L A K E T O X AWA Y
L to R: Will Heinitsh, Reg Heinitsh III, Rachel Schneider, John Heinitsh, Andrea Hamilton, Bianca Mitchell, and Scott McCall.
Heinitsh’s Toxaway Vision Following in the footsteps of the captains of American Industr y and Finance, The Lake Toxaway Company under took the challenge of making this gorgeous por tion of Transylvania County into an escape from the stresses of the outside world.
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round these parts, R.D. Heinitsh Sr. of Columbia, South Carolina, is remembered as the bold and brilliant businessman who laid out a vision in the restoration of Lake Toxaway and its environs. In doing so he foretold a future of what it has become today, “a treasured retreat” in any idyllic mountain setting – a momentous enhancement and immeasurable contribution to this community. Completed in 1903 by damming the Toxaway River, Toxaway was the largest man-made lake in the Appalachian Mountains. Following the construction of the splendid Toxaway Inn on the banks of the lake, it became a summer destination for some of America’s first families – among them, the Fords, Firestones, Edisons, and Vanderbilts. But, after a sequence of three hurricanes walloped the area in 1916, the dam burst, and the lake was lost. Though the Inn survived, without the attraction of the lake, the area lost its allure. By the 1940’s, the Inn’s contents
were sold off and the building was razed. What had once been a glorious resort, regarded for its stunning scenery, known as the “Switzerland of America” remained dormant until 1960 when Reg Heinitsh happened upon one of the Inn’s guests’ registers. Grandson Will Heinitsh explained that, “Intrigued by the history of the old lake and full of ideas of what it could be again, he convinced friends to join him in the venture to restore the property to its former glory and beyond. The Lake Toxaway Company was thus formed, purchasing 9200 acres that included the dry lakebed.” As Will said further, “My grandfather put everything on the line to come up here and do this when it was virtually the backwoods of America.” Once formed, the company sold private residential lots surrounding the lake that included private access to the lake.
