A bugler for the Royal Scots Greys, Brown clutched his instrument and prepared to enter battle against the famous French army of Napoleon Bonaparte.
Just a few years later James Brown, witness to perhaps the most iconic battle in European history, immigrated to America. Ultimately ending up in Flat Rock, NC.
Read MoreIn May 2024, Flat Rock Together published a story about the history of one of East Flat Rock’s most iconic structures, the Stepp Walker Building. At the time, there were considerable gaps in the building’s history.
Fortunately, two individuals with personal histories with the building saw our original story and helped fill those gaps. We heard from Elizabeth Pressley Hill whose father operated a grocery store in the building in the 1950s and 1960s and Jim Kirkpatrick whose father acquired and grew a very successful business there in the 1980s. Those stories are recounted here.
Read MoreAt the end of each year, I undertake the impossible task of selecting my five favorite Flat Rock Together stories from the preceding 12 months. It is, of course, a task that is both arbitrary and unfair. Every story is valuable and should be celebrated in its own right. Stories are how we mark time, celebrate relationships, bestow accolades on the protagonists, and give meaning to our existence.
Five favorite stories from 2025 here.
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