“To forget one’s ancestors is to be a brook without a source, a tree without roots.” – Chinese Proverb
Here in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and atop its lofty hills we, as the mountains caretakers, value history. Each generation is steeped in the tradition, tragedy, hard work, and love that was taken to create a life within its shadows. Each holler, hill, stream, and rock formation echo with the lives lived before us by our ancestors and theirs. Remembering this history is of the utmost importance. The Rock Castle Community is one of those important places.
Somewhere between the Blue Ridge Mountains and Bull Mountain lies the remnants of a once thriving community.
The Rock Castle creek, Bear/Bare rocks, and abundance of virgin forests thrived for many years prior to being given the name Rock Castle. This area which was fed by the Smith River served as a hunting and foraging ground to Native American groups, such as the Tutelo tribes and potentially the Sauras from our very own Surry County.
Artifacts are found occasionally that mark the area with Native American activity. Some say the large and unique clear quartz rocks that were found along the creek were viewed as sacred to many Native tribes, being preserved for ritual needs.
It would be these very rocks that gave the community its name. The crystals looked like the castles of the old country, giving fond memories to incoming settlers. Many settlers traveled to the Blue Ridge via the Great Wagon Road; others came from eastern ports.
The creek and once fertile lands had much to offer to weary and wondering travelers. The spring offered fresh drinking and cooking water, the hardwoods yielded to become cabins and barns. The American Chestnut trees offered sturdy wood as well, but more importantly the much-coveted chestnuts.
Michael Ryan wrote in his book, Life in Rock Castle, Virginia, that chestnuts around the 1800s comprised about 40% of the forest in Rock Castle. Once ripe, the fallen chestnuts would cover the forest floor. Children would wake up early to gather up the nuts to eat and barter with. The forest’s wild razorback hogs would gorge themselves on the chestnuts in the fall, soon to be gathered and shorted to sustain the community. Each house would mark hogs by making a specific slit in their ear.
The community and its more than 35 families grew, built, foraged, or traded to get what they needed to sustain life. These self-sufficient people worked hard from dawn till dusk carving out a life from the mountain. Many families planted apple orchards along the steep cliffs, using sleds with chains to drag the fresh produce to the top. The DeHart family founded the DeHart Distillery in Patrick County, Virginia, in 1889. This allowed for the abundance of apples to be turned into brandy. It was also common for families in Rock Castle to have their own corn whiskey stills.
The small section of the Blue Ridge once boasted more than five mills, several general stores and eventually one home with electric lighting powered by an overshot waterwheel and generator. Children helped trap live game, fish, and gather chestnuts. The six-month school year, planned around the farm season, took place in a one room schoolhouse, established in 1880, with no support from the county or state. With the advent of radio, automobiles and more, Rock Castle would continue to thrive for a short period of time.
The disintegration of the community had many factors. The 1916 Virginia Prohibition Bill and the later nationwide prohibition halted “public” selling of brandy and whiskey. A short time after the “Endothis parasitica,” or Chestnut Blight claimed the area’s biggest resource, decimating the American Chestnut to extinction. When the Great Depression hit, the small rural community of Rock Castle was already critically injured. Young folk began leaving their farms in search of work, looking for renewed hope in other communities.
In 1933, President Roosevelt promised to change everything with The New Deal. The WPA (Works Progress Administration) and CCC (Civilian Conservation Corp) had many sites in Virginia, one of those was located inside Rock Castle. That same year a park-to-park road highway was approved, and the Blue Ridge Parkway began. Land within Rock Castle was purchased, with some happy neighbors and some not so much.
Today many descendants from Rock Castle are happy to see their ancestral homeland preserved and protected. The old pathway is now an accessible hike that follows much of the old roadbed were you might see chimneys, foundations, and an old moonshine car, if you know where to look.
Emily Morgan is the guest services manager at the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History. She and her family live in Westfield. She can be reached at eamorgan@northcarolinamuseum.org or by calling 336-786-4478 x229
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com
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