Oconaluftee Mountain Farm Museum

During our stay at the Cherokee Indian Reservation (see my post of 26-July-2009) we drove about 1 ½ mile north out of the Qualla Boundary to the Oconaluftee River Valley. This valley is in the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina. The valley’s bottomland was the site of a former Cherokee village and Appalachian community. As we drove along a country road we saw the sign to the Mountain Farm Museum and stopped to visit. (Click on pictures to enlarge them.)


Close to the Oconaluftee River the Park Service has recreated a late 19th century mountain “farmstead” of authentic log structures. These were moved from their original locations close by. They include the John E. Davis cabin and other log buildings. Altogether they depict a typical mountain farm in pioneer Appalachia.


The John E. Davis cabin was built in 1900 by Davis who was a master craftsman. He built it in 2 years from American chestnut wood (before the chestnut blight decimated these trees in the 1930s.) His two sons, aged 8 and 4, collected the stones for the chimney with the help of a sled and oxen.



It had a flower garden, a vegetable garden and all the amenities - read “privy.”


Here is the apple house, where apples were stored. Apples were an important staple to be eaten raw, or used to make vinegar, applesauce, apple cider and apple butter.


The blacksmith shop was built around 1900 and moved from Cave Code.


Corn was planted on the farm, as it was always an important crop.


On the grounds were also a springhouse used for refrigeration, a meat house, a wood shed, a sorghum press and still. It was used to draw sweet sorghum from cane and boiled into syrup.


Sorghum originates from Africa and was introduced to the southern United States by slaves in the early 17th century. It is still cultivated in the southern states. The syrup retains all its natural sugars and nutrients and is 100% natural. Hot biscuits with sorghum syrup is a traditional southern Appalachia breakfast – we eat it at our house from time to time (and we had it today so I could take a picture.) Our sorghum syrup pictured below was made in Tiger, Georgia.


We then walked toward the barn, but first made a detour to look at the river, the Oconaluftee, which borders the property. We passed a hen (I guess it’s a hen?) then arrived at the river.

(Don't forget to click on the pictures to enlarge them.)

We walked back through the fields, watching Rattlesnake Mountain in the background. Rattlesnake Mountain is a special site with magical meaning for the Cherokee Indians.

First, though, we passed the Hog Pen and had to stop to watch two little pigs sleeping.


We finally arrived at the barn. This is the only structure which was originally standing at this location. The roof consists of over 16,000 hand-split shingles. It was built around 1880 and housed livestock on the lower stalls and grain in its loft.



I could hear some chicken outside the barn but could not see it, or them. I looked out


but did not see the bird. I moved to the side to see better, then I saw part of it, on the outside, in the corner


I wanted to take its pictures, so I pushed the gate and went outside – there it was


I came closer, slowly, afraid to make it go away. It did not move or looked back at me


So I came even closer. Was this a rooster or a hen sitting on some eggs?


Quite a handsome rooster, but it ignored me, so I left him.

For such a large barn, there was a dearth of birds – to make up for it, here are some birds from my vintage postcard collection:


Pretty tired, I looked at the wagon wistfully


but kept on walking.


Now came the decision: should we return to the Cherokee Indian Reservation, or continue our exploration along the Oconaluftee River?


In a future post I’ll show and tell you what was decided - see y’all then!

Kangaroo Conservation Center in North Georgia

Kangaroos are not native to Georgia. I suspect you knew that kangaroos are not native to Georgia, but several live here and are now born here. Four days ago we went to visit them. We drove 1 ½ hours north to the picturesque foothills of the Southern Appalachian Mountains where we found the Kangaroo Conservation Center (KCC). There, in Dawsonville (Ga.) the center has assembled the largest collection of kangaroos outside of Australia. The center is located on 87 beautifully landscaped acres with a lake and rolling hills. (Click on all the pictures to enlarge them.)


We felt like we were in an “Aussie Adventure” as the leaflet advertised, as we walked to the Billabong (watering hole) which is a walk-through exhibit of Australian birds, reptiles, and plants. First we met a Blue-crowned Pigeon on the path – native to New Guinea it is the largest species of pigeon in the world.


Then we gave the right of way to a Buff-banded Rail who was on its way to the watering hole.


Before we left we passed two Australian reptiles that did not even bother to look at us – or to run away.


Walking back to the KangaRanger area to take our guided tram ride, we passed the butterfly garden.


Our guide gave us many facts about the kangaroos that we did not know. The ride took a half hour and she did not stop speaking, but I’ll try to be brief. Like the koalas, wombats and possums the kangaroos are marsupials from the macropod (large foot) family. Between Australia and New Guinea there are 83 species of macropods of which 9 have become extinct since European settlement and 28 are now threatened - 1/3 could be gone in the coming years. The name kangaroo comes from the Aboriginal word gangurru which describes the Grey Kangaroo.


Our guide told us that the male kangaroo is called a buck , the female a doe and the baby kangaroo a joey. Kangaroos are very social and like to live in a group which is called a “mob”. The female can have three babies at the same time: an embryo awaiting birth, a young one in the pouch attached to a teat and an older joey living outside her pouch but still dependent on her milk. I did not know that she could halt the birth of an embryo, or freeze its development during a period of drought or until the previous joey is ready to leave the pouch. Other interesting facts are that her teats will stretch to fit each individual joey and she can produce different kind of milk simultaneously to feed the older joey and the newborn – a newborn joey is the size of a lima bean.


The KCC has different species of kangaroos, actually 12 different species, and has been raising them for 26 years. They range from the tiniest brush-tail bettong to the 190 pound Red Kangaroo. I could not take a picture of the small bettong as it was asleep in his nest, but here is a picture from the KCC.


Our guide knew each one by their name but it’s hard for me to distinguish the species, so I’ll just show you the pictures I took. We walked on the ¼ mile path “Aussie Walkabout” and saw quite a few animals, most of them resting in the warm sun. The animals are meticulously cared for as well as the grounds and it was a very enjoyable walk. (Don't forget to click on the pictures to enlarge them.)


Kangaroos are the only large animals to use hopping to move about and they move their back legs together, not one at a time. When they move slowly, though, they can use their tail as an extra leg or use it when standing as a means of support. They can reach speeds of 40 MPH (between 60 and 70 km/h.)


The kangaroo is a national symbol for Australia and has been important in the Aborigine culture. Below is a picture of a painting called “Kangaroo Spirit” by Edward Blitner, who is an Australian Aborigine painter from the Naiyarlindji country (top end of Australia.) . The kangaroo has spiritual significance for the Aboriginal people as it is associated with many of their “dreamtime” stories. They believe in parallel time, one being the daily time and the other an infinite spiritual time called “dreamtime” – land, people and animals are all connected as is the past to the present.


As we were leaving we walked close to the Australian Bird Aviary. The Rose Breasted Cockatoo flew over so we could admire him.


Next, we stopped at the Blue-winged Kookaburras. I started to whistle a little tune and the female (?) came closer to listen to me


Then she called out to her mate to come out and listen to the weird whistling lady


… and sure enough we saw the other kookaburra’s head coming to have a look


A deer was eating grass close to the picnic area


then came closer to us and he let me pet him.


If you would like to learn more about the history of the KCC center, please click on their web site here then click on “Our History.”

While researching kangaroo facts I found out that they are being killed in Australia and turned into pet food and leather for sport shoes. There is more information on the site “Save the Kangaroo” sponsored by Sir Paul McCartney. There is also a petition site for saving the kangaroos, click here.

Cheatham Hill Walk

In my post of 20-May 2009, regarding the Pickett’s Mill Battlefield site, I explained that after all the years of living close to historical sites we decided to explore those in our neighborhood. Some of the blogs I read are located close to the beach, or beautiful gardens or lakes, or vibrant cities, but we live surrounded by Civil War history – or as it is called in the South, the War between the States. Just down our road is Kennesaw National Battlefield Park with 2,882 acres and 16 miles of hiking trails. On the main road to town, a bit south of us, is another historical site called Cheatham Hill. I drove by the side of it every day for decades coming back from work and finally last June my husband and I decided to walk the trails where a fierce battle took place.

I drove in front of this clearing for years –


We first drove to Kolb’s Farm, about 2 miles south of Cheatham Hill, where on 22 June 1864 a costly Confederate attack stopped the Union army (the Union army lost 350 men and the Confederates 1,000.) This farm house was built by Peter Valentine Kolb in 1836. In 1964 the National Park Service restored it to its 1864 condition. This farm house cannot be visited, but there are interpretative markers near the graves of the Kolb family. (Click on photos to enlarge them.)


We drove back and parked close to the Cheatham Hill trails. Here on 27 June 1864 a terrible battle took place when General Sherman decided to change his tactics and made a direct assault on General Johnston’s line. If this assault had been successful it would have resulted in a great victory.

We started walking down the trail –


We kept walking down to a creek, then the trail started to climb up toward a wooded ridge and hill top where the Confederate troops had been dug in. This was a formidable position with solid earthworks of banked dirt.



General Sherman had decided to send 8000 soldiers up this hill toward two of General Johnston’s finest commanders. Defending this sector where two of the toughest Rebels in the whole Confederacy, Maj. Gens. Patrick R. Cleburne and Benjamin F. Cheatham. Originally a farmer, Cheatham was a very capable commander in the Confederate Army of Tennessee. He was a hard-fighting, hard-swearing and hard-drinking leader who inspired his tough Tennesseans. The hill where this assault took place would later be known as Cheatham Hill.

Portrait of Benjamin F. Cheatham (1820-1886.)



One of the Union brigades planned to assault the Confederate stronghold was the 52nd Ohio headed by Colonel Daniel McCook. To inspire his men before the attack, he calmly began to recite verses from Thomas Macauley’s 1842 poem on the Roman warrior Horatius as he faced a battle:

Then out spake brave Horatius,

The Captain of the Gate:

To every man upon this earth
Death cometh soon or late,
And how can man die better
Than facing fearful odds,
For the ashes of his fathers
And the temples of his gods.

We arrived upon an open field and walked up the ridge which is where the bloody battle took place. An interpretative marker explains this battle – the blue designates the Union troops and the red the Confederates. (Click on pictures to enlarge them.)

Wave after wave of Union troops charged the hill and were repulsed by the Confederate defenders. Cannons which had been masked by them started to fire at point-blank range breaking line after line of the assault. William J. Worsham of the 19th Tennessee related: “The cannons bellowed like so many mad bulls, sent shot and shell plowing the ground, scattering rocks, dirt and everything moveable, cutting down trees and felling limbs…The air was so full of sulphurous smoke we could not see, and the roar of musketry so continuous we could not distinguish our guns…” Later both sides would refer to this entrenchment as “The Dead Angle.”



Union Col. Dan McCook slashing his dress sword at Confederates trying to bayonet him bellowed “Forward the Flag!” but a few seconds later was felled with a bullet in his chest. Another Union commander, Brig. Gen. Charles J. Harker fell from his horse, mortally wounded. Here are the two markers on these men.





As we came closer to the hill, we saw a small tunnel. It has been dug feverishly by the Union men with sticks, sword points, bayonets and even tin cups and plates. They were trying to tunnel under the Confederates’ position intending to blow it up.



As the Union troops disengaged and headed toward the rear they left many dead and injured men. A fire started in the woods and threatened to burn alive the many wounded. A Confederate colonel, Arkansas Lt. Col. William Martin shouted for his regiment to stop fighting and the two enemies, side by side, went out to drag their wounded and dead out of the fire. See the marker below.


The Confederate Army had won the battle of Cheatham Hill. There were 3,000 Union soldiers’ casualties and 800 Confederates in addition to uncounted wounded men. We continued up the hill and came upon a large monument. On 27 June 1914, Union veterans and the State of Illinois had unveiled a marble statue in observance of the 50th anniversary of the battle. The unveiling was attended by the Governor of Illinois and many survivors of the battle.



This morning I drove back to Cheatham Hill but entered from the main road entrance.



I discovered two more cannons which I have never seen from the road. They were silent with flowers growing next to them.


The area was peaceful with no one around – or was no one around?



There have been many reports of psychic phenomena as well as ghost sightings and unusual sounds close to the battlefield area. I walked to the monument. Everything was quiet. Then I went down the trail for a while and sat on a bench to reflect. Then I left.