It started with two words scribbled on a dusty 19th-century document: “servants’ house.”
That small clue set St. John in the Wilderness Episcopal Church on a path that would uncover long-forgotten structures, reconnect descendants with their ancestors and inspire a woodland trail system that honors the enslaved people who once lived and worked on the Flat Rock property.
The four trails, which officially opened in the woods surrounding the church in September, are a continuation of St. John’s long history of engaging nature as part of its identity, from its origins as a mountain retreat to programs such as Holy Hikes and outdoor camps…