A Park for the People
Buccachio | 8 February 2007
One of the most iconic geological formations in North Carolina is Chimney Rock. Destination for 250,000 urban refugees each year, the Chimney Rock Park has offered a convenient location to hike, picnic, and enjoy the scenery since 1902. This 105-year period of operations was the brainchild of the Morse family, whose guiding spirit oversaw the growth of this spectacular natural monument to become a major regional attraction. Certainly, Chimney Rock could be described as a jewel in North Carolina’s Crown. Nevertheless, market forces and travel trends have been wearing on the family and their scenic property for years, and the Morse family was considering various options with hopes of finding “the best result for the land, the community, our associates, and our family.”
On 29 January 2007, Chimney Rock Company President Todd Morse announced in a press conference that “we have reached an agreement with the Division of State Parks to sell Chimney Rock Park to the people of the State of North Carolina.” Together with the neighboring World’s End property acquired in August 2005, Chimney Rock represents the majority of lands intended to form the future Hickory Nut Gorge State Park.
The transaction sees North Carolina purchase 996 acres of parkland for $24 million, following the World’s End acquisition of 1,568 acres at $16 million. The total $40 million investment is clearly a bargain for North Carolina, which is essentially paying $4.52 per capita to preserve this unique territory against development. Much credit is due the Nature Conservancy for orchestrating the groundbreaking public-private partnerships which resulted in this marvelous gesture toward the public interest.
Hickory Nut Gorge was formed as the Rocky Broad River carved its way through billions-year old rock along a ten-mile path, beginning along a high crest west of Gerton village and terminating eastward where Lake Lure spreads across the valley floor. These are truly ancient mountains, old African rock masquerading as American terrane. These mountain were formed when exotic pieces of foreign territory collided with the primeval North American craton during the Late Ordovecian Period, permanently closing the long-forgotten Iapetus Ocean.
Scenic Hickory Nut Falls enjoys a 404-foot vertical drop, one of the highest east of the Mississippi River. This location was chosen to host the climatic final scenes of Michael Mann’s Academy Award-winning The Last of the Mohicans (1992). From this point, the Rocky Broad River rambles past Gerton, a pastoral community centered around a post office and Nita’s Grocery, one of several mountain general stores that still sells Orange Crush.
William Mills, a survivor of the Revolutionary Battle of Kings Mountain, was among the first permanent (European-stock) settlers to behold the Hickory Nut Gorge. Mills proclaimed himself a Tory–a loyal supporter of the British forces crushed at Kings Mountain in 1780. After the battle he took refuge among the caves of Sugarloaf Mountain for months. Eventually he entered the Cherokee lands forbidden to White settlers by Crown law. Perhaps sensing that Washington’s Continental Army might win the war, Mills took the serious risk of settling uninvited within native territory. Mills found himself in a completely different situation seven years later, when the government of the early republic began issuing land grants to citizens of the young nation. Mills received a grant in 1787 which entitled him to settle and farm large areas of modern-day Henderson County. The view looking west toward Hickory Nut Falls still resembles the inviting valley that Mills must have beheld. His obituary in 1834 lauded him as the first White settler in Henderson Country, although many other records attest that he was merely among the first. Nevertheless, his impact on the area cannot be underestimated–He explored the many peaks and valleys, named Bear Wallow Mountain (which looms over Gerton) and Mills Gap, among other locations, and made his home among the fertile lands of Fruitland. The William Mills gravesite is located off Highway 64 and Mills Gap Road.
The Rocky Broad River passes through the towns of Bat Cave (sans Batmobile) and Chimney Rock before arriving at Lake Lure. The Lake and eponymous town were the brainchild of Dr. Lucius Morse, who financed the mountain resort personally on the original Chimney Rock property. He ordered a hydroelectric dam constructed across the Broad River in 1927, which created the crystal-blue lake. First powering the town, the dam eventually began selling excess wattage to Blue Ridge Power Company, a precursor of Duke Energy. The town of Lake Lure had just over 1,000 inhabitants in 2000, and is also known for the “bottomless Pools” attraction. It also furnished the setting for Hollowood productions Firestarter (1884) and Dirty Dancing (1987). Lake Lure and the other local towns are expected to benefit dramatically from the consolidation of new State Park lands.
The World’s Edge parcel extends south of Chimney Rock across the Blue Ridge Escarpment, a geological formation which forms the boundary between Mountains and foothills. Here, piedmont terrain, with an average altitude of about 700 feet, rises suddenly to heights exceeding 4,000 feet. The World’s Edge thus offers stunning overlooks of the North and South Carolina piedmont rolling away toward the coastal plain. Another feature of this region is the incredible biodiversity which will come under permanent protection by the State Park. The microenvironment is teeming with various migratory birds, endangered animals, indigenous invertebrates, rare plants, regional trees, and stunning waterfalls. But visitors will have to wait–the World’s Edge is currently closed pending State Park operations plans.
Governor Mike Easley recently explained that the new State Park was “a conservation success story for all North Carolinians.” Hickory Nut Gorge State Park is expected to open in 2008.