Tuesday Was Horace Kephart's Birthday

Thank you for the post. Another interesting story is that of George Masa, Kephart's friend, who emigrated from Japan as a young man and worked tirelessly for the preservation of wilderness in Appalachia.

Today, Masa Knob can be found near Mount Kephart. These stand as fitting memorials to a pair of men that, largely for reasons unknown, left everything behind to experience, catalogue, and fight for what would become one of our great national parks.

thegreatsmokies.net said:
Arno Cammerer, assistant director of the National Park Service, and Colonel David Chapman of Knoxville, approached John D. Rockefeller Jr. to request his assistance in obtaining the remainder of the funds needed. The Rockefeller family was known for its support of other national park projects and this time would be no different as Rockefeller pledged the remaining $5 million needed to fund the creation of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. One of the things used to help convince Rockefeller to support the idea was George Masa’s photos.

Unfortunately, neither Kephart nor Masa would live to see the official designation of the Great Smoky Mountains as a national park. Kephart died in an automobile accident in 1931 and Masa was devastated at the loss of his friend. He kept a walking cane that had belonged to Kephart which he called, “Kep.” Masa would frequently carry the cane with him in later walks in his beloved Smokies. In 1933, shortly after an organized hike to commemorate the second anniversary of Kephart’s death, Masa became ill himself and on June 21, 1933 he passed away penniless in the country hospital due to complications of the flu.

One of Masa’s wishes was to be buried next to his devoted friend Horace Kephart in Bryson City, NC. His hiking club put together a funeral service in Asheville, NC but there wasn’t enough money to fulfill his wish of being buried next to his friend. Masa was laid to rest in Asheville’s Riverside Cemetery.

One year later the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was officially established.

While George Masa may not be a widely known name to most visitors to the Great Smoky Mountains, his talent, dedication, hard work and immense love for the Smokies are some of the main reasons that the national park movement was successful.

george-masa-smoky-mountains.jpg
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
That's very interesting TripleT
Never heard of that fella but will look for more info on him
Thanks
 
I enjoyed your brief tribute Kephart…thanks!

I am in the middle of reading a 1949 edition of his 1913 book "Our Southern Highlanders" and am really enjoying it.
 
Thanks guys, and yes George Masa...him changing his name made it much easier for me to pronounce, was a big influence on me as well. Having wandered the Smokeys myself, I can definitely see what drew them there and kept them there. Every time I have gone up there, the leaving has never been easy.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top