| You can walk through the tunnel but you want to take a flashlight. It is very dark inside and with water seeping through, it can be somewhat treacherous. |
| The Mountain This area lies adjacent to the Sumter National Forest. The original inhabitants, The Cherokees, called this region, just like that in the Nantahala Forest, the Land of Noonday Sun. That is a very appropriate name since the sun only reaches the floor of the valleys when directly overhead at midday. There is more than one theory of how Stumphouse Mountain got it's name. The one I choose to believe comes from the Cherokees, who saw a couple that lived in a stump over which they put a roof. The Cherokees called it stumphouse and the mountain has been called that ever since. |
| The History |
| STUMPHOUSE TUNNEL |
In the 1850s South Carolina was given a grant to build a railroad to connect the state to Tennessee. There was one major problem. Stumphouse Mountain lay right in the path of the proposed site. In order for the railroad to be constructed, they would have to blast through the mountain. The construction was going to be 5,863 feet through solid granite and was being constructed at a rate of about 90 feet per month. With the outbreak of the civil war, work was halted on the tunnel and it lay dormant for about 80 years. In 1940 a college professor at Clemson University decided to try storing and aging blue cheese in the tunnel. The temperature inside the tunnel is about 50 degrees and the humidity 85 percent year-round. The tunnel was eventually closed due to rock slides and the environment of the tunnel was duplicated at the Clemson University Agriculture Center and the cheese-making process was moved there. The tunnel was reopened in about 2000. Walhalla now operates the park. |
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| After the hike up to the tunnel I was ready to get into the cool atmosphere inside even if we didn't have a flashlight with us. We wanted to read the marker before entering but someone else was lingering over it, so we decided to read it later. If I had read it first, I might have taken a different view, but knowing me....nah probably not! |
"Be sure to
bring a
flashlight so you
can walk all the
way to the end."
bring a
flashlight so you
can walk all the
way to the end."
| "Once you pass the airshaft, look carefully for the hundreds of small brown bats clinging to the walls of the tunnel." |
| "Look but please don't touch or otherwise pester them." |
| Links |
| Click open any of the links below to find other interesting things about this article. |
Lost in Transylvania |
After a full day of driving and touring Issaqueena Falls and
Stumphouse Tunnel, Ron and I were getting a little hungry
but we figured we had time to check out one more falls in the
area before finding our lodging for the night and dinner. Big
mistake! From henceforth when the tummy rumbles it gets
fed first before any exploring.
We passed over beautiful Lake Keowee, which is one of the
cleanest lakes I have ever seen. This lake is huge, covering
about 18,500 acres of water and a 300-mile shoreline, located
in both Oconee and Pickens County. In one of the travel
brochures I had read a sunset sail on Lake Keowee is a perfect
ending to the day. We should have paid heed to that tip.
The ride up the mountain was awesome! It was beautiful! It
will be etched in my memory for a very long time.
Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures.
I was busy searching the map. The closest thing I can come
to figuring out exactly where we were is we were headed up
Sassafras Mountain. You can view some pictures at the link
above to get a general idea of the kind of terrain I am talking
about.
Around a sharp curve we came upon a sign that said
"Welcome to North Carolina" and that we were in
Transylvania County. Yep we had definitely gone too far!
There was nothing to do but press forward. Another curve
and another sign designated this spot as the Eastern
Continental Divide. Wow! I had always wondered about that.
We made our way into Brevard, North Carolina, where we
could connect with US 276. Brevard is like stepping back in
time. Quaint shops. Beautiful churches. Sidewalk cafes. Oh
how I wanted to stop there and just breathe....and eat! The
snacks I had picked up earlier just weren't cutting it. Ron
had a different agenda. He had Aunt Sue's on his mind
(which the helpful lady at the visitor center had told us not to
miss).
Stumphouse Tunnel, Ron and I were getting a little hungry
but we figured we had time to check out one more falls in the
area before finding our lodging for the night and dinner. Big
mistake! From henceforth when the tummy rumbles it gets
fed first before any exploring.
We passed over beautiful Lake Keowee, which is one of the
cleanest lakes I have ever seen. This lake is huge, covering
about 18,500 acres of water and a 300-mile shoreline, located
in both Oconee and Pickens County. In one of the travel
brochures I had read a sunset sail on Lake Keowee is a perfect
ending to the day. We should have paid heed to that tip.
The ride up the mountain was awesome! It was beautiful! It
will be etched in my memory for a very long time.
Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures.
I was busy searching the map. The closest thing I can come
to figuring out exactly where we were is we were headed up
Sassafras Mountain. You can view some pictures at the link
above to get a general idea of the kind of terrain I am talking
about.
Around a sharp curve we came upon a sign that said
"Welcome to North Carolina" and that we were in
Transylvania County. Yep we had definitely gone too far!
There was nothing to do but press forward. Another curve
and another sign designated this spot as the Eastern
Continental Divide. Wow! I had always wondered about that.
We made our way into Brevard, North Carolina, where we
could connect with US 276. Brevard is like stepping back in
time. Quaint shops. Beautiful churches. Sidewalk cafes. Oh
how I wanted to stop there and just breathe....and eat! The
snacks I had picked up earlier just weren't cutting it. Ron
had a different agenda. He had Aunt Sue's on his mind
(which the helpful lady at the visitor center had told us not to
miss).
There were so many falls listed in the brochures, it was
hard to make a decision but we chose the one with less
hiking, Twin Falls. Seemed simple enough. Off SR 11, go
north on US 178. From Pickens, go 12 miles, then L onto
Cleo Chapman Rd (S-100), 2 miles onto Eastafoe Rd (S-92, 1
mile R on Waterfalls Rd. Road ends at parking area. Hike
old roadbed 1/4 mile to waterfall.
We found US 178 with no problem. S-100 was a little more
difficult. Never found it! What the brochures failed to
mention is that the road turns L right in front of Bob's
Tavern, which I later learned from a sales clerk after making
it back to civilization. To be honest, I don't even remember
seeing Bob's Tavern. If I had, a cold beer would have really
hit the spot about then.
What we did find is that US 178 is a winding twisting road
that curves higher and higher up into the mountains like a
snake. At several points we could look back down and see
the part of the road we had just traveled. After we had
passed the 12 miles where the road was supposed to be,
we knew we had missed it, but this is a 2-lane road with no
guard rails and there is absolutely no place to turn around.
No scenic pull-offs, no homes with a driveway that is
accessible.
When we finally reached some semblance of a community,
Ron (who was driving and by this point was more than a bit
frazzled trying to maneuver the curvy road), pulled over to
scope out the map.
Neither of us wanted to backtrack down that winding road.
The trip down the mountain on US 276 was similarly
breathtaking but not quite as scary. The road at least has
guard rails. Once again, I didn't get any pictures (this time
due to a faulty camera). One area in particular I would have
loved to stop at is Caesar's Head, but with motorcycles
pushing and passing us, Ron we reluctant to put on the
brakes to make the stop. Seems this is a cyclist haven.
Even lots of mountain biking. Whoa! These people have a
lot more energy than I do.
hard to make a decision but we chose the one with less
hiking, Twin Falls. Seemed simple enough. Off SR 11, go
north on US 178. From Pickens, go 12 miles, then L onto
Cleo Chapman Rd (S-100), 2 miles onto Eastafoe Rd (S-92, 1
mile R on Waterfalls Rd. Road ends at parking area. Hike
old roadbed 1/4 mile to waterfall.
We found US 178 with no problem. S-100 was a little more
difficult. Never found it! What the brochures failed to
mention is that the road turns L right in front of Bob's
Tavern, which I later learned from a sales clerk after making
it back to civilization. To be honest, I don't even remember
seeing Bob's Tavern. If I had, a cold beer would have really
hit the spot about then.
What we did find is that US 178 is a winding twisting road
that curves higher and higher up into the mountains like a
snake. At several points we could look back down and see
the part of the road we had just traveled. After we had
passed the 12 miles where the road was supposed to be,
we knew we had missed it, but this is a 2-lane road with no
guard rails and there is absolutely no place to turn around.
No scenic pull-offs, no homes with a driveway that is
accessible.
When we finally reached some semblance of a community,
Ron (who was driving and by this point was more than a bit
frazzled trying to maneuver the curvy road), pulled over to
scope out the map.
Neither of us wanted to backtrack down that winding road.
The trip down the mountain on US 276 was similarly
breathtaking but not quite as scary. The road at least has
guard rails. Once again, I didn't get any pictures (this time
due to a faulty camera). One area in particular I would have
loved to stop at is Caesar's Head, but with motorcycles
pushing and passing us, Ron we reluctant to put on the
brakes to make the stop. Seems this is a cyclist haven.
Even lots of mountain biking. Whoa! These people have a
lot more energy than I do.
| Once we reached the bottom of the mountain, we found Aunt Sue's and were finally able to feed our growling tummies. We were so ready to relax, we really didn't mind that the food was only average and overpriced. |
| The entertainment on the front porch was great and they have an authentic ice cream parlor up front. Aunt Sue's place is sort of like a compound. Not only the restaurant, but lots of different shops to pick up souvenirs. My favorite was the candle shop! |
| They even have a real out house in back. Word of advice. Don't go in alone! I got locked in and had to beat on the door until somebody came along and unjammed it. |