Can't Miss This!!

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Permalink Reply by Derek Cheek on September 1, 2009 at 1:13pm

Fields of the Wood
Hiwassee Dam
Ft. Butler
Junaluska's birthplace

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Permalink Reply by John Dilbeck on September 1, 2009 at 1:39pm

Good afternoon, Derek.

I've been living in Murphy a long time and I don't know where Junaluska's birthplace is. Sounds interesting.

All the best,

JD

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Permalink Reply by John Dilbeck on September 1, 2009 at 2:12pm

Good afternoon.

Donna, there is a website for Fields of the Wood that you may want to visit before your trip.

Both Fields of the Wood and Hiwassee Dam can be reached by going west of Murphy on the four-lane a few miles and then turning right on Hwy 294. It's a few miles out (I don't know how many), but there are signs that point the way.

What remains of Fort Butler is located near the pyramid across the river from the L&N depot. I think they now have a marker there, but I'm not positive. I haven't been there in awhile, and, with this reminder, I'm going to visit again this week.

Thanks, Derek!

All the best,

JD

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Permalink Reply by John Dilbeck on September 2, 2009 at 9:05am

Good morning,

Yesterday afternoon, I took a trip into Murphy to photograph the pyramid and Chief Junaluska monuments. I've added the photos this morning. I was going to go to the Ft. Butler location and get a photo of whatever is there, but I was having car troubles and decided not to do it. (It's a good thing, too, since my car later broke down. sigh.)

I've driven by the two Chief Junaluska monuments dozens (maybe hundreds) of times and never knew they were there, even though they are in plain site right next to the road.

Chief Junaluska's Birth Place, older monument.

Chief Junaluska's Birth Place, newer monument

I took a photo of each of the two monuments and added some directions on how to find them in the photo descriptions.

After that, I crossed the river and took a photo of the pyramid that was built to honor ARS Hunter. There are driving directions in the photo description, and added, in the first comment, a link to the Murphy Pyramid page on the official Town of Murphy website that has more information.

I enjoyed this little excursion.

All the best,

JD

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Permalink Reply by John Dilbeck on September 2, 2009 at 10:59am

Good morning,

I've been doing a bit of searching for information about Ft. Butler and found a few things of interest.

Ft. Butler - Wikipedia

Ft Butler Memorial Park - Waymarking

Footsteps of the Cherokees: A Guide to the Eastern Homelands of the...

While searching for information on Chief Junaluska, I found the following...

Junaluska - Wikipedia. Interestingly, this says that he was born south of Franklin, NC. Who knows?

Unto These Hills - Wikipedia

Junaluska - GeorgiaTribeofEasternCherokee.com

Chief Junaluska - Graham County, NC

Junaluska - Cherokee, NC

I think I'll stop here. Pretty fascinating stuff, even though parts of it are heartbreaking when I think about the all the suffering.

All the best,

JD

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Permalink Reply by John Dilbeck on September 1, 2009 at 1:34pm

Good afternoon, Donna.

That is a very good question. I had to stop and think about it.

It's not like we have an Eiffel Tower or Empire State Building, but we do have a pyramid that's hidden away across the river near the L&N Depot.

For me, although they're not actually in Murphy, I'd want to see either the Ocoee River gorge to the west of Murphy and/or the Nantahala gorge east of Murphy. They're easy to find. Just get on the four-lane and drive one direction or the other until you see them. They're maybe 30 - 45 minutes from Murphy and either direction is a very scenic drive.

If you're interested in arts, crafts, music, and the like, they you'll probably want to visit the John C. Campbell Folk School about a dozen miles south of town in Brasstown, NC.

This coming Saturday, Sept. 5, will be a good time to visit Konehete Park for our annual Heritage Walk and Festival. If you enjoy walking, I recommend the River Walk, too.

I love Hiwassee Lake.

If you want to venture out a bit further, be sure to visit the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and I recommend the outdoor drama, Unto These Hills, in Cherokee, NC - about an hour or so east of Murphy. Cherokee, NC is the main southern entrance to the Smokies and it would make a great day-trip, especially when combined with seeing the Nantahala River gorge, which you'd drive through going and coming. I also like the Cherokee Museum in Cherokee, NC.

Mainly, I recommend finding a nice porch, a beverage of your choice, a rocking chair or other comfortable place to sit, and just relax and watch the sun come up over the mountains. For me, the end to a perfect day is doing the same thing as the sun sets over the mountains and then watching the fireflies as they come out in the fields and valleys.

I'm looking forward to seeing what others may suggest. This is a great question.

All the best,

JD

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Permalink Reply by John Dilbeck on September 1, 2009 at 1:58pm

I just got to thinking about this and went to the website for Unto These Hills. I could not find a schedule for this year, but I think it may have ended for the season in August, since it's an outdoor drama and some of the actors are college students (at least, they used to be).

Junaluska plays a big part in this drama.

I found a photo of the marker for Junaluska's Birthplace, and that page has a good historical overview of Junaluska.

All the best,

JD

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Permalink Reply by Donna J on September 1, 2009 at 5:22pm

Man, you guys have given me LOTS of ideas! I'm definitely doing the folk school. I have to find this pyramid, for sure. I'm doing the River Walk, too (as much as my knee will let me). Do you know if dogs are allowed on the trail? Have you been to the Joyce Kilmer park? I am an early bird, so there will be LOTS of watching the sun rise with a hot cup of coffee and watching it set with a different beverage. I sure hope the cabin has a rocking chair on the front porch - if not, I may have to go into Murphy and buy one!! This vacation is going to truly be a vacation. No schedules to meet, no places I HAVE to be, no people I HAVE to talk to, no chores I HAVE to do today.... Well, you get the picture :-)

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Permalink Reply by John Dilbeck on September 2, 2009 at 9:42am

Good morning, Donna.

I know exactly what you mean. It sounds like the way I used to vacation up here when I lived in Atlanta and wanted to move to the mountains. In my case, however, I camped at Hanging Dog campground instead of renting a cabin, but I was much younger then and sleeping on the ground wasn't a problem.

I'm pretty sure you can take your dogs on the Riverwalk, but I think they need to be leashed. I'm not sure about that rule.

I love the Joyce Kilmer forest. Even though it's been a couple of decades since I was there last, I still have vivid memories of all the huge trees. It's hard to imagine that all these mountains used to look like that.

My Dad used to tell me stories about all the huge American chestnut trees that he remembered before the blight destroyed them. Dad was born in 1913, so he was still relatively young when the blight hit, but he remembered splitting rail fences and helping a relative build a cabin using chestnut trees. He also had vivid memories of eating roasted chestnuts during the winter months.

Of course, there are no chestnut trees growing in the Joyce Kilmer forest, but there are still huge trees there and it is a beautiful area. There is an easy-to-walk trail that is well worth the visit.

All the best,

JD

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Permalink Reply by John Dilbeck on September 14, 2009 at 12:59pm

I read in the Cherokee Scout that the River Walk is now open all the way from Konehete Park to the L&N Railroad Depot on the other side of town.

Has anyone here walked the entire distance, or at least the western portion that's new, yet?

All the best,

JD

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Permalink Reply by Dena Howard on September 1, 2009 at 4:40pm

Don't forget going to the Henn Theatre in Murphy for a show - Downtown is picking up with quite a bit to do ... OR you could go to the Swan Drive-In in Blue Ridge. (a little less than 30 minutes from Murphy) - They're having a double feature this weekend - "My Sister's Keeper" followed by "Final Destination".

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Permalink Reply by Donna J on September 1, 2009 at 5:27pm

Hi Dena,

A Drive-In still exists somewhere in America?? When I was a kid my mom would take us all to the drive-in at least once a month. I remember it like it was yesterday. When my brother got old enough to drive us without mama, we went to the drive-in and saw a marathon of all the Planet of the Apes movies! It lasted all night!! So, cool..... Now, where are the good places to eat? Where's a good breakfast place? I've vowed to only frequent local establishments whiile I'm there. I'm looking forward to meeting and talking with the people there. Definitely want to see the Henn Theatre. How did it catch fire?
Donna

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