Norfolk Southern Brosnan Forest

[Hbeyler1002]

My grandfather was an officer of Norfolk Southern. He has since passed away and my family tells me that we vacations there several summers when I was a baby. They all have fond memories but I do not remember at all. I am now grown with a family of my own and ironically enough have moved to Summerville SC. Is there a possible way to ever visit again? How would I make that happen. It would mean the world to my mother and father. They drive out there almost every time they visit us.
Thank you,

Heather
[email]Heatherbeyler@gmail.com[/email]

[Serenity2019]

I will contact the Officer I talked to out there and let you know. I have to look back at my contact and I will find out for you about visiting Heather.

[mckee16]

This place is incredible.They have a small fortune wrapped up in first class skeet guns, and the skeet houses are log cabins!

[FiveLoaves]

Originally Posted by Silver-Fox

I will contact the Officer I talked to out there and let you know. I have to look back at my contact and I will find out for you about visiting Heather.

Silver--
I'd be interested in the answer to that question also. Sometimes, my work takes me out to that corner of the County. I would just like to see the place, if that's allowed.

[LeonHSmith]

I was a guest of DW and Louise Brosnan for a 3 day hunt in 1964, when I was 12. My Father was sent home to work a derailment, but Mr. Brosnan insisted that I stay under his care. In addition to the Lodge and many cabins, when there was a large scale hunt (like this one), Office Cars were brought in to help house all the hunters. I stayed in one of the office cars, but I ate with the Brosnan's. I hunted deer and turkey with the other guest, but duck hunted with the Brosnan's in their blind. And yes, Mrs Brosnan was a duck hunter and a good shot. Mr. Brosnan presented me with a "Forest" pin after my successful turkey hunt bagged a tom. It is a circular pin with foliage and a flying turkey with "Forest" written across the top. I was given a drinking picture and a serving tray with pictures of Forest hunting scenes, cabins and landscapes for my Mother. I was flown home by the Brosnan's on Southern Railways' company plane, The South Wind.

I have been to the Forest many times before, as my Father was the Division Superintendent (Charleston) on the territory that the Forest was located on. We had many fishing trips and weeklong cabin vacations over the many years of my Father's service with Southern Railway. The Forest, as we always knew it as, was and is an extraordinary place. It also had a riding stable during this time period. A Skeet Range was added, after Mr. Brosnan's retirement. He would not allow one before, because he wanted "meat" in his sights.

Any "meat" served was shot and cleaned on the premises. An old Ballast Regulator broom was used to defeather the birds, it was quite a sight! There was a shooting field to harvest meat to eat. They raised all the birds that were released on to the property and they would throw up birds to be shot for food. At one time this took place in an open field, with a "thrower" located in the center of the field to release the birds. One pheasant, that was released, dove straight back down and the thrower, Albert, took off running. He knew what was going to happen and it did. People began to shoot at the bird flying behind the running thrower. They managed to kill the bird, without killing the thrower, but they did shoot up a Buick in the process. After that they build an enclosed steel blind in the center of the field, using a cut up box car. They also built several blinds around the field that faced the thrower's blind. This prevented any injury or car damages on future shoots. The center blind was called the "Meat House". The shooters for the meat house were usually shooters that had not hunted much or before and most were high profile customers. This gave them a chance to shoot and the birds a chance to escape. I hunted quail, chukar and pheasant there several times after my " Brosnan Hunting Trip", with Albert and the pointer, Pete. We went after the escapees.

There was a man made circular trout stream on the property that contained some hugh trout. No one was allowed to fish this stream. Mr. Brosnan had this stream built and stocked, but it was never fished. Well, it was not suppose to be fished. I know of several instances where people tried, but were detained, lectured and released by Special Service for attempting to do so. Mr Brosnan had mentioned to someone he was thinking about putting the stream in, but was told he would never be able to succeed with the intense heat of South Carolina. Never tell Mr. Brosnan that he can't succeed in a project, because he will. There was a pumping system that kept the steam circulating. The temperature remained cool and it generated oxygen in the water. The tiny fry trout flourished and they grew to an extremely large size. Mr. Brosnan usually succeeded in all of his endeavors.

I was fortunate to meet all the Presidents of Southern Railway after Mr. Brosnan; Graham Claytor, Stanley Crain and Harold Hall. I meet Mr. Hall many times, as my Father sometimes filled his previous job when he was promoted. Mr. Hall was the last President of Southern Railway. It was under his Presidency that Southern and Norfolk Western merged and he became the first President and CEO of Norfolk Southern Corporation. I also had the privilege of meeting and dinning with William Moore on his SR Office Car. Mr. Moore was Executive Vice President, Operations, Southern Railway, when he was chosen for the position of President and CEO of the Penn Central Transportation Company in 1970. His SR position was filled by Mr. Crain, who later became a SR President.