In late September, Hurricane Helene barreled through Western North Carolina, causing catastrophic damage in 27 counties. The Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site (the park) was severely damaged and has been closed to the public since then – over two months now.

High winds knocked over trees throughout the park, woods and hiking trails and blanketed the hikers parking lot. Trees fell on and damaged the maintenance garage and several vehicles. The outdoor amphitheater was hit by falling trees. The stage and backdrop areas are gone. The stream that runs through the park became a torrent. It destroyed two wooden bridges on the Front Lake trail and took out the roadway connecting to the dam. The dam itself cracked in the middle. The trail around the lake is impassible. Sewer and water lines to the visitor areas were ripped out. The culvert under the historic entry to Little River Road was destroyed, causing severe undercutting to the driveway.

Fortunately, all historic buildings are sound.

However, the grounds and public access have been declared unsafe by the Park Superintendent.

The good news

The goats and barn cats survived the storm and cheerfully welcomed staff who hiked over fallen trees and debris to reach them. They’re now cared for daily.

The Friends
The Friends of Carl Sandburg at Connemara is the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to raising funds to help support the park however we can. In normal times, this includes funding historical, educational and artistic activities, but in times of crisis, we join with the community to help in bigger ways.

The Friends priority now is to help get the park safely re-opened. We are raising funds dedicated for the purpose of getting you – the public – to once again enjoy Connemara, explore its history and benefit from having a national park in our community.

We need your help
The best (and only) way of donating to specifically help our national park is by making your gift to “The Friends of Carl Sandburg at Connemara, Inc.”

The Donate Now button at the top of the page will take you directly to our website’s donation page. We now accept PayPal and credit cards online and checks through the USPS.

With heartfelt thanks, we appreciate your belief in our mission.

Board of Directors
The Friends of Carl Sandburg at Connemara