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| Seperate But Equal? |
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| click to enlarge |
Thursday, 10/5/2006 @ 9:31 am
A BLACK MAN is the only inscription on the
tombstone in front of me. I'm walking thru the Higdon Cemetery just about 1/4 mile off of Jenkins Ridge
Trail along Sugar Fork Branch--about two miles from where I'd been camping along Hazel Creek at Bone Valley campsite.
Separate But Equal is how I'd describe the placement of this gravesite among the twenty-one others in this cemetery;
it is placed all by itself in a far corner of the cemetery and contrary to religious tradition of those days, this gravesite
faces North instead of East (the traditional alignment).
Note: My research following this hike revealed that this man died in 1919. He was an elder from
the North Proctor black community and had been helping care for sick people (white & black) during the infamous outbreak
of influenza during this time period. Apparently he fell ill himself and died. I've been unable to locate
his name. An excellent source of information on historic cemeteries of the Smokies is On the Hallowed Hill: An Analysis of Historic Cemeteries within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, a masters thesis by Jacqueline A. Lott submitted to the University of Tennessee in August 2000. Be aware before you click that this thesis is a 124 page document.
Go to page 117 of this document to see a map of the grave locations for the Higdon cemetery.
I've made this slight detour up Sugar Fork so as to check
out the Higdon cemetery. I had to see for myself the gravesite described above and the detour was certainly worth
the extra effort. During my hike down Jenkins Ridge trail on 9/8/06 I'd passed-by the side trail leading up the hill
to this cemetery and had made myself a promise to come back for a visit when I could. The active period
for the nearby community of Medlin was from sometime before 1887 thru 1945. Just on up the trail on a tributary
named the Little Fork of Sugar Fork Branch of Hazel Creek (whew!) is where Horace Kephart (1862-1931) first
set-up house in an area that was to become part of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. A former residence of an
area blacksmith, a 14' x 14' log cabin became Kephart's solitary abode for about three and one-half years, starting in 1904. Sometime in 1908,
just after Kephart moved to Bryson City, NC, logging operations began in earnest in this area. Some years later Kephart wrote:
"Not long ago I went to that same place again. It was wrecked, ruined, desecrated, turned into a thousand rubbish
heaps, utterly vile and mean." Today the forest has recovered nicely from the havoc wrecked here by the lumber companies.
Two old copper mines are also located nearby but I haven't made time in my schedule to explore
these areas today. There will always another hike in my future for exploration of areas like these and perhaps I'll
revisit this area when the foliage has dropped so that I can more easily spot some of these old ruins. Searching for
these old ruins and the associated research required prior to setting out to locate them have proven to be an endless source
of pleasure for me and my frequent hiking companion, Janice.
I make my way back down to Hazel Creek trail and resume my journey toward Proctor. This is the same route I'd walked
back in early September and aside from the lovely presence of vigorous Hazel Creek it appears unremarkable between Sugar
Fork Branch (Medlin) and the ruins of Proctor. Wildflowers are gone now and aside from three deer spotted on the trail
in the North Proctor area there isn't much to report.
| Log Pond Valve House |
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| click photo to enlarge |
It is a valve house. That is the name given for the
old concrete structure that one first encounters in the old community of Proctor when hiking north to south along Hazel Creek
trail. One can clearly see the empty earthen basin that served as a mill pond for the W.M. Ritter Lumber Company operations.
The old valve house contained machinery to control the level of water in the mill pond. Behind the mill
pond about 150 yards from the trail can be seen the towering brick-walled remains of the old lumber mill and dry kiln. Here and there are rusting remnants of old automobiles and various implements used by the lumber company. Old
terraces and foundations plus some smaller concrete structures hide behind the mill ruins in the head-high undergrowth of
vegetation. From these ruins I spot another group of hikers heading up Hazel Creek trail; they are oblivious to the
ruins where I'm standing and don't even glance in this direction--truly a loss for them to miss such important part of
the history of this area.
Background about Proctor: In its heyday in the 1920s, Proctor
was a bustling town of over 1,000, and included a depot, community building and theatre, store, commissary, cake and ice cream
shop, church, school club house, boarding house, and photo shop in addition to lumber company offices and numerous houses
arranged along Calico and Struttin’ streets. Electric power was provided by a steam generator at the band mill. A ball
field was located in the floodplain near the present site of the Proctor Campground, adjacent to the switching yard. Another
complex of structures was located at Franklintown, near the mouth of Possum Hollow. Upstream, the mill complex included dry
kilns and numerous ancillary structures in addition to the band mill. Further upstream was North Proctor, a small community
that was largely occupied by African-Americans. (Excerpted from North Shore Road Cultural Resources Existing Conditions Report. January 2004.
| Al at End of Hazel Creek Trail |
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| click to enlarge |
I pass more inbound hikers complete with towering backpacks. They seem in a hurry and uninterested
in pausing for conversation. Perhaps their haste stems from the excessive load of their backpacks or fear that someone
will beat them to the best trout fishing area. They should have rented two-wheeled trailers to tote all that stuff.
Exploration of the 180 grave Proctor and 17 grave Bradshaw cemeteries is going to have to wait for another
visit. Moses Proctor (1794-1864) and his wife Patience (1801-1870) are buried in the Proctor cemetery.
Just when Moses, wife and son arrived here from Cades Cove is not evident but they were recorded as the only three
settlers on Hazel Creek by the 1830 census. Considering that Moses had already become well-known enough to attract a
census taker to count just three people this far Back of Beyond in 1830, there may be some truth to reports
I've read that the real attraction was his legendary homemade brandy.
| Calhoun House Opposite Hazel Creek |
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| click photo to enlarge |
Within sight of the Calhoun House where I'd enjoyed my hiker's lunch nearly a month ago, I reach the end of Hazel Creek trail and turn down the spur trail that
leads to the boat landing area on Fontana Lake at the mouth of Hazel Creek. Calhoun House, built in 1928, appears
lived-in from my vantage point across the creek but it has been vacant since at least 1944 when TVA started
filling Fontana Lake.
Around 1:15 pm a pontoon boat from Fontana Resort rounds the bend and I can see almost immediately that my best friend
Janice has charmed her way on board. We each threaten one another with loaded cameras while Bryan maneuvers the boat close
enough to the shore for me to step aboard. Thirty minutes later we are docking at the Fontana Marina where Janice
had parked the car. After a sharing a sip from our traditional celebratory cold beverage I settle into the passenger
seat for a chauffeured ride back home and the joy of a hot water shower.
End note: My friend Janice H. invited me to join her Sunday 10/8/06 to participate
in a visit to the upper reaches of Hazel Creek trail for purposes of visiting and decorating old family gravesites.
Sunday morning around 8:45 am we arrived at Fontana Marina and were soon joined by more than 60 people representing family
and friends on this all-day trip across Fontana Lake and up the trail. Most people went as
far north as the Wyke cemetery located near the confluence of Proctor and Hazel Creeks--nearly 10 miles north of the boat
landing area. Assisting with logistics for this visit were members of the Northshore Cemetery Association and the National
Park Service without whose efforts this visit would have been nearly impossible for many of the older visitors. Presently
the park service aids family members with cemetery visits to the Northshore area approximately two scheduled visits monthly
from April thru October of each year. Each visit focuses on a different region or group of cemeteries along the
North Shore area of Fontana Lake.
Recommended Reading and Bibliography
Typically I don't include a bibliography with my informal hike journals
but because so much of information for the Hazel Creek Trail hike was derived from outside sources I felt it proper to acknowledge
them. I think that readers interested in learning more about this area of the Smokies will find the following materials most
fascinating.
Books
Great Smoky Mountains Association. Hiking Trails of the Smokies, Third Edition. Gatlinburg:
Great Smoky Mountains Association. 2003. This is the "little brown book" most hikers use as a planning reference for
hikes in the Smokies. Available at local bookstores and in local libraries.
Kephart, Horace. Our Southern Highlanders. Knoxville: The University of Tennessee
Press. 1976. Available at local bookstores, online and in local libraries. A true classic originally published
in 1913.
Murlless, Dick and Stallings, Constance. Hiker's Guide to the Smokies. San Francisco:
Sierra Club Books. 1973. No longer in print. Snag one if you can find it!
Oliver, Duane. Hazel Creek From Then Till Now (1989). I agree with another writer
that this book is the "gold standard" for historical events related to Hazel Creek. You may order a copy of Duane's
excellent book directly from the author by sending $12 to: Duane Oliver, 558 Westwood Circle, Hazelwood, NC 28786-1991.
This is possibly the best value on a history book you'll ever find. You can peruse this book at local libraries (in
their non-circulating reference sections).
Wise, Kenneth. Hiking Trails of the Great Smoky Mountains. Knoxville: The University
of Tennessee Press. 1996. Available at local bookstores and in local libraries (for checkout).
Articles & Reports
Ellison, George. Various articles found in archives of The Smoky Mountain News, Waynesville, NC and The Citizen-Times, Asheville, NC. George lives with his wife Elizabeth near Bryson City, NC and continues to write and lecture.
They have recently published two books titled Mountain Passages (2005) and Blue Ridge Nature Journal (2006)
which I believe are currently available from local bookstores and online. If you've not read any writings by George
then you are missing out on a most enjoyable experience.
Lott, Jacqueline A. On the Hallowed Hill: An Analysis of Historic Cemeteries within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, A Masters Thesis Submitted to the University of Tennessee August 2000.
National Park Service. North Shore Road Draft Environmental Impact Statement. November 2005.
National Park Service. North Shore Road Cultural Resources Existing Conditions Report. January 2004.
The above link has links to other pages & documents, including the cemetery visit schedule.
This link is a multiple page document which includes an alphabetical listing of cemeteries and somewhat
detailed walking directions to each.
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