A Legacy Cultivated at Sandy Cove

In the 1930s and early ‘40s -- before Sandy Cove became the beloved year-round destination for families, churches, and those seeking spiritual renewal -- it served as the Sandy Cove Retreat for Professional Women, and a local man named Ralph Veasey was the lone male employee and trusted caretaker of the property. When Dr. George A. Palmer purchased Sandy Cove in 1946 with a vision for ministry, Ralph stayed on, helping lay the physical groundwork for what would become Sandy Cove Ministries.

What seemed like an ordinary role in an unremarkable time became the foundation of something extraordinary. Nearly 80 years later, Ralph Veasey’s son, Ralph Jr., still lives across from the Sandy Cove property, just behind the cottage where he grew up—and his memories paint a vivid picture of Sandy Cove’s early days.

“I think about my dad,” says Ralph Jr. “We used to rabbit hunt near The Marsh Day Camp. Dad loved trapping. He’d catch muskrats and sell the meat to folks who actually liked eating it. There were lots of perks to living and working here.”

As the grounds came alive each summer from Memorial Day to Labor Day, Ralph Sr. worked tirelessly grading roads, raising turkeys for meals, and tending a massive garden that helped feed the many guests with “...great food, and plenty of it.” Ralph Jr. remembers his father cultivating both the Sandy Cove garden and the family’s own—with a mule. “I’d ride the mule back when he finished,” he says.

From their front porch across from the Sandy Cove entrance, Ralph Jr. and his three sisters would count the cars and buses as they rolled in. His childhood was filled with adventure: Rachel Palmer bought him his first cowboy guns, and he’d crawl across the sawdust floor of Palmer Auditorium hunting for nickels and dimes—just enough for ice cream money.

“It was a great place to grow up,” Ralph Jr. says. He gave his life to Christ around a campfire at Camp Sandy Hill and later worked in the kitchen at Hilltop Ranch during junior high every weekend, earning $7.35. “I loved every minute of it,” he says.

At Sandy Hill, he sometimes shared his testimony over the radio and got to hear Dr. Palmer preach firsthand. It was Dr. Palmer who helped make a way for young Ralph to attend Philadelphia College of Bible, where he met his wife, Judy, before continuing his studies at King’s College. He went on to earn a master’s degree in administration, became a school principal, and still returns to Sandy Cove for events from time to time.

“I thank the Lord daily for the influence of Dr. Palmer and the people who shaped me—Mrs. Palmer, Paul, Bob, and Jack. They played a huge role in who I am today.”

Sandy Cove’s story is rooted in people like the Veaseys—ordinary men and women whose faithfulness helped build something lasting. What started as a job for a single caretaker became a front-row seat to God’s unfolding work. And through memories passed down, the legacy lives on—generation after generation—at a place where faith and family still find space to grow.

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