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Stone Mountain, N.C. Park - History Hike    

4/16/2014

 
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What it must have been like as the first humans took in the view from Stone Mountain's 600 foot high granite dome? Perhaps, they were scouting out pre-historic game animals, or possibly, they were simply enthralled by the sheer beauty of it all... as we still are today.

Imagine the words of love spoken on the open granite mountain over the centuries? One can only wonder at the vows of love taken and made at the Stone Mountain State Park over the millennia.

It's that magnificent a place.

One would also think it became a special and revered spot for the later Amerindians over time. If we go forward some more to the 18th and 19th centuries, we would find Highland Scots, Scots-Irish, German, and some English and Irish  settlers coming down the Great Wagon Road to settle and farm in the area. Their lives were not an easy one in any respect for they lived by the ax and the plow and the gun.

 One story told over and over in these parts is that the first pioneers, traders and trappers, being rather bereft of European ladies, often took Cherokee wives as mates; hence the large number of present white folk who often claim at least a bit of Cherokee blood coursing through their veins.

What good is life without a least a little humor?

After the Eastern band of Cherokee acquired their popular Harrah's Cherokee Casino Resort, those claims of tribal blood increased considerably. Unsurprisingly, though, many Native American blood hopefuls' were found to have too little or any showing up in whatever tests were done to determine this. In addition, documentation could be scarce, and often was.

The park is some 13,747 acres, or, for the European readers and others on the metric system of Once Upon a History (nearly 56 m2) and is bordered on the west by the Thurmond Chatham Game Lands and on the north by the beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway.

Stone Mountain itself is not too far from the Virginia state line, and a report during a survey operation in the late 1720s or early 1730s, when the boundary between North Carolina and Virginia was being extended and marked,  had to be stopped in the summer months for the profusion of large timber rattlesnakes all about! What a truly wild country it was in those long ago days, and still is, in a sense, up until our very own time.

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The Dome Above the Hutchinson Homestead
Here is the path to the big granite dome. It's quite gravely so proper hiking boots are a must. Many also carry those stylish hiking poles. Below is a pioneer's chimney and hearth, or what's left of it. The mountain itself has an elevation of 2,305 feet (706 meters) and at one time had these hardy frontiersmen making their living here by hunting, trapping and farming, not to mention bartering on occasion with that powerful liquid stuff that came out of a moonshine still called corn likker. The Scotch-Irish have given the world many inventions over time, ranging from the scientific to the...well, potentially very intoxicating! They also largely settled and tamed, along with many German groups, the wilderness interior of the Eastern Seaboard in the 18th century.
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Old Pioneer's fireplace and hearthstone
This writer won't go through all the minutia about the place that can easily be found on wiki-answers, etc.: like activities, hours, directions, and so on; but a couple of things are of especial interest and will be mentioned here. Stone Mountain is a dome of uncovered granite of the Devonian age, spanning roughly from 419 to 359 million years ago. Imagine that while standing on it. Or just sitting down on a part of the lower dome contemplating as the lady here is doing.

The mountain also offers some of the best rock climbing in the state and while there I noticed quite a few loading up their gear. These rock climbers were impressive-looking types and have me beat by a mile for intense and sustained endurance, and I'll be the first to admit that fact - admiringly!

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The "other side" of Stone Mountain
The first picture in this gallery intuits a lot. This is the park's waterfall.. And, although the viewing area and walking steps are made of wooden rails, the water at two hundred feet, almost straight down, is more than a bit imposing and bewitching- definitely not a flow of water one would want to slip on. Actually, these photos look as if there are twigs and limbs that could be grabbed hold of should the need arise; but in reality there is very little of anything to clutch onto before going over the precipice. May those that have lost their lives here rest in peace.

There is even a serene- looking pool of water at the bottom amid the surrounding rocks.

Although tempting, this was near the end of the 5-hour hike and no way was I going all the long way up and down those steps to see it up close and wet my aching feet in its cooling waters. Perhaps in recompense, one of the largest red-tailed hawks I'd ever seen flew by very close before soaring off to another area of the parklands.


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I remembered once while visiting the park many years ago that there was a small church a-ways down the park road from the main hiking trails and parking lot. For readers of the recent story in Mists and Moonlight about the Hunger Games Village, they may remember me writing about how things can sometimes come together unexpectedly. This was to happen again with the hiking excursion to Stone Mountain.

The first thing was running into the church's landowners who were only there for a few minutes to tidy up and take down some decorations. The Garden Creek Baptist Church remained with the Brown family when the state purchased their property through eminent domain for the park. (The Brown's owned a goodly portion of its eastern parts.) Thanks to the U.S. law separating church and state, however, the family was allowed to keep their house of worship which was built in 1897 and has continued in use ever since.

The Brown's were kind enough to let me in for a look-see and some very interesting conservations and observations about the family themselves. There was the mother, her thirteen-old-son, and eight-year-old daughter present. What impressed me about the children is you could tell how they had been influenced by a respect for others and the work ethic of their fore-bearers. The family had been on or near the property for many, many, generations. And this family definitely did have some fine Cherokee blood in them.

It was a pleasure meeting them and being shown around the church and learning about the family's history.
Picture
Above is the reconstructed Hutchinson Homestead main house originally built before the Civil War. It is a great wonder to just walk around it and observe how these hardy pioneers lived their lives and how. During some months the house is open for walking through, but just traipsing around, examining the outside, is close to amazing to see when compared to how many of us live today.

As to the second unexpected thing happening on this trip, it came about like this: the walk to the homestead was the last thing done and on the way there, there was only one other person walking the trail along with me who turned out to be the sister of that day's forest ranger. We all had a great time talking and one thing the ranger told me was that recently for a study to see how the park's wild animals were interacting with the public, trail cams had been set up in a part of the park that sees few hikers or others. They were delighted to find animals such as bobcat, bear, coyote, deer, raccoons and other species were using the trails at night!

Other photos here show what I believe are the barn, blacksmith shop, and maybe corncrib and meat house. The place is indeed a remarkable look at how many of our American ancestors once lived. The middle picture shows the friendly and knowledgeable Park Ranger Pearson and her sister who were preparing a backwoods hike to check things out near closing time. They were both wonderful people.
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The Hutchinson Homestead up against the big granite dome.
And last but not least is the out-house at the farm(often called "the closet" or "bath with a path" in the old days ) plus a disappearing device (except for maybe places like New York City) know as a pay phone; the cells don't always work so well within the park -  and, in a way, thank goodness for that! 

 In conclusion this writer would like to thank all for taking this historical nature trip along with me through the majestic Stone Mountain State Park.

femmeflashpoint link
4/16/2014 03:39:31 am

It's a beautiful place, Alastar.

Excellent tour. :)

femme

alastar link
4/16/2014 09:12:53 am

Thanks, femme. Didn't y'all used to ridge run not to far away from here once, before Indiana? What's going on over at SyblingSynergy? You and Nee are publishing like on 'roids -jes kiddin' but it's a great thing to see!

Randy Godwin
4/16/2014 03:40:05 am

Wonderful article about 'another' Stone Mountain I wasn't previously aware of, Dane. Of course I'm very familiar with Georgia's granite dome of the same name, but didn't realize there was another such outcropping not far away. Great photos too! I wish I were able to hike the trails like I once did but my foot is still on the mend. Congrats on another interesting article my friend. :)

dane link
4/16/2014 09:19:22 am

So fine to see my Georgia bro comment! Yes, I wanted to make sure and get the NC in there lol. You have a far more famous one there in GA. I used to party on as a lad! No disrespect meant to Lee or Jackson of course. Randy, thank you, it's my fervent wish that that foot heals completely and one day you and Beth,and maybe me! can enjoy the wonders of the Stone Mt up this-a-ways.:)

Sannel link
4/16/2014 09:26:04 pm

It looks and sounds like a spectacular place, Alastar. Very peaceful, too. It must have been a great experience to hike there in the wilderness and know the history of the place. Just imagine how harsh and lonely life must have been back then. It's wonderful to see the church and farm houses so well kept and preserved. I can imagine how beautiful this trail must be in the fall with all the leaves shifting into autumn colors. ( Btw, you left out the 2 in m2.) Thank you, my friend for a most interesting read. The pictures are great! Especially the first one. . . ;-)
Sannel

alastar link
4/17/2014 10:40:38 am

You know Sannel at one time America proposed switching over to the metric but miles ,feet ,etc were apparently to ingrained over here lol' Oh how I would like to ramble a place like Stone Mt with my Swedish friend or even set foot on Swedish soil to do the same. Your so correct about the seasons especially drives like the Blue Ridge Parkway. Sannell, my good friend, you are a joy to known and I thank you a thousand times over for being who you are. Lets go waking in nature some day as the friends we are;-) Bless you.

alastar link
4/17/2014 10:40:50 am

You know Sannel at one time America proposed switching over to the metric but miles ,feet ,etc were apparently to ingrained over here lol' Oh how I would like to ramble a place like Stone Mt with my Swedish friend or even set foot on Swedish soil to do the same. Your so correct about the seasons especially drives like the Blue Ridge Parkway. Sannell, my good friend, you are a joy to known and I thank you a thousand times over for being who you are. Lets go waking in nature some day as the friends we are;-) Bless you.

alastar link
4/17/2014 10:41:39 am

You know Sannel at one time America proposed switching over to the metric but miles ,feet ,etc were apparently to ingrained over here lol' Oh how I would like to ramble a place like Stone Mt with my Swedish friend or even set foot on Swedish soil to do the same. Your so correct about the seasons especially drives like the Blue Ridge Parkway. Sannell, my good friend, you are a joy to known and I thank you a thousand times over for being who you are. Lets go waking in nature some day as the friends we are;-) Bless you dear lady..

Mike
4/19/2014 06:28:30 am

What an amazing spot, especially for a historian. It does not look like much has changed there over the course of a century. (Maybe the payphone, a relic in its own right.) Great way to spend a day and ingrain a sense of what our collective roots are all about.

alastar link
4/19/2014 01:12:07 pm

Hi there , Mike, and thank you. Your right, the park still retains a lot of that frontier vibe. The vistas from the granite parts make seem even more so. Happy Easter holiday to you and yours, and yes! That is a fast disappearing relic - the pay phone lol.

Phyllis Doyle Burns link
5/1/2014 04:13:27 pm

What a beautiful place. There is so much history there, Alastar, and you captured it very well in words and photos. Excellent work. You have a way of putting your reader right there and connecting to the past, at least that is how I feel when reading your articles on history. That old homestead is in great condition and I kept thinking how great it would be to live there. I guess I am just one who loves the simple life of days gone by. Wonderful article. Thank you for taking me through the area. BTW, that red-tailed hawk was watching out for you with the message to stay back from the falls. A red-tailed hawk always comes swooping near me when I need messages or answers to something. Again, thank you for a wonderful tour through history.

alastar link
5/2/2014 04:29:31 am

It is at that, Phyllis, hello and thanks! They say if you can talk you can write so...well, we'll leave it at that lol. Phyllis that home and farm was totally self-sufficient and you can't help but admire those folks. They certainly picked out a fantastic place today roots. How about that with the hawk you say! Thank you for telling that. Once when walking in the woods I came up on one on the ground stalking a rabbit. I spoiled the hunt for it and just before taking off it turned and gave me a most disgusted look that said "Thanks a lot buddy!"

Phyllis Doyle Burns link
5/2/2014 05:52:57 am

I can imagine the look that ol' hawk gave you, Dane. LOL, poor hawk, lucky rabbit. I agree, one has to admire those folks of long ago who lived so well off the land. Ahhh, to live like that would be heaven I think.

dane link
5/2/2014 10:41:10 am

It was sunrise to sunset work in general but your right, Phyllis, it definitely would have its advantages basically living in nature. And what a place to do it in around a huge dome hundreds of millions of years old!

Marjorie Smith Ward link
10/28/2015 11:43:55 am

i know the Sidden.....Sparks....Spicer...familys lived in the area....we actually got to see Stone Mountain when we went up there.....Granny Sara Sabrina Flynt is buried


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