In 1895, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Peck Clarke, formerly of Connecticut, purchased over 800 acres in Transylvania County on which they built their mountain estate. On this site, their daughter Nancy Clarke Carrier and her husband Henry established Rockbrook Camp for Girls in 1921. One of the more interesting facts about Mrs. Carrier is that she was the great granddaughter of PT Barnum, of circus fame. Many circus artifacts were on display in the Carrier House, and thrilled many a camper, such as the chair of Tom Thumb and many lovely home furnishings.
This circus history also has a direct link to the building known as Goodwill. The circus winter residence was Columbia, SC and was located next to the Goodwill Plantation. When Nancy Carrier was visiting the area she fell in love with the beautiful hand hewn chestnut log cabins located on the property, and was given the opportunity to bring two of them to Brevard to make them part of her mountain estate. She restored the 200 year old cabins to their original beauty and made them part of the center of camp life. The buildings were named Goodwill and Curosty (the mountain word for crafts) and both are still in use by the campers and remain a part of Rockbrook’s proud history.