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Historic property holds memories for generations of Catholics

HENDERSONVILLE — In late 1955, Bishop Vincent Waters bought 250 acres just south of Hendersonville to be used as a diocesan retreat center for the people of the diocese. Our Lady of the Hills Camp was a popular destination for North Carolina Catholics for the next 30 years.

Family vacations, conferences and a summer camp for youth were offered at the newly-named Catholic Assembly Grounds, more commonly called Our Lady of the Hills Camp.

Pictured: Bishop Waters blesses the lake, then known as "Madonna Lake," during the dedication. Bottom right: Campers enjoy horseback riding at the camp in 1972.  (Photos provided by Diocese of Charlotte archives)

The property included Highland Lake (also known as Madonna Lake), an Olympic-size swimming pool, an open-air gymnasium and the historic Trenholm-Rhett homestead.

The land had been part of a 1789 land grant to John Earle, and over the years it had belonged to several prominent owners, including Secretary of the Confederate Treasury George Trenholm and South Carolina Gov. William Aiken.

The camp opened its doors on June 10, 1956. From the start, it welcomed people of all races, making it the first racially integrated camp in the region.

Campers enjoyed archery, riflery, baseball, swimming, canoeing, dramas, boxing and horseback riding. Part of the daily camp schedule included morning and evening prayer, Mass, and recitation of the rosary.

Priests, religious orders, paid staff and volunteers all contributed to the camp's daily operations.

Two staff members, Carmen and Dorothy Falcone, assisted in running the camp for much of its existence. Carmen Falcone worked at Duke University as an assistant professor in the physical education department and he coached wrestling and football. His wife Dorothy was a dietician at Duke Hospital.

Carol Dawson, a parishioner and 30-year employee of Immaculate Conception Church in Hendersonville, was involved with the camp. Her youngest son, Douglas, assisted the Falcones in kitchen.

"In the early '80s I organized several women's retreats which we held at the camp," Dawson recalls. "Our parish also held annual picnics there. We would have what we called a garbage can dinner (potatoes, cabbage, corn on the cob, topped with sausages) and it would cook over an open fire over several hours, so we always had games for the adults and the kids...it was a wonderful gathering and attended by many of all ages. A time to really get to know each other."

Thanks to people like the Falcones and Dawsons, Our Lady of the Hills Camp made a positive impact on the surrounding community.

Monsignor John McSweeney, former chancellor of the diocese and current pastor at St. Matthew Church in Charlotte, served as camp administrator from 1977 until it its closure in 1985.

"The camp was always full, about 300 children each session and about 100 college and high school counselors and staff, including seminarians and religious sisters. Monsignor (Joseph) Showfety and Monsignor Bill Pharr were also some of the key people involved."

Monsignor McSweeney emphasizes that the camp was an important place for catechism, Spanish and English classes, tutoring and youth ministry.

In October 1978, the Diocese of Charlotte Youth Ministry office relocated to the camp. The former infirmary building was winterized for year-round use by the Youth Ministry office, which was growing at such a vibrant pace that it needed a full-time facility for its directors and programs.

Seven years later, in 1985, the decision was made to sell the property due to financial concerns. The Aug. 16 closing ceremony featured Mass, a cookout and fireworks. On the Feast of the Coronation, Aug. 22, 1985, the property was sold. The Highland Inn and Conference Center was established on the former camp location.

Money from the sale of Our Lady of the Hills Camp was then used to buy land near Hickory to develop the Diocese of Charlotte's Catholic Conference Center – at the time, the largest capital investment by the diocese in its history.

On Dec. 18, 1988, the Catholic Conference Center was dedicated by the diocese's second bishop, Bishop John Donoghue.

The 33,000-square-foot Catholic Conference Center features 50 hotel-style guest rooms and accommodates individual guests and overnight groups up to 200 people. Five conference rooms can host up to 314 people. The dining room seats up to 160 people, with retracting walls that allow for up to 250 diners.

The 178-acre property boasts beautiful mountain views and ample outdoor space for quiet walks and prayer, and it is a popular retreat center. The property also includes a chapel and a private retreat house.

The Conference Center shares the broader evangelical call of the diocese to build the Catholic community in the counties of western North Carolina. It also opens its doors and offers hospitality to other Christian communities in the state, their leaders, congregations and organizations. As a meeting facility, the Catholic Conference Center is available to civic, educational and governmental agencies, to professional societies, and other non-profit organizations whose purposes are compatible with Church teaching.

Deacon Guy Piche, director of Diocesan Properties and manager of the Conference Center, believes it fulfills an important role "as an excellent mode of evangelization to the other churches using the Center."

— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter

More online

At www.catholicconference.org: More information and photos of the Catholic Conference Center