Often when we think of a unique mountain in our region, we automatically think of Pilot Mountain. However, rising above the treetops along the border of Alleghany and Wilkes counties is another mountain unlike any other in the area. A 25-mile long monadnock — an isolated hill, ridge, or erosion-resistant rock that stands in a level area of terrain — of granite, it is known as Stone Mountain and is located in Stone Mountain State Park in Roaring Gap.
An isolated mountainous area with bountiful natural resources, it is home to the Eastern Continental Divide. The first people in the area were the Cherokee and Shawnee, but the Great Wagon Road brought settlers of various European descent — English, German, Irish, French and Scotch-Irish — into the area during the late 1700s.
Alleghany County emerged from Ashe County in 1859 by an act of the North Carolina legislature. Within the county are seven townships and eight unincorporated communities with Sparta as the county seat. With the creation of the Blue Ridge Parkway in the 1930s and the creation of paved roads, ease of travel to the county increased.
The natural beauty of the area made it a vacation destination. The unincorporated community of Roaring Gap was established in 1890 as a summer resort with the help of the Chatham family, of the Chatham Manufacturing Company.
Occupying more than 14,100 acres, Stone Mountain State Park has something to offer for all. The defining feature of the park today is the mountain itself. Rising 600 feet above the valley floor is the light gray granite dome. Created millions of years ago from molten magma, over time wind, water, and other forces eroded the overlying rock and exposed the outcrop we see today.
There are camp sites, nine trails for hiking and two for horseback riding, waterfalls, fishing, picnicking, and rock climbing. Ecologically diverse, various species of trees, birds, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals live there.
There are also exhibits and historic sites. Sitting in the shadow of the mountain and built in the mid-1800s is the Hutchinson Homestead. Complete with a log cabin, barn, blacksmith shop, corncrib, and meat house, visitors can learn about the life and work of the settlers of the area. The homestead was restored in 1998 and has original furnishings.
When the area around Stone Mountain was first settled, there were more than 60 homesteads. Due to the isolated nature of the area, farmers were self-sufficient. However, as more settlers arrived, a community developed and by the mid-1800s schools, churches, and a post office had been established. The Garden Creek Baptist Church was established in 1897 and is one of the few original churches that hasn’t undergone major repairs or remodeling in the area.
In the 1960s, local citizens began efforts to establish a state park to protect the Stone Mountain area for future generations. They approached the North Carolina Granite Corporation, which owned a substantial portion of the area needed for the park, and the company donated the 418.50 acres that included the Stone Mountain to be used for the park. That land was in turn used as a match for federal grants from the Land and Water Conservation Fundand the Appalachian Regional Commission to fund the purchase of additional land from the Corporation.
Stone Mountain State Park was established in 1969 and in 1974 it was designated a National Natural Landmark, one of 13 in North Carolina. The National Natural Landmarks Program is administered by the National Park Service and sites are designated by the Secretary of the Interior. To be named, sites must contain examples of the nation’s outstanding biological and geological features. We are so fortunate to live in such a beautiful, ecologically diverse historic area.
Justyn Kissam is the director of learning at Kaleideum in Winston-Salem.
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com