![]() ![]() Stumphouse Mountain Tunnel in South Carolina was accepted into the National Register of Historic Places on April 7, 1971. ![]() Take this three minute virtual walking tour through this historic landmark of a tunnel, South Carolina's ONLY tunnel. In 1970, when the nomination was presented to the National Register of Historical Places the only remains of Tunnel Hill town were described as an occasional headstone, some building foundations and a footpath leading to the tunnel. Today only minor remnants of the town remain such as a block from a building foundation. It was referred to as "Tunnel Hill." In 1858 the population of Tunnel Hill was 1,232. Take a video field trip with South Carolina Wildlife TV, courtesy of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.During the height of the tunnel project, a town grew on top of the mountain. There are outhouse restrooms and picnic tables. except Christmas Day and inclement weather days.Īdmission is free. The park is maintained by the City of Walhalla and is open daily from 10 a.m. Stumphouse Tunnel and Issaqueena Falls are located about 7 miles Northwest of Walhalla on Highway 28. Be prepared with bug spray as some of the trail is a little overgrown and spiders and ticks are prevalent. The moderately strenuous trail is about 4.5 miles round trip and follows along the railroad grade approach to Stumphouse Tunnel. It’s marked by a small sign and yellow trail blazers. If you’re feeling adventurous, the Blue Ridge Railroad Trail atIssaqueena Falls is one of the lesser trekked trails in Oconee County. There is a short, easy walking trail that leads to an overlook where you can view the 200-foot cascading falls. She remained there until they were gone and it was safe thus tricking her pursuers. When the Cherokee came after her, Issaqueena saw them coming and knowing that they believed evil spirits lived in waterfalls, she pretended to jump over the falls but instead she hid on a ledge behind the falls. When she learned that the Cherokee were planning an attack on the fort where her beloved lived, she warned the white settlers. She met and fell in love with a white trader named Allan Francis. This waterfall is named for a Creek Indian maiden named Issaqueena who had been captured by the Cherokees. In recent years, there have been some falling rocks near the airshaft so a gate has been installed and you can only go about 50 yards into the tunnel. When visiting be sure to take a flashlight as the tunnel is very dark and don’t disturb the bats overhead. It’s considered somewhat of an oddity and a monument to pre-civil war engineering. Today the 1617 foot-long tunnel is one of the most visited sites in South Carolina. They used the tunnel to perfect the curing process for several years before it was moved back to the college. In the 1950s, a professor at Clemson University realized that the constant fifty-six degrees with 85% humidity conditions of the tunnel were ideal for making blue cheese. There were various efforts by the Blue Ridge Railroad to revive the tunnel construction but it never came to fruition. It’s been said that the Mountain defeated the Rail Line because in 1859 lack of funds interrupted construction and then the Civil War brought construction to a halt. Fifteen hundred workers, mostly Irish immigrants, worked twelve hours a day, six days a week using only sledge hammers, hand drills and black powder to carve out the hard granite from Stumphouse Mountain. In 1852, this railroad tunnel was begun as part of a route that was to go from Charleston to Knoxville and eventually on to Cincinnati. Nearby at Issaqueena Falls visitors can enjoy the waterfall and have a picnic at the shady retreat. Stumphouse Tunnel maintains a near constant 56 degree temperature and is a welcome respite on a hot summer day. Located near the town of Walhalla are two of Oconee County‘s top attractions, Stumphouse Tunnel and Issaqueena Falls. ![]()
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