The Mausoleum Man

Flat Rock residents Roger Richardson Hill and Bill Beck have never met. In fact, Roger died before Bill was even born, but their lives are intertwined as a result of a mutual appreciation for the beauty of Glassy Mountain, the quest for better health, and the love of a good story.

Roger Hill comes first to this tale. Born in 1882 in Saginaw, Michigan, Hill was the son of a prominent lumber baron who went on to study law at the University of Michigan and later at Yale University. While still a relatively young man, Hill contracted tuberculosis - a disease that appears to have led him to Henderson County for clear mountain air and the treatments afforded at local Sanatoriums that populated our region in the early 20th century.

Several infirmaries dotted the Blue Ridge Mountains — some of them grand facilities with open sleeping porches, ensuring patients the benefits of uncorrupted mountain air, removed from pollutants of large cities. After the coming of the railroad to Hendersonville in 1879, consumptives arrived in droves hopeful for a cure. Hendersonville was one of the few stations that permitted patients to dismount the trains
Terry Ruscin , Beyond the Banks: Treating the white plague

Legend holds that Hill found the land atop Glassy Mountain to be particularly beautiful and he (possibly) lived on the site in a tent for several months. But with his health continuing to decline, he ultimately traveled to El Paso, TX in search of warmer and drier air. His illness was too far advanced, however, and Hill died in El Paso on New Year’s Day, 1927.

Having anticipated his demise, Hill left a large sum of money and plans for the construction of a magnificent mausoleum on the crest of Glassy Mountain in a spot marked by stones piled in place by his valet. Reports of the cost of the structure vary between $10,000 and $15,000, but it was clearly an impressive sum in the 1920s for an imposing structure. Additional monies were set aside to provide for the care and maintenance of the tomb in perpetuity.

And so Roger Hill lay in repose and relative anonymity for another 80 years.

Enter Bill Beck.

Bill is a retired chemical/mechanical engineer who finished up his career with Hoescht AG in Spartanburg, SC. He grew up in Princeton Meadows, NJ which he describes as “just across the railroad tracks” from the town of Princeton. Prior to ending up in South Carolina, Bill’s career path took him across the country with stops in Maryland, Utah, California, and Mississippi.

A self-described pencil-pusher during his working years, Bill found himself in less than stellar physical condition upon his retirement. Determined to improve his health, Bill and a friend started hiking. At first, they took two cars, leaving one at the high end of the trail and the other at the lower end. And they always hiked downhill.

But Bill grew stronger, and eventually he undertook more strenuous hikes - many of which led him to drive from Spartanburg into the mountains of NC looking for new trails to explore. He also became an avid fan of the Flat Rock Playhouse. It was that combination - nearby hiking trails and the Playhouse - that ultimately led Bill to move to Flat Rock almost 20 years ago.

The move also led to his encounter with the long-deceased Roger Richardson Hill.

Bill fell into a schedule of two long hikes per week- often in Pisgah National Park - of approximately 10-12 miles each. His goal was 1000 miles of hiking per year. On his “off” days, he would venture to Carl Sandburg National Historic Site to dot an “easy” 4-mile loop to the top of Glassy Mountain - and the location of Hill’s tomb.

The mausoleum is no longer readily visible from the trail, as trees and shrubs have grown up around the structure and obscured it from view. But there is still a short spur trail of about 50 yards that leads you into the woods to the hidden granite wonder.

Bill doesn’t recall when he first saw the mausoleum. “I don't remember. It's been so long, you know, and I’m old. 83. I don't keep all that stuff in my mind,” he says with a smile.

Fascinated to find the mysterious structure in such an out of the way location, Bill eventually took it upon himself to become Flat Rock’s unofficial Hill Mausoleum Tour Guide and Historian.

Today, Bill hikes to the top of Glassy six days a week - and your author can tell you from personal experience that Bill still ascends Glassy Mountain at a very impressive pace. Once he reaches the summit, Bill is not shy about asking people to follow him down the unmarked trail to see the tomb hidden in the woods. “People don't realize this place is here, so when I'm up here I’m looking for people to bring back here. It’s an interesting story. I think people should know about it.”

Once visitors get to the mausoleum, Bill has them peer through the wrought iron fence that surrounds the mausoleum to see how well they can read the weathered bronze plaque on the front of the structure. “Most people get an A-minus or a B plus,” he laughs. “But I never give anyone a grade lower than a C.”

As you might imagine, unsuspecting hikers are invariably surprised when an 83-year-old man walks up and asks them to follow him down a trail they didn’t realize was there. But more often than not they go, and they join an ever-growing legion of hikers and tourists who know the story of Roger Richardson Hill. When asked if people ever decline his offer to see the tomb, Bill exclaims, “All the time!”

Today, thanks to Bill Beck, his hiking prowess, and his love of a good story, Roger Hill’s life is retold almost every day to hikers on Glassy Mountain.

Like Roger Richardson Hill before him, Bill Beck considers the top of Glassy Mountain to be sacred ground. - with a life story that should never be forgotten.

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To get to the mausoleum, hike to the crest of Big Glassy Trail at Carl Sandburg any day except Thursday around 1:15 to 1:30 pm. Then look for the very spry octogenarian pointing down a hidden path and asking you to follow him.

The detour will be well worth your time.