Fort Mountain State Park

Location = Fort Mountain Park. 181 Fort Mountain Park Rd, Chatsworth GA. Open daily, $5 parking fee. Permits are required for horses & backcountry trails. Pick up a trail map at the entrance booth. The trails are coded: Biking=27 miles of trails. Hiking=25 miles. Horse: 25+ miles.

Fort Mountain Park has several pullouts as you're driving up the mountain so you can soak in the vast expanse of views. They are breathtaking. Best time is very late spring thru fall. Chatsworth Georgia was established in 1905 and is still a small town of less than 5,000 residents. It sits at 750 feet elevation on the eastern side of Fort Mountain which reaches at 2,840 feet elevation. Fort Mountain makes up the southern end of the Appalachian Mountains.

Chatsworth & Fort Mountain are perfect for a 1 day get-a-way. Spend 2-3 days and add these historical sites. Start with the last section in Dalton.

See my Blog: 1800's Shocking Practices, GA

Stone Wall Trail

From the entrance, continue up Fort Mountain Park Rd, which turns into Old Fort Rd and ends at the parking lot with restrooms. FYI: Fort Mountain Park's trail map is a little confusing in this area.

We hiked our way around in a loop: Up W. Overlook, go left down to the Overlook platform & back and continue up the 2nd stairway....halfway to heaven! On the trail, go right to the Tower & back. Next go right on N. Stone Tower Trail downhill, right on Stone Wall uphill, left on Stone Tower downhill. Near the end: go right, then left to the parking lot.

Don't forget to keep a moon-eye out for the stone wall. In some places, the wall has tumbled into piles of stone. The mystery of Fort Mountain's Stone Wall lies in who built it and what it was used for. Was it the Moon eyed people using it for sacrifices or religious ceremony? Find out below.

Lookout Tower

During the Depression (1929-1941), the Civilian Conservation Corps made up of teens & young men, built this 4 story tower. It's purpose was to help Rangers see fires up to 40 miles away. But there's a romantical twist - Arnold was a young stone mason who missed his girlfriend terribly.

So he carved a heart into one of the stones by a window. * Win a prize: Be the first to email a photo of the heart & surrounding tower.

The mountain got it's name from the ancient stone wall that's 855 feet long. It zigzags around the top of the mountain, and varies in height from 2-6 feet tall. Historians say the original height was taller than 6 feet, and archaeologists calculate it was built sometime between 500-1500 A.D.

Here's where it gets interesting. Cherokee lore states it was built by the Moon Eyed People - a race with light skin and eyes suited for night vision. Other reports claim they had blue eyes & beards, with eyes sensitive to sunlight so they only ventured out under the moon's light.

There's also mention of the moon eyed people by early European settlers. The Cherokee might have invented the story to scare outsiders off their mountain. There you go.....mystery solved. Or maybe not!

The most common theories suggest it was built by Native Americans around the 6th century for religious ceremonies. Not sure what an 855 foot long wall would provide for religious ceremonies.

Usually ceremonies & sacrifices would be held in a particular sacred place. The 2 photos blow show part of the wall.

To this day, archaeologists & historians have not cracked the mystery of the stone wall. Did the Moon Eyed People build it? And what was it used for? Got a theory? I'd love to hear what you think.

The most common theories suggest it was built by Native Americans around the 6th century for religious ceremonies.

Not sure what an 855 foot long wall would provide for religious ceremonies. Usually ceremonies & sacrifices would be held in a particular sacred place.

The photo below shows part of the wall. To this day, archaeologists & historians have not cracked the mystery of the stone wall.

Did the Moon Eyed People build it? And what was it used for? Got a theory? I'd love to hear what you think.

Lake at Fort Mountain Park

Location = no address. From the highway, left on Fort Mountain Park Rd, and left at the road split to parking on the left.

There's a nice trail around the lake which connects to Goldmine Creek Trail. Pick out a rental for some fun water sports. Or, just enjoy swimming in the warm waters, fishing, or seasonal miniature golf.

If you hiked the trail up to the Lookout Tower (above), there's a gold mine that's gated closed further north of the Tower. Or, check out the mines near the lake, but we haven't been.

More Fun Things to Do

• Fort Mountain Stables - bring your horses, see Park rules for horse trails which include waterfalls & old mines.

• Tubing on the Cartecay River - in Elijay, tube rentals & transport. The mountain cool waters feel awesome on hot days.

• 2 golf courses - the outskirts of Chatsworth.

• Georgia State Parks.org - lists the events scheduled within State Parks.

Location = Chief Vann Home. 82 GA-225, Chatsworth GA. Open Thu-Sun by guided tour Entry fee is cheap.

James Vann was born in 1768 to a Scottish fur trader & Cherokee mother. By the age of 32, Chief Vann was one of the wealthiest men of the Cherokee Nation. A missionary's diary said in 1802 that Chief Vann sold 500 raccoon skins and 4,500 pounds of deerskins. 4,500 pounds? I had to look that up. Google says 1 deerskin weighs about 2.5 pounds - that means he killed 1,800 deer? How is that possible?

Chief Vann was also involved with grist mills (grinds grain into flour or meal like cornmeal), saw mills, taverns, ferries, and farms. Question: did this guy ever sleep? His fur trade business alone would have been a full time job. Vann was known to be both friendly AND violent. That makes sense....super cranky from lack of sleep.

The Chief was pretty angry at his brother-in-law because in 1808 - he shot him. Per tribal law, Cherokee relatives had to kill the Chief Vann within one year's time. His estate went to his favorite son Joseph - who was not the first born. By 1834, the Vann's wealth was large enough to attract a few greedy characters. It wasn't long before a bloody battle erupted over ownership. Joseph was forced out & had to flee the area.

Chief Vann Historic Home

FYI: this is one of the best historic homes we've seen, with an impressive museum & exhibits. Looking at the photos on the wall did make me a little sad, and glad that we don't have to live the life of hard labor with very few comforts & no vacations.

James Vann finished his home in 1804. The exterior walls were 18 inches of solid brick, with 8 inch walls on the interior. The 3rd floor is a bit odd and considered to be "1/2" a floor. It stands 6 feet high while the first 2 floors are 12 feet high. It also has "floating" staircase, anchored only by the wall - which in those times was an engineering marvel. Due to the homes age, a support beam was added to the corner of the stairs.

The 800 acre property was modeled after a Cherokee farmstead. The inside colors - red, blue, green, and yellow were popular colors during the 1800's, however, Vann used all 4 colors which was unique at the time. Most homes used only one color per room. Chief Vann stored his barrels of Bourbon Whiskey, with his own stamp, in the basement cellar. Dang.... that's like enough whiskey for a ka-zillion nightcaps!

Pssst.....

How come she gets to stand in a cabin doorway and I have to stand in the toilet? Doesn't she know I'm the boss???

Chieff Vann Museum

The plantation's original buildings included: a separate building for the kitchen which was custom in that time, a blacksmith shop, 6 barns, a trading post, 42 slave cabins, 5 smokehouses, a whiskey still, and over 1,000 fruit trees.

The small museum building and the exhibits inside the kitchen & workhouse are full of historical artifacts, and portraits that say more than a 1,000 words.

There's also several life-size figures of people that lived & worked on the plantation, along with part of their story.

Vacation Travel Tips

• Average temps high/low = Summer 90/66 degrees F. Winter 51/28. GA ranks 5th in humidity & 7th for hurricanes. Winters are short & summers long. Tornado season is Mar-May. Expect snow in mountain regions.

• Backpack essentials - water, bug spray, sunscreen, whistle, flashlight, cell phone, pocket knife, and a light jacket.

• Winter Essentials - thermal blanket, waterproof boots, and warm clothing.

• Hiking conditions - trails can be wet & slippery after summer rains. Prepare for snow in higher elevations.

• Vehicle safety – Keep a spare blanket, boots, jacket, gloves, and snacks in the car. Winter roads can be icy & covered in snow - use “winter” tires. If you only have "all season" tires, take snow chains.

• Wild animals - black bears are becoming bolder in parks/campsite areas mostly due to food. Coyotes, cougar, bobcat are also present.

• Trash - Pack out what you pack in.

• Rivers/lakes – river shoes are helpful. Heavy winter rains means deep, ice-cold & fast moving water.

• Poison oak - always know before you touch. 3 leaflets per stem, with slightly rounded tip. Poison ivy has the pointy leaf-tips.

• Snakes - there are 6 poisonous types - on land, water & in trees. They generally prefer to avoid humans & biting usually to avoid harm.

• Wilderness areas – take a buddy & tell someone your travel plans.

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