From event organizers:
2017 is the 100 year anniversary of a little-known event in the WNC mountains, that brought World War I close to home when 2,200 German nationals were gathered from ports on the east coast and shipped to an internment camp in the remote town of Hot Springs. A commemorative celebration is scheduled for Friday, September 15 through Sunday, September 17 in Hot Springs, including the grounds of the historic camp, now the Hot Springs Spa and Campground.
The history of the internment camp and its relationship to Hot Springs is documented in the book, The German Invasion of Western North Carolina: A Pictorial History, by Jacqueline Burgin Painter, a native of Hot Springs, now living in Sylva.
Many of the German “enemy aliens” were the crew and officers of the trans-oceanic ship, the Vaterland, successor to the Titanic as the world’s largest ship, and included a German Navy orchestra. The population of the tiny hamlet of Hot Springs swelled in size ten-fold, and the economic and social impact on that part of Madison County changed the community long beyond the one year internment.
The centennial anniversary includes a series of free activities at the Hot Springs Library, Welcome Center, Spa Grounds and Dorland Presbyterian Church. Festivities run from Friday, Sept. 15, to Sunday, Sept. 17, and include film showings, walking tours, live performances and more.
For more information and a full schedule, call Elmer Hall, event co-coordinator at: 828.622.7206 or visit friendsofhotspringslibrary.org.
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