“As a local kid who was raised and grew up in the 50s and 60s on Wilson Drive almost next door to the Silvermont Estate, I always considered it a very important place and it held a fascination for all us neighborhood kids.

The woods behind the home were where all of us neighborhood kids played and learned more about the outdoors, fort building and fighting off the imaginary bad guys than on the city streets. This was way before the development was built behind it. At that time it was all woods around the home and gardens, and a great place to play.”

We were all fascinated by the mystique of the home as we did not know if we were supposed to be near it as it was such a grand home, although no one ever ran us off. However we still kept our distance.

My first visit to the home where I was able to go inside was after it was donated to the county and I was even more impressed with the grandeur of the home and grounds.
As time passed, it has always been a local landmark for directions, a major gathering place for social functions such as weddings, receptions, political events, and generally a great place for our citizens to use.

I am proud that we have made it a priority to maintain and improve the facility. The future plans for updating not only the home but also the grounds will make it even more valuable to our community and a place we can all be proud of.

I encourage all of our citizens to stop by and take a look at what has been going on at Silvermont and get involved in helping make it an even more important facility for our community by not only donating your time but also your help financially is greatly appreciated.”
Larry Chapman,
Transylvania County Commission, Vice Chairman