The Jan Wyatt Symposium
Bringing history to life through expert speakers and regional storytelling
CELEBRATING THE PEOPLE, PLACES, AND TRADITIONS
Annual event that explores the rich history, culture, and landscape of the Cashiers Valley through expert talks and engaging topics.
What is the Jan Wyatt Symposium?
In 2005, Cashiers Historical Society presented the first Jan Wyatt Symposium. In the years since, the Historical Society continued its mission to preserve the history of Cashiers Valley through education by sponsoring an annual symposium.
The featured topics ranged from historical figures to geological issues to cultural aspects of the region. Previous symposia highlighted travel and tourism, traditional mountain music, heirloom gardens, and the Civil War in the Carolinas.
For more information, contact: info@cashiershistoricalsociety.org
2026 SYMPOSIUM
Stay tuned, coming soon!
2025 SYMPOSIUM
Campfires & The Embers of Youth: The History of Summer Camps in Western North Carolina
DATE: Thursday, June 19 | 10:00am – 3:30pm
LOCATION: Chimney Pond Farm, Glenville, NC
COST: $75 per ticket (benefit for CHS)
This engaging topic allows us to explore the many ways summer camps have shaped the social, economic, and cultural history of western North Carolina.
The event will include a slate of speakers and presentations, round-table panel discussions, and a catered lunch.
BECOME A 2026 SYMPOSIUM SPONSOR!
To share this history, we need your help. We are seeking sponsors for this event. Your sponsorship will enable us to create a day of thoughtful symposium programming and a high-caliber museum exhibit, which will run throughout western North Carolina’s busiest seasons.
2026 Schedule
ON THE WAY
THANK YOU!
Thank you to our Sponsors for the 2025 Jan Wyatt Symposium: "Campfires & the Embers of Youth: The History of Summer Camps in Western North Carolina."
Presenting Level Sponsors:
CAMP DIRECTOR LEVEL
Pisgah AVL
JUNIOR COUNSELOR LEVEL
American Camp Association
CampMinder
Morrow Insurance
HAPPY CAMPER LEVEL
Nancy Conkle Swann
CHECK OUT THE EXHIBIT!
Coming soon — An accompanying museum exhibit will be open to the public at the Cashiers Historical Society campus from Month 00 – Month 00, 2026. This exhibit will focus on lorem ipsum dolar sit amet.
Past Symposia
CAMPFIRES & THE EMBERS OF YOUTH: The History of Summer Camps in WNC (2025)
WORK & LEISURE: Tourism and the Making of Modern Cashiers (2024)
TALKING TROUT: The History and Evolution of Native Trout and Fly Fishing (2023)
Ancient Rocks and the Modern Plateau (2022)
Roots of Wisdom (2021)
No Symposium due to COVID-19 (2020)
Rails and Tales (2019)
Music in the Mountains (2018)
The Heirloom Gardener (2017)
HORACE KEPHART: The Man Behind the Myth (2016)
GOLF: Links to the Past (2015)
UNSPEAKABLE JOURNEY: The Removal of the Cherokee (2014)
THE CHEROKEE: Ancient Trails, Talking Leaves, and Broken Treaties (2013)
THE CIVIL WAR IN THE CAROLINAS: Untold Stories (2012)
Halted, the Man and the Genius (2011)
Southern Heritage Foods (2010)
Traditional Mountain Music (2009)
Southern Plain Style Furniture (2008)
William Bartram (2007)
Wade Hampton III (2006)
William Holland Thomas (2005)
Photos from the 2025 Symposium
Photos from the 2024 Symposium
