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Master of Light and Shadow
Written By: Lance Hardin - Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust | Issue: September 2024
George Masa – explorer, photographer, and chronicler of the Plateau’s vistas and byways – is the subject of a September 16 documentary and lecture at Highlands Inn. For more information see hcltnc.org.
In 1929 the Japanese-born photographer George Masa made his way to Highlands and Cashiers, enticed by an offer from Frank Cook, owner of the Highlands Inn, that included free lodging in partial exchange for Masa capturing on film some of the area’s incredible scenery. The result was almost 100 iconic black-and-white photographs that define our area’s history.
Masa had arrived in Asheville in 1915 and, due to his boundless energy and passion for photography, was soon operating his own studio. A perfectionist and a master of light and shadow, his work was instrumental in advocating for numerous conservation causes, including the creation of Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the location of the Appalachian Trail.
At a time when it was difficult for a Japanese immigrant to integrate into American society, Masa had the social and professional skills to work for the Vanderbilts, correspond with the Rockefellers, and collaborate with the White House and National Park officials.
Yet for all that is known about Masa’s career in Western North Carolina, there have been many unknowns about his early life and the path that led him to our area.
Documentary filmmaker Paul Bonesteel, “captivated from the moment (he) first saw a Masa photograph,” created the 2002 documentary The Mystery of George Masa. Janet McCue, former librarian at Cornell University, offered additional insight regarding Masa in the 2019 profile of his friend and collaborator in Back of Beyond: A Horace Kephart Biography, co-authored with George Ellison.
Bonesteel and McCue have continued to research Masa, including translating a cache of found letters, as well as conducting research in Japan.
The result is a book and forthcoming documentary A Life Reimagined: The George Masa Story, that for the first time will provide insight into Masa’s formative years. At this event they will discuss this research, read from the book (which will be available), and share footage from the upcoming documentary. Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan (of The National Parks: America’s Best Idea) state that it’s “a remarkable achievement in biographical research” that “finally gives that hero of the national park idea his due.”
The event is hosted by the Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust with co-hosts the Highlands Historical Society and the Cashiers Historical Society. It is sponsored by the Highlands Inn, on Monday, September 16, from 5:30 until 7:30 P.M. in the Sequoyah Room.
