View of beautiful Lake Lure, near Chimney Rock.
How Chimney Rock
Was Developed
It has been only during compara¬
tively recent years that this well-
known and popular scenic attrac¬
tion has been accessible to the
public.
By WILLIAM A. ALLII AMIS
MOST of the people who have
visited Chimney Rock in
western North Carolina for
the first time have doubtless won¬
dered how the stairway was built
to the top of this rock. They have
also probably asked themselves
the question: Who made the initial
ascent to the summit of this famous
monolith and viewed for the first
time the picturesque valley below'?
Little has been told concerning
the history of this odd w-ork of
Nature, but records reveal that the
property was purchased from a
speculating company late in the
nineteenth century by Jerome B.
Freeman. At that date, Mr. Free¬
man realized the value of the rock
as a scenic attraction, but this fore¬
sight was not shared by his friends.
He was laughed at and ridiculed
for buying a pile of stone. How¬
ever, he paid little attention to this
criticism and ridicule, but began
immediately to develop the prop¬
erty. At that time there was no
road up the mountainside and.
after a considerable amount of
hard w'ork. a foot-trail was built
from the village in the valley to
the base of the rock. When this
w'as finished, the oumer of the
property made plans to construct
a stairway to the top of the chim¬
ney.
A Hazardous Task
A man named “Watt” Foster was
selected to accomplish this rather
hazardous task. Foster was an
able carpenter and a builder of
rustic furniture, some of which is
still in use in homes throughout
the mountains.
Mr. Foster's first opinion was
that such a stairw'ay could not be
built, but after considering the
problem for some time, he agreed
to try it for a dollar a day and his
board.
The job w'as not a particularly
inviting one. for all of the lumber
needed for the venture had to be
laboriously carried up the steep
mountainside. After this was ac¬
complished. a log. which served as
a sill, was placed from the ground
to the top of the rock. A large
locust log was secured for this pur¬
pose from the top of Chimney Rock
Mountain and thrown off in such
a manner that it landed in a crevice
in the rock. When it was at last in
place in the crevice, Mr. Foster .
“cooned" the log to fasten it to the
rock. He then walked or crawled
across this log to the summit of the
chimney and became the first man
to gaze upon the unusual panorama
from this point.
Afterward. Mr. Foster built the
stairway to the chimney top and
secured a chain around the rim of
the rock, as a protection for those
who might venture too close to the
edge.
Hickory Nut Falls
Another attraction associated
with Chimney Rock is Hickory Nut
Falls, which dashes down to the
floor of the valley from a heighth
of 400 feet. These two points of
interest are connected by a narrow
trail, known as the "Appian Way.”
Mr. Freeman, who w'as somewhat
of a scholar, selected the name from
the pages of Roman history. The
making of the trail across the face
of Chimney Rock Mountain was
also a hazardous task. In some
places it was carved into the solid
rock and at the narrow points,
chains were fastened to the edge
of the precipice, to protect those
who ventured along the route.
When Mr. Freeman’s Chimney
Rock venture finally became a re¬
ality, he celebrated the comple¬
tion of the project by holding a
picnic near the rock. This event
was attended by about 75 people,
and marked the opening of Chim¬
ney Rock as a scenic attraction.
The Morse brothers, of St.
Louis, visited western North Caro¬
lina in 1902. They were impressed
by the possibilities of Chimney
Rock and purchased it from Mr.
Freeman. Work was begun on a
graded toll road up the moun¬
tainside in 1915.
At the celebration held on In¬
dependence Day 1916, marking the
completion of the road. “Watt"
Foster, the first man to reach the
top of Chimney Rock, stood once
again on the summit of the rock
as “The Stars and Stripes" were
raised above it.
Since that time over half a mil¬
lion people have visited this wide¬
ly known western North Carolina
point of interest, and it continues
to attract thousands of visitors
every year.
Even as far back as 1872, this
region was recognized for its scenic
(Continued on page 24)
u
THE STATE. October 6. 1943
