Past, Present, and Memories

Posted on November 29, 2020 by Becky Dingle

Dear Reader:

Little did I know back on my birthday, in September, when Kaitlyn first mentioned returning to Lake Toxaway for Thanksgiving that this dream would actually come to fulfillment.

I knew nothing of the amazing history behind the Greystone Lodge…but I could have sat for hours, in front of the fireplace, reading stories of the famous families who once walked these same halls and resided in these same rooms.

Families like the Fords, Rockefellers, Firestones,  Vanderbilts and Duponts once stayed at the inn… then called Toxaway Inn.

It was in 1910 that Socialite Lucy Armstrong and her husband, George, a prominent Savannah businessman, began vacationing on Lake Toxaway. She fell in love with restoring the old inn and giving it the new name of Greystone Lodge.

It stayed in Lucy’s family until the middle 1980’s when Tim and his wife “Boo Boo” 🙂  Lovelace bought it and added several more luxury rooms to the inn.

American history is embedded in art, architecture, furniture, amenities, letters, photos and memoirs from the early 1900’s until today. (For a history teacher…I felt like I died and went to heaven! 🙂

On the way home yesterday I realized that the three tenses of time should be past, present, and memories…because as Grandmother Wilson taught me…we should all leave some time each day to reflect on our past memories since the future has yet to be experienced and it takes past and present building blocks to construct the future from earlier dreams.

So until tomorrow…hopefully…God willing and the creek don’t rise, I will be able to start sharing some of the memories from my special Thanksgiving stay at the Greystone Lodge through photos and anecdotes in tomorrow’s blog post.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

 

About Becky Dingle

I was born a Tarheel but ended up a Sandlapper. My grandparents were cotton farmers in Laurens, South Carolina and it was in my grandmother’s house that my love of storytelling began beside an old Franklin stove. When I graduated from Laurens High School, I attended Erskine College (Due West of what?) and would later get my Masters Degree in Education/Social Studies from Charleston Southern. I am presently an adjunct professor/clinical supervisor at CSU and have also taught at the College of Charleston. For 28 years I taught Social Studies through storytelling. My philosophy matched Rudyard Kipling’s quote: “If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten.” Today I still spread this message through workshops and presentations throughout the state. The secret of success in teaching social studies is always in the story. I want to keep learning and being surprised by life…it is the greatest teacher. Like Kermit said, “When you’re green you grow, when you’re ripe you rot.”
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5 Responses to Past, Present, and Memories

  1. Honey Burrell says:
    November 29, 2020 at 8:17 am

    So happy you had such a great time! I have been by, but hope to someday stay there. These mountains are something special! Have a beautiful day! Love you my favorite history teacher.😘

    Reply
    • Becky Dingle says:
      November 30, 2020 at 11:31 am

      When I think of all the special children you were able to help in your lifetime Honey…I stand in awe…and now to be able to live in the mountains that touch your heart and soul every day…is a special gift from God for all your loving compassion. The Greystone Inn was fabulous and the staff there were so personable…on a first name basis with each by the time we left.

      Reply
  2. Rachel Edwards says:
    November 29, 2020 at 11:45 am

    What a wonderful experience. We will have to go there. We have stayed at the Grove Park Inn many times so this might be a new adventure for us. So glad you got away…can’t wait to hear all about it. Our TG was perfect with Paul and his family coming here for the first time instead of NC.

    Reply
    • Becky Dingle says:
      November 30, 2020 at 11:33 am

      I didn’t realize how long it had been since I had seen anything outside of Summerville and Mt. P. My eyes soaked in the beauty like it was gulping water. Coming home I didn’t even realize there was a Nexsen cut-off before Exit 199 that cuts out all the main street traffic…that is how long it has been since I headed westward on I-26. 🙂

      Reply
      • Rachel Edwards says:
        December 2, 2020 at 6:52 am

        Well…when the Covid calms down you and I will go for a ride…turn on the music and sing along while licking our ice cream cones.

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