Lake Toxaway Community Center 81 Slicker Fisher Road Lake Toxaway NC 28747 LTCommunityCenter@gmail.com
The Hatcher Family
photos from the Lake Toxaway School Reunion
2024
"My family moved up to Lake Toxaway in 1983 after scouting out land all over the mountains of North Carolina. Sid and Becky wanted live on top of an mountain over looking a lake and farm Christmas trees.
Lake Toxaway was the perfect fit for them. When they moved up to Raven Rock mountain, there was only a logging road past the gap at Canaan Land and Panther Town Valley. The first order of business was to build a road to the top of the mountain. Once that was completed, the clearing and building process began which included fields and 2 log cabins. It took a couple of years for electricity and phone service to be run up to the 5 miles of road to the house site from the last electric pole around the lake on Cold Mountain Road.
Our family quickly found a home at North Toxaway Baptist Church where both Sid and Becky happily served. Sid was a member of the choir and a Sunday school teacher, while Becky was a choir member, organist and a Sunday School teacher as well.
After making new friends and getting to know the community better Sid and Becky saw a need for a renovated community center and had a vision for what a enlarged facility could bring to the residents of Lake Toxaway.
They wanted a meeting place for community events like concerts and dinners, but also sporting events and recreation which would necessitate building a ball field. Sid shared his vision with community and got to work bringing this community complex to fruition. Members of the community would also help out throughout the building process as Sid worked to fulfill the vision of this community center. Sid and Becky were delighted to see the center being used and the community benefiting from the new building and grounds."
Written by Holly Hatcher Donaldson
Sid and Becky Hatcher 1984
Sid came looking for a large tract of mountain land to grow Christmas trees. After searching Court house records in several counties and states and flying over in his plane to get an aerial view. He settled on 500 acres that was owned by the Lake Toxaway Company just north and west of Canaan Lan stretching to Panthertown Valley. Later the land proved to be non-usable for Christmas trees.
For several weeks and months, Sid stayed in the mountains without Becky, sleeping in the back of a pickup truck. He awoke one morning covered by several inches of fresh snow!
Sid and Becky’s first residence on the mountain was a small mobile home. Later the two of them constructed a small mountain cabin, afterwards building a larger home which they lived out their days at Lake Toxaway.
Becky shared in all the work being as comfortable in coveralls driving a huge John Deere tractor or a bulldozer, cleaning the mountain land as she was in a dress preparing the utmost country cooking. WOW those roasted pecans she fixed …. Were THE BEST !!!
Being a man and woman of God, they wasted no time in joining a local church, North Toxaway Baptist Church. And quickly won the hearts of all the local members of the community. Soon Sid was teaching Sunday School and Becky was playing the piano and organ at church, they felt right at home!
Then came the rest of the family, to join in living or visiting up in the mountains from “down east”. Sid was always known affectionally as “the mountain man from the flat lands” (Apex, NC) …Sid had earned his living as a tobacco farmer in the eastern part of the state.
After several years of ownership of the 500 acres of mountain land, the Lake Toxaway Company discovered there was a lucrative market for view property. After months of negotiating the Lake Toxaway Company re-purchased the land back from Sid (except for the few acres where the home place stood) Some even suggest that the re-sale of the land back to the Lake Toxaway Company may have been more than the original purchase price!
Long after Sid and Becky’s passion for Christmas trees had passed, they evolved into community workers. Sid had a dream of a HUGE community center building and full-sized recreation ball field and walking track. Soon the plans for a large community building was complete and the construction began under Sid’s leadership.
Sid had started a major job of building the current ballfield and walking track. With his own equipment as well as other equipment donated by Carmen West and Bill McNeely they were able to finish the project with the help of many local volunteers. Sid set out to clear 5 to 6 acres of woodland which covered a deep ravine. Additional land was needed beyond what was already owned by the Community Center. Ivan Smith donated the balance of the land needed to complete the job. Over the course of the work that McNeely and the crew moved over 45,000 cubic yards of dirt. All with donated equipment and volunteer help!
Not many years later Sid and Becky’s age and health began to take its toll. The longing to return to their roots of “home” of eastern NC. Sid and Becky began to spend more time “back home” in Apex. Sid eventually succumbed to cancer and Becky followed soon after.
Those who loved them, and the green grasses of these mountains say “Thank you to Sid and Becky” for using your strength and work to make such a place as this possible!
Article written by Jack Hall : in June 2019 for the dedication of the Sid and Becky Hatcher Sports Complex
photos from the Lake Toxaway School Reunion September 27, 2025
History
Lake Toxaway Volunteer Fire Department 60 Years of Service
By John L. Nichols III
When Lake Toxaway was being redeveloped in the early 1960s, there was more to think about than roads and new houses. A fire department and rescue squad were needed — not only to protect the lives of new residents but also to protect the homes being built around the lake. Developer Reg Heinitsh Sr. understood that without a functioning fire department, homeowners wouldn’t be able to get insurance. Out of that necessity — and a strong sense of community — the Lake Toxaway Volunteer Fire Department was born.
The First Trucks
Reg did what practical men do: he found a way. He secured two surplus World War II–era American LaFrance Class 750 pumper trucks from the U.S. Government. These rigs were built between 1942 and 1944 for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Tough, reliable, and able to pump 750 gallons per minute, they were exactly what a growing mountain community needed.
Truck No. 1
The first truck was Lake Toxaway’s primary line of defense. Even today, at more than 80 years old, it still carries the squared fenders, split windshield, and mid-mounted pump panel that marked American LaFrance design in the 1940s. Its red paint has faded, the lettering is ghosted, but the history remains. We believe the truck is somewhere near Connestee Falls, and our family is determined to track it down and bring it back home where it belongs.
Truck No. 2
The second truck served the department in those early years before being transferred to the Canada Volunteer Fire Department, where it sat unused for decades. That could have been the end of the story — but then my friend Jason Cash called me. He said he had something for my historical collection. When I drove out to his sawmill on Highway 64, I couldn’t believe my eyes. There sat the old Lake Toxaway pumper.
I was determined to see it restored. With the help of Johnny Holbrook, the engine was brought back to life with fresh paint, polished trim, and the lettering of the Lake Toxaway Volunteer Fire Department once again shining proudly.
A New Home at The Grand Olde Station
Today, Truck No. 2 lives at The Grand Olde Station, our historic restaurant in Lake Toxaway. The building has become something of a museum for the community, a place where we keep pieces of history alive. Guests love climbing aboard the truck for photos, treating it like an old family member. And in many ways, that’s exactly what it is — a member of this community’s story.
The Firefighters
Of course, fire trucks alone don’t save lives — people do. Over the years, Lake Toxaway has been blessed with many heroic firefighters who have rushed into harm’s way to protect us and our property.
We especially want to recognize Carman West, who recently retired. Carman not only saved lives in burning homes but also showed up when you were stuck in the mud or snow — sometimes on a tractor, ready to tow you out. (We won’t talk about that.)
As a child, I remember Charlie and Dwight Riggsby working on the trucks, keeping them running when money and parts were scarce. Those early memories remind me that this department has always been powered as much by dedication as by equipment.
The Bigger Picture
Lake Toxaway has always had strong community support, and its tax base has allowed the fire department to stay ahead of many rural districts in Western North Carolina. Over the years, the LTVFD has grown into one of the most well-equipped volunteer departments in the region. But it all started with two surplus trucks and a handful of volunteers willing to step up.
Legacy
From WWII surplus engines to today’s modern fire trucks, the Lake Toxaway Volunteer Fire Department has always stood ready. Truck No. 2 has been restored and now stands proudly at The Grand Olde Station, while Truck No. 1 remains out there — waiting to be found.
To me and my family, these aren’t just old fire trucks. They’re rolling monuments to vision, generosity, and grit. They represent the people who built this place and the volunteers — past and present — who have protected it for sixty years.
The Lake Toxaway School was created in 1915
The Building was in the same location as the Little Building
* All Grades Elementary Through High School
were taught in the one building
* With some of the High School Student once they completed the 10th grade
they proceeded on to College
* In 1925-1926 Rosman High expanded,
students Grades Eight Through 12 moved to Rosman High School
* Lucy Armstrong Moltz often supplemented the lunchroom
* Some days Mrs. Moltz treated the students to ice cream at her
boat house at Hillmont.
* They also had egg hunts on the lake bed at Toxaway
* In 1956-57 grades 1 through 7 of the schools:
Lake Toxaway
Quebec
Silversteen
We consolidated into the T.C. Henderson School
* In 1963 The Lake Toxaway Community Center tore down
The Lake Toxaway School to build a new Community Center building.
The First Lake Toxaway School Reunion was held October 2, 1993
There were 76 former students in attendance
The Reunion continues each year on the Last Saturday in September
Lake Toxaway Fire Rescue
established 1965
Many people from the Lake Toxaway area contributed to creation and the continued success of the Lake Toxaway Community Center.
We hope to present to you a bit of the history of our community center.
Please feel free to contact us at:
LTcommunitycenter@gmail.com
With your stories of the history.
We would appreciate all contributions.
Lake Toxaway School
( written in 1965... notes from LTCC)
Lake Toxaway Community Club and The Lake Toxaway Fire Department
"Living in the country has many advantages but one of the disadvantages is the possibility of loss by fire.
This year the Lake Toxaway Volunteer Fire Department was organized and our Community Club was contacted to see if we
were at all interested in the possibilities of sharing expenses and receiving service.
Representatives from our Club attended several meetings and it was decided to co-operate in any and every way we could .
To date, a lot has been given for the Fire Department to erect their building and they are making efforts
to acquire the necessary fire fighting equipment under Civil Defense.
Our Community Club has been asked to assist in the raising of $ 4,000, the amount involved to enable
the equipment to serve within a 4 mile radius of their building, which extends into the more densely populated part of our community.
Our assessment will be paid into Community Club treasury and then paid by check to the Fire Department:
another way of showing our Community Club is participating.
Several men have received training with fire fighting equipment and have formed a volunteer group"
Dedication of the Sid and Becky Hatcher Sports Complex Saturday June 22, 2019
The Hatcher family moved up to Lake Toxaway in 1984