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Watauga's First Visitor.
 

The Greed for Land.-- All the land had been taken up in 1752 east of Anson county, which was then the westernmost county of the State. (Col. Rec. Vol. V, pp. 2,3.) It is now a small county just north of the South Carolina line. "As early as 1754 vacant public lands, as we would call them now, could be found in large bodies only the back settlements near the mountains, and settlers were coming in there in hundreds of wagons from the northwards . . . The immigrants were said to be very industrious people, who went at once into the cultivation of hemp, flax, corn and breeding of horses and other stock." (Col. Rec. Vol. V, p. xxi.) The McCulloch lands, consisting of 1,200,000 acres, were granted on the 19th of May, 1737, upon condition that 6,000 Protestants should be settled thereon and four shillings quit rents should be paid for each 100 acres by the 14th of March, 1756. These lands were surveyed and located on the heads of the Pee Dee, Cape Fear and Neuse rivers in 1744, in tracts of 100,000 acres each. (Id. xxxii.)

Bishop Spangenberg's Visit.--"In August, 1752, Bishop Spangenberg and his party set out from Bethlehem, Pa., for Edenton, N. C., to locate lands bought the year before from the Earl of Granville for the Moravian settlement. Leaving Edenton about the middle of September, their route lay through Chowan, Bertie, Northampton, Edgecombe and Granville, to its western border near the Virginia line, and thence along the Indian Trading Path, as near as can now be ascertained, to the Catawba River, thence up that river to its upper waters, thence by mistake over the divide to New River, thence back to the head waters of the Yadkin and thence down the Yadkin to Muddy Creek, where, some ten miles from the river and from 'the upper Pennsylvania road,' they found some 100,000 acres of land in

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a body unoccupied, which they proceeded at once to take up. In January, 1753, they returned home, having surveyed 73,037 acres of land, to which were added 25,948 acres surveyed by Mr. Churton in the same tract, making in all 98,985 acres. A general deed for the whole tract was made on 7th of August, 1753." (Col. Rec. Vol. V, p.1146.) The names of the members of Bishop Spangenberg's party were: August Gottlieb Spangenberg, Henry Antes, Jno. Merk, Herman Lash and Timothy Horsefield. Their guides were Henry Day, who lived in Granville county, near Mr. Salis'; Jno. Perkins, who lived on the Catawba River and was known as Andrew Lambert, a well known Scotchman, and Jno. Rhode, who lived about twenty miles from Captain Sennit on the Yadkin Road.

The First Visitor to Watauga County.-- So far as there is any authentic record to the contrary, Bishop Spangenberg and his party were the first visitor to Watauga county. Following is the record of this visit. (Col. Rec. Vol. IV, p. 10,, etc): "December 3, 1752. From the camp on a river in an old Indian field, which is either the head or a branch of New River, which flows through North Carolina to Virginia and into the Mississippi River. Here we have at length arrived after a very toilsome journey over fearful mountains and dangerous cliffs. A hunter whom we had taken along to show us the way to the Yadkin, missed the right path, and we came into a region from which there was no outlet, except by climbing up an indescribably steep mountain. Part of the way we had to crawl on hands and feet; sometimes we had to take the baggage and saddles and the horses and drag them up the mountains (for the horses were in danger of falling down backward--as we had once had an experience), and sometimes we had to pull the horses up while they trembled and quivered like leaves.

"Arrived at the top at last, we saw hundreds of mountain peaks all around us, presenting a spectacle like ocean waves in a storm. We refreshed ourselves a little on the mountain top, and then began the descent, which was neither so steep nor as deep as before, and then we came to a stream of water. Oh, how refreshing this water was to us! We sought pasture of our

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horses and rode a long distance, until in the night, but found none but dry leaves. We could have wept with sympathy for the poor beasts. The night had already come over us, so we could but put up our tent. We camped under the trees and had a very quiet night. The next day we journeyed on; got into laurel bushes and beaver dams and had to cut our way through bushes, which fatigued our company very much.

"Then we changed our course--left the river and went up the mountain, where the Lord brought us to a delicious spring and good pasturage on a chestnut ridge. He sent us, also, at this juncture two deer, which were most acceptable additions to our larder. The next day we came to a creek so full of rocks that we could not possibly cross it, and on both side were such precipitous banks that scarcely a man, and certainly no horse, could climb them. Here we took some refreshments, for we were weary. But our houses had nothing--absolutely nothing; this pined us inexpressibly. Directly came a hunter who had climbed a mountain and had seen a large meadow. Thereupon we scrambled down to the water, dragged ourselves along the mountain and came before night into a large plain.

"This caused rejoicing for men and beasts. We pitched our tent, but scarcely had we finished when such a fierce wind storm burst upon us that we could scarcely protect ourselves against it. I cannot remember that I have ever in winter anywhere encountered so hard or so cold a wind. The ground was soon covered with snow ankle deep, and the water froze for us aside the fire. Our people became thoroughly disheartened. Our horses would certainly perish and we with them. The next day we had fine sunshine, and then warmer days, though the nights were 'horribly' cold. Then we went to examine the land. A large part of it is already cleared and there long grass abounds and this is all bottom.

"Three creeks flow together here and make a considerable river which flows into the Ohio, and thence into the Mississippi, according to the best knowledge of our hunters. In addition, there are almost countless springs and little runs of water which come from the mountains and flow through the country, making

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almost more meadow land than one could make use of. There is no trace of reeds here, but so much grass land that Brother H. Antes thinks a man could make several hundred loads of hay of the wild grass, which would answer very well if only it be cut and cured at the proper time. There is land here suitable for wheat, corn, oats, barley, hemp, etc. Some of the land will probably be flooded when there is high water. There is a magnificent chestnut and pine forest near here. Whetstones and mill stones, which Brother Antes regards the best he has seen in North Carolina, are plenty. The soil is here mostly limestone and a cold nature. The waters are all higher than on the east side of the Blue Ridge. We surveyed this land and took up 5,400 acres in our lines. We have a good many mountains, but they are very fertile and admit of cultivation. Some of them are already covered with wood and are easily accessible. Many hundred, yes, thousands--crab-apple trees grow here, which may be useful for vinegar. One of the creeks presents a number of admirable seats for milling purposes.

"This survey lies about fifteen miles from the Virginia line, as we saw the Meadow Mountain and judged it to be about twenty miles distant. This mountain lies five miles from the line between Virginia and North Carolina. In all probability this tract would make an admirable settlement for Christian Indians, like Gradenhutten in Pennsylvania. There is wood, mast, wild game, fish and a free range for hunting, and admirable land for corn, potatoes, etc. For stock raising, it is also incomparable." (From this favored spot they went through the mountains by Reddy's river to the Mulberry Fields and entered land in the neighborhood of what is now Wilkesborough and the Moravian Falls, which took its name from them.)

Where Was This Indian Old Field?--The question arises as to the location of the old Indian field at the head of a prong of New River, where 5,400 acres of land were surveyed and taken up. It will help one to determine this by ascertaining the route by which it had been reached. The entry in the diary immediately preceding that of December 3d, the date on which this spot was described, is November 29, 1752, and was written

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at the camp "at the upper fork of the second or middle river which flows into the Catawba not far from Quaker Meadows." This indicates that there are three streams which flow into the Catawba at or near Quaker Meadows. There is nothing in the diary to indicate which he calls the first of these "little rivers," but there is no doubt as to the third. It is the entry of November 24th "from the camp in the fork of the third river which empties into the Catawba near Quaker Meadows, about five miles from Table Mountain," now called Table Rock. That could be none other than the Linville River, and, as Johns River is the next below that, it follows that it must necessarily be the "second" or "middle little river." Following up Johns River, he had come on the 25th to the mouth of Wilson's Creek, where he took up 2,000 acres. This is the lower fork of Johns River. The upper fork of this river is at Globe, where the Gragg prong joins the main stream and where Carroll Moore had a mill years ago. It was at this upper fork of middle little river that the following description of the Globe was written:

"With respect to this locality where we are now encamped, one might call it a basin or kettle. It is a cove in the mountains, and is very rich soil. Two creeks, one larger than the other, flow through it. Various springs of very sweet water form lovely meadow lands. Mills may easily be built, as there is fall enough. Below the forks the stream becomes quite a large one. Of wood there is no lack. Our horses find abundant pasture among the buffalo haunts and tame grass amoung the springs, which they eat greedily, and certainly the settlers of this place can very soon make meadows if they wish. Not only is the land suitable for hemp, oats, barley, etc., but there is excellent wheat land here also. There is also abundance of stone, not on the land, but on the surrounding mountains . . . This survey would contain in itself all the requisites to make comfortable farms and homes for about ten couples."

While there, "A hunter whom we had taken along to show us the way to the Yadkin missed the right path, and we came into a region from which there was no outlet except by climbing up an indescribably steep mountain. Part of the way we had to

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crawl on hands and feet. Sometimes we had to take the baggage and saddles and the horses and drag them up the mountains . . . and sometimes we had to pull the horses up, while they trembled and quivered like leaves. Arrived at the top, we saw hundreds of mountain peaks all around us, presenting a spectacle like ocean waves in a storm." Could this have been any other place than Blowing Rock?

Their Route from Blowing Rock.-- From this point they went down to a stream, where they got water, but no pasturage, and, consequently, they "continued on a long distance" the same day, camping, at last, after nightfall, beneath trees, but without having found pasturage for their horses. This stream must have been either Flannery's Fork--now Winkler's Mill Creek--or the middle fork of New River, but where they camped cannot be determined, though it seems certain that they camped there on the 30th of November. On the first of December they "journeyed on; got into laurel bushes and beaver dams" and had to "cut a way through the bushes," but, being fatigued with this task, they changed their course during this day and "left the river and went up the mountain, where the Lord brought us to a delicious spring and good pasturage on a chestnut ridge.: The next day, December 2nd, they came to a creek so "full of rocks that we could not possibly cross it, and on both sides were such precipitous banks that scarcely a man, and certainly no horse, could climb them." But there was no pasturage. It was then that "a hunter, who had climbed a mountain and had seen a large meadow," guided them "into a large plain," the spot described with so much particularity. But, on that night of December 2d, a terrible wind and snow storm assailed them and caused them to suffer very much, but it passed, and next day, December 3rd, they made their investigations and described the goodly land to which they thought they had been providentially guided.

Conflicting Claims.--Three forks of New River, near Boone, the old field at the mouth of Gap Creek, and Grassy Creek, in Ashe County, have characteristics similar to those described, but only Grassy Creek had the limestone formation. Unless the

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good Bishop knew where the Virginia-North Carolina line was, it is difficult to know why he stated that this spot was "about fifteen miles from the Virginia line," and the reason he gives for this conclusion is still more puzzling, as there is no mountain in Virginia five miles from the line now known as the Meadow Mountain, while the Bald, in Watauga County, is almost directly north of the three forks and apparently about twenty miles away. In reality, it is not over ten, but it is bald and looked like a meadow, at that time, with snow all over it. On the other hand, White Top is about twenty miles from Grassy Creek and four miles from Pond Mountain, the corner between North Carolina and Virginia and Tennessee. As this is bare around its crown of lashorns, it may be that it was called the Meadow Mountain at that time.

Col. W. L. Bryan's View.--After reading Bishop Spangenberg's account of his trip west of the Blue Ridge, Colonel Bryan, of Boone, thinks that the Bishop got to the stream that forms Cone's Lake, near Blowing Rock, and rode north along the top of Flat Top ridge "a long distance' and camped under trees November 30th. That on December 1st he got into laurel bushes and beaver dams on the middle fork of the south fork of New River, which he left and went back on Flat Top range to a spring, still known as Flat Top Spring, and now owned by Thomas Cannon, but which was first settled by Alex. Elrod sometime in the fifties. This spring is on land where there used to be large chestnut trees, and is the most noted spring near. On December 2d the Bishop was on either Winkler's Creek--formerly called Flannery's Fork--or on the middle fork, though the rocks and cliffs and precipices are more marked on Winkler's Creek than on middle fork, especially above or below what is now the Austin place, or where Moses Johnson has a mill. Colonel Bryan thinks that the mountain on which the hunter climbed was Flat Top peak, as from it the meadow in which the three forks join is plainly visible and the bald of Long Hope Mountain, lying almost due north, can be distinctly seen, and this was the mountain which the Bishop mistook for Meadow Mountain in Virginia, now known as White Top. Between the

Page 28 junction of the three creeks, forming Three Forks, and the first bend below that point there used to be a large crab orchard--say, about 1855--and on the new road from Boone to the new electric power dam on south fork whetstones can be found.

Captain W. H. Witherspoon, of Jefferson, thinks that the Meadow Mountain which Bishop Spangenberg waw was the Whit Top, and that the stream where three creeks meet were the Naked, Ravens and Beaver Creeks, flowing into the south fork of New River, four or five miles east of Jeffeson. He thought the Moravians had owned land there; that there is a limestone formation there, and that grindstones are found near. This is about fifteen miles from the Virginia line. White Top is visible from this point, and is about twenty miles distant. Also that there is a pine and chestnut forest south of the south fork of New River and between that river and the Blue Ridge.