NPTC Southeast Convention Road Trip➤

My friend Patty and I travelled to Asheville, North Carolina for the 2023 National Park Travelers Club Convention. The convention rotates to a different region each year. For 2023, it was in the Southeast region. On the way down, during the convention and on the way home we visited nine National Park Service units and some other parks. On the fifth day of our road trip we took a guided tour of the Carl Sandburg home with the club. Sandburg National Historic Site was the host park for the convention.

Carl Sandburg➤

Carl Sandburg was a prominent American poet, biographer, journalist, and editor known for his influential works in both poetry and prose. His work left a lasting impact on American literature. He won three Pulitzer Prizes during his career—two for his poetry and one for his biography of Abraham Lincoln.

In 1945, the Sandburgs moved to a farm in Flat Rock, North Carolina. They brought with them a vast library of over 14,000 books and a herd of prize winning dairy goats. The farm allowed Lilian the space for her goat-breeding operation and Carl the seclusion to write.

Sandburg would spend the last 22 years of his life there and complete over a third of his life’s work at the farm known as Connemara. After Carl Sandburg’s death in 1967, his wife Lilian Sandburg continued to live there.

The Sandburg family recognized the importance of preserving Carl Sandburg’s literary and personal legacy, including the significant agricultural contributions of Lilian Sandburg’s dairy goat farming. They initiated the process of transferring the property to the National Park service to ensure its preservation for future generations.

The NPS officially took over the management of the site on October 17, 1968. The family left all of of their possessions to the Park Service, as well as the home. Scattered throughout the house are books and personal items, as if the family has just stepped out and will be back soon. We went through the rooms with a docent who shared anecdotes from the Sandburgs’ time there.

Goats!➤

The Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site continues to maintain a herd of goats, reflecting the original breeds and quality standards established by Lilian Sandburg. Visitors to Connemara can still see descendants of the original Sandburg goats and learn about the importance of these animals to the family’s livelihood and to Lilian Sandburg’s pioneering work in dairy goat farming. We were able to go into one of the enclosures and pet the goats.

Southeast Convention Posts➤

• Booker T Washington National Monument
• Guilford Courthouse National Military Park
• Reed Gold Mine State Historic Site
• Museum of the Cherokee Indian
• Great Smoky: Oconaluftee River Trail
• Great Smoky: Mountain Farm Museum
• Blue Ridge Parkway: Waterrock Knob
• Kings Mountain National Military Park
• Cowpens National Battlefield
• Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site
• Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail
• Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park
• Antietam National Battlefield

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Location: 1800 Little River Rd, Flat Rock, NC
Designation: National Historic Site
Date designated/established: October 17, 1968
Date of my visit: August 5, 2023