The Mountain Porch at the Historic Fairfield Inn
The Swiss Alpine Jewel: Life at the Fairfield Inn (Circa 1896)
In 1994, the publication The Cashiers Area, Yesterday, Today, and Forever detailed the history of the Sapphire Valley Resort, drawing heavily from the evocative prose of John Parris in the Asheville Citizen-Times. However, a look at the original 1915 menu from The Mountain Porch reveals delightful details that never made it into the book.
An Architectural Triumph
The three-story Fairfield Inn was a "Swiss Alpine" masterpiece, featuring 57 high-ceiling guest rooms and a breezy veranda lined with dozens of rocking chairs. Built in 1896—a year that saw Queen Victoria on the throne and the height of the Klondike Gold Rush—the Inn was a monument to grit. Every piece of equipment and building material was hauled by wagon over twelve miles of muddy, primitive mountain roads by the Toxaway Company.
Dining at "The Mountain Porch"
At the turn of the century, a $5 daily rate afforded guests a room and three full meals. The Inn’s signature restaurant, The Mountain Porch, prided itself on fresh, scratch-made recipes.
Signature Entrees: Pan-fried chicken, sugar-cured Virginia ham, and fresh Mountain Trout (boned, breaded, and sautéed in butter).
The Price of Luxury: Even in its later years, the most expensive item on the menu topped out at just $12.95.
From Breezy Porch to "Library Lounge"
The original open-air Mountain Porch was eventually enclosed and expanded to become the legendary Library Lounge. For decades, this space served as the resort’s social heart—and its most guarded secret. Navigating the "strict Southern rules" of the era, resort owners often operated on the edge of legality.
Contributed by Jane Gibson Nardy, Historian for the Cashiers Historical Society, with content and imagery courtesy of The Laurel Magazine.