The Cashiers Historical Society has earned national recognition, receiving an Award of Excellence from the American Association for State and Local History for its exhibit, Campfires & The Embers of Youth: The History of Summer Camps in Western North Carolina.
The honor places the Cashiers Historical Society among a select group of museums, historical societies, and public history organizations recognized nationally for excellence in preserving and interpreting local heritage.
The award is the AASLH’s top project recognition within its Leadership in History Awards program, widely regarded as the most prestigious recognition for achievement in the preservation and interpretation of state and local history.
For Cashiers Historical Society, the recognition affirms not only the strength of the exhibit’s scholarship but also the growing national impact of the organization’s exhibitions, research, and public programming.
Originally displayed at the Cashiers Historical Society campus in 2025, Campfires & The Embers of Youth was presented within the oldest standing residential structure in Jackson County, a c. 1830s historic home. The exhibit examined the history of overnight camps in Western North Carolina founded before 1970 and explored how those camps shaped the region’s social, cultural, and economic life. The museum exhibit remains available online through a digital version at embersofyouth.com, where visitors can continue exploring the research, images, and interpretive material. That online access is especially valuable because the exhibit broke new ground.
According to CHS, Western North Carolina has the highest concentration of summer camps in the Southeast, yet the subject had received relatively little scholarly attention. By bringing together materials from multiple camps, curators created the first comprehensive regional history of the camp movement in WNC rather than focusing on a single institution.
This year, only 42 organizations, exhibits, publications, and projects nationwide received recognition through the AASLH Leadership in History Awards program. In addition to the AASLH Award of Excellence, Campfires & The Embers of Youth also received national recognition from GDUSA for exhibition graphic design, making it one of the most honored projects in Cashiers Historical Society’s history.
“The exhibit masterfully illustrates how Western North Carolina served as a cornerstone of the American camping movement, shaping the social and economic fabric of our community for over a century,” said Tom Rosenberg, former President and CEO of the American Camp Association. Rosenberg also praised the exhibit’s “dedication to blending rigorous research with dynamic, visual storytelling,” noting that it “set a new standard for small museum excellence.”
While the exhibit explored camps throughout the region, it also highlighted local institutions familiar to many Cashiers residents, including Rockbrook Camp, Camp Carolina, Gwynn Valley Camp, and Camp Merrie-Woode. By placing beloved camps within a broader historical narrative, the exhibit revealed how generations of summer camps collectively shaped the culture, traditions, economy, and identity of Western North Carolina.
For the Cashiers Historical Society, the award underscores the power of local history when paired with rigorous research, compelling design, and thoughtful interpretation. What began as a regional exhibition has now earned national recognition for both historical scholarship and exhibition creativity, elevating Cashiers onto the national stage of museums, historical societies, and public history organizations.
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