Looking touthfrom I he Blue Ridge Porkwoy neor litllo Switzerland, tl*e rctrcolon Pompey's Knob shows clearly obo«c the heodwaters of Armslrong Creek and the
Stole Fish Hatchery. The old Wildocrcs buildings were cleorly visible in their froditional white when this wot taken; the new buildings, in eorth tonc siding ond
natural stone, now blend in to the mountainside (Photos by C.E. Wcstveer)
The Miracle At Wildacres
To I. D. Blumenthal (In» cloud settling over
PompeyVs Knob u«s like the cloud God set
before (lie* Children of Israel during the
Exodus.
By NANCY G. GATES
I. D. (Dick) Blumcnthal of Charlotte
referred to it as "God’s Mountain,"
because he believed he acquired it
through a miracle. Better known as
Wildacres Retreat, the 1400 acres of
forestland, replete with rhododendron
that line the meandering walking trails,
sits atop Pompey’s Knob in view of the
Blue Ridge Parkway southwest of Lit¬
tle Switzerland.
Acquired by Blumenthal in 1936 for
the astonishing low price of $6500.
Wildacres is a unique retreat dedicated
to the "betterment of human rela¬
tions.” Two beautiful new dormitories,
built of stone and rough-hewn siding,
arc perched atop the mountain replac¬
ing the original white frame buildings
that were built in the I920’s. These
share a flagstone terrace where visitors
may relax in rocking chairs and gaze
out upon a spectacular view of ridge
upon hazy ridge of mountains with
Mount Mitchell hovering above all.
Although I. D. Blumenthal died in
1978 and is buried next to his wife at
the very summit of his beloved moun¬
tain. the family carries on the tradition
of inviting a variety of religious, civic,
fraternal, scientific, and cultural
groups to use the facilities to carry out
their various programs. His nephew
Philip Blumenthal has directed Wild-
acres for the past eight years and
serves as President of the Board of
Trustees of Wildacres Retreat, a pub¬
lic foundation. I. D.’s brother Herman
(Philip's father) is Vice President and
Treasurer. Philip recently built a home
on the site and lives there year round,
while Herman and his wife travel from
Charlotte each weekend to stay in the
family home next door.
Thomas Dixon Owned
Wildacres was originally owned by
Thomas Dixon, the famous Shelby na¬
tive who was a lawyer, preacher,
legislator, playwright, novelist, and
actor. He is perhaps best known for his
novel "The Clansmen." upon which
the sensational movie "The Birth of a
Nation” was based. The royalties from
this controversial movie made him a
wealthy man. and he invested in the
Wildacres property which he envi¬
sioned as site for a colony of artists,
writers, scientists, and musicians.
When his elitist concept for the land
fizzled, he attempted to subdivide the
land and sell it for vacation homes to
the general public. However, before he
could sell more than a handful of lots,
he lost everything in the crash of 1929.
In 1936 the Texas bank which held
the property decided to auction it off.
Charlotte real estate salesman Jinks
Harrell told Mr. Blumenthal. founder
of Radiator Specialty Company, mak¬
ers of ’Gunk.’ that the mountain and
buildings could probably be purchased
for $6500. Blumenthal was not in¬
terested in mountain property, but his
rabbi asked him to attend a meeting of
the National Conference of Christians
and Jews in Asheville shortly after¬
ward. and during a break he decided to
visit the site. When he saw Wildacres.
he felt Mr. Harrell must have been
mistaken about the price and actually
meant $65,000. Back in Charlotte he
questioned Harrell and was assured
that $6,500 would be enough to acquire
the property. As it turned out. his was
the only bid offered the day of the auc¬
tion in Austin. Texas. Since papers
showed that a bank which had folded in
1932 held a note outstanding for
$190,000 on Wildacres, the judge de¬
cided to send a clerk up to look over
the property to decide if the offer was
adequate. Ironically when Blumenthal
и
THE STATE. June 1963
