By Helaine Kranz

Transylvania County has a long history of summer camps. In the mid-1920s there were 14 camps in operation in the county. Transylvania was home to one camp in particular, Camp Perry-Ann, which was the only camp in the South exclusively for Jewish girls.

Mrs. Ann Pushell, the camp’s owner and director, was of Jewish descent. Ann Pushell and her husband Luther Pushell moved to Brevard in the summer of 1922 when her husband opened a department store with co-owner Jerry Jerome, called Jerome & Pushell. The store’s grand opening took place July 18, 1922 in the then-new Pickelsimer Building on Broad Street in Brevard. At first Ann worked as a merchandise buyer for the department store.

By 1926 Luther Pushell bought out Jerry Jerome’s interest in the store and renamed it Pushell’s Department Store. With the store’s success booming at a time when Western North Carolina was having tremendous prosperity, Luther planned a major expansion of stores. Ann Pushell, who became involved with the Brevard Business and Professional Women’s Club, was elected as Vice President and appointed to chair the club’s public relations.

Near the same time, an article in the Brevard News dated January 13, 1927 noted that Mrs. Pushell was establishing a summer camp for Jewish girls. She toured multiple southern states to promote the summer opening of “Camp Perry-Ann” and succeeded in securing ten counselors for the start of the season.

Camp Perry-Ann opened July 4, 1927. The camp was located two miles outside Brevard on 200 acres bordering on the Glen Cannon property. The property included a lake for swimming, canoeing, and other aquatic sports. The lodge, cabins, and tennis courts were built on top of a gently sloping hill that overlooked the French Broad River and the Sylvan Valley. The camp could accommodate a maximum of 75 girls. Most of the girls, ranging in age from 10-18, came from Georgia, South Carolina, Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Tennessee.

Fees for the 1928 season were $250.00 for an eight-week session, or $140.00 for a four- week session. The charge for laundry was $.50 for twelve pieces (parents could deposit $5.00 to cover the full session).  Athletics were highly promoted at the camp, with trained counselors making sure there was a proper balance of exercise and other activities such as overnight hikes, field trips, folk dancing, crafts, and weekly supervised visits to Brevard.

Ann Pushell worked to promote the camp’s image locally. The Brevard News even printed weekly articles under the headline Camp Perry-Ann News, submitted by Ann. The first season ended with great reviews and anticipation for a successful season in 1928.

Two events in August highlighted the end of the camp’s season: The Annual Review, a variety show performed by the campers singing and dancing in costumes for both out-of-town guests and Brevard Residents to enjoy; and the highly anticipated end-of-season Awards Banquet.

Camp Perry-Ann operated until the early 1930s. In a Transylvania Times article dated June 30, 1932 announcing the Summer Camp season, Mrs. Luther Pushell, formerly of Brevard and now living in Kentucky, is still listed as the camp’s director.  It can be assumed that Ann Pushell was no longer living in Transylvania at that time.

Ownership of the camp changed hands by the mid-1930s to Mr. and Mrs. T.J. Wilson, who re-named Camp Perry-Ann to Camp Cateechee and operated it as a Girl Scout camp rather than a religious one starting in 1936.

The land has continued to host many different campers over the years, but it is a lovely chapter in its legacy to see the photos of Perry-Ann campers in the Library’s collection today.

Photographs and information for this column are provided by the Rowell Bosse North Carolina Room, Transylvania County Library. This article was written by Library Assistant Helaine Kranz. Sources available upon request.