George Willis Pack was neither born in Asheville (he was born on June 6, 1831, in Peterboro, New York) nor died here (he passed away on August 31, 1906, in Southampton, New York). The Packs arrived in 1884 for the same reasons many people relocate here today: to enjoy Asheville’s healthy life style. Mrs. Francis Pack was suffering from respiratory problems and had heard about Asheville’s many fine doctors who operated sanatoriums, which specialized in caring for those with tuberculosis.

Just four years prior to the Packs’ arrival in Asheville, the city had gotten a rail line which made it more accessible. Experiencing immense growth (the population grew from 2,610 in 1880 to 10,237 in 1890), the city was struggling to keep up with the rapid expansion. Water and sewer services were either nonexistent or at capacity. Real estate was often changing hands three times in one day.

Pack was a civic-minded man who encouraged modernization wherever he lived. In Asheville, he was instrumental in the installation of electricity in the town square, paving the streets, constructing more side- walks for pedestrians, and expanding the library and giving it a permanent location on Court House Square (later Pack Square), and he funded the salary of a teacher for the free kindergarten. Outspoken, Pack also believed Asheville would benefit from encouraging more indoor plumbing. When he first arrived here, the hotel where he stayed installed its first bathroom just for him.

A generous man, he donated funds to support and build the Swannanoa Hunt Club which later became the Country Club and eventually the Grove Park Inn club. Pack also donated land to the city for two parks: Aston Park and Montford Park. This was a time when there were only a handful of parks in the city.

Pack took over the development of the Montford neighborhood when lots were not selling and spearheaded the sale of building sites there. We know that part of the reason he donated Montford Park was to promote the sale of lots as people rode the trolley to the park and passed his properties! Pack was a smart and giving businessman whose name is oft repeated today when we refer to Pack Place, Pack Square, and Pack library.

Sharon Fahrer is a local historian and resident of the Montford neighborhood. She leads historic walking tours downtown and in Montford.
(George Willis Pack - Photo courtesy of NC Collection, Pack Memorial Public Library)