Chimney ruins at Little Bearwallow Farm.
An old waterwheel near Bat Cave.
Hickory
Nut Gorge, a North Carolina historic site, has a fascinating past.
Cherokee Indians lived in these valleys for centuries before white settlers came. Many relics and arrowheads have been found at former villages and hunting grounds.
In the early 1800s, pioneers and settlers began moving into western North Carolina from the east. This natural 14-mile long cleft in the Blue Ridge Mountains up the Broad River and Hickory Nut Creek became the main passageway for travelers heading to Asheville.
In about 1815, the dirt road was improved and became Hickory Nut Gorge Turnpike. Also known as Drover’s Road, it was used by herders to get cattle, hogs, geese, turkeys, pigs and other animals to market to be sold or traded for goods or cash needed in outlying mountain communities. Hickory Nut Forest is located directly on this historic old route.
Throughout the early 1800s, numerous waterwheels and gristmills were built within the gorge for grinding grain and generating power. One of these waterwheels still exists in Bat Cave and stone ruins of another gristmill site can be seen on Little Bearwallow Farm in Gerton.
The climate is also excellent for apples and many orchards still operate just west of the gorge in Edneyville. The local Honey Bear Orchard offers organic apples in the fall.
Chimney ruins at Little Bearwallow Farm.
An old waterwheel near Bat Cave.
| DESIGN GUIDELINES . LINKS | ||
CONTACT .
Phone: 828-252-6258
|
HICKORY
NUT FOREST
|
Website
by PattenDesign .
November 25, 2006
|
