WALHALLA, SC - The Nature Conservancy and its partners along with local residents are racing against time to Save Stumphouse Mountain. In January, the public learned that a developer was planning to purchase almost 1,000 acres of Stumphouse Mountain, located in the heart of South Carolina’s Southern Blue Ridge Mountain. The area includes the City of Walhalla’s watershed of 440 acres and the Stumphouse Mountain tract, a privately-owned hardwood forest of 511 acres.

To fully protect Stumphouse Mountain and Issaqueena Falls will require a combination of public and private funds. The SC Department of Natural Resources has committed $1.5 million. The Graham Foundation, a private foundation based in Greenville that works to protect the environment, has made a grant of $180,000 to The Nature Conservancy for the acquisition. With certain public grants pending we anticipate the remaining funds needed at $1.42 million and the project must be funded by August 29. The campaign to Save Stumphouse Mountain is underway. You can be a part of history and help save one of the Last Great Places in South Carolina.

The City of Walhalla and Upstate Forever, an upstate conservation organization, have joined in an application to the South Carolina Conservation Bank for a grant to fund a conservation easement on Walhalla’s watershed property of 440 acres.

What makes Stumphouse Mountain worth saving?

Issaqueena Falls. Legend has it that a Native American maiden Issaqueena escaped peril by pretending to leap over the falls—but actually hid beneath them. Named after the young maiden, Issaqueena Falls is one of the state’s premier natural landmarks, over 100 feet high and visible across the gorge along Highway 28. The City of Walhalla manages a park surrounding the top of the Falls, but the actual falls are on private land, the lease for which can be terminated with a 30 days notice. This conservation deal will protect the Falls and ensure public access - forever!

The Blue Ridge Escarpment
Stumphouse Mountain is the view of the Blue Ridge as motorists drive up Highway 28 through Mountain Rest and into North Carolina. This conservation deal will preserve a prime Blue Ridge view for South Carolinians and tourists

Ecological Significance
Stumphouse Mountain reflects the outstanding ecological character that defines the Southern Blue Ridge Escarpment as a global priority. The area contains extensive wildflower diversity, habitat for migrating songbirds and numerous species of salamanders. The remaining tunnels provide homes to six species of bats, in particular the rare Rafinesque’s Big-Eared Bat. Stumphouse also protects the headwaters to Cane Creek, which flows directly into Lake Keowee.

Pre-Civil War History
John C. Calhoun dreamed of connecting the South by rail to the Midwest--through Stumphouse Mountain. The Blue Ridge Railroad blasted three tunnels but financial troubles and the Civil War ended their plans. Clemson University now owns the historic Stumphouse Tunnel, where it once stored its famous blue cheese. Two historic tunnels lie within the 511 acre Stumphouse Mountain tract TNC wants to protect.

The Cherokee
Before the Irish, the Germans, and the railroad came to Stumphouse Mountain, the Cherokee Indians lived there. The Issaqueena legend is part of that Native American legacy. According to published accounts, Stumphouse holds a historical burial site, which the Cherokee Bear Clan believe they have located. This conservation deal will preserve Native American history and a place of reverence.

Public Outdoor Recreation
The City of Walhalla has allowed the Department of Natural Resources to use their watershed property as a public recreation and wildlife management area. The Nature Conservancy, when successful in raising the necessary funds, expects to convey the tract to the SC Department of Natural Resources for a Heritage Preserve, in recognition of the importance of the area to the history and landscape of South Carolina and Oconee County. When we complete the conservation purchase, we’ll keep these acres available for public recreation.

It’s the cheese
In the early 40’s a doctor at Clemson University decided to temporarily store and age blue cheese in the tunnel because the temperature is around 50 degrees and the humidity is about 85 percent year-round. The environment of the tunnel was later duplicated in the Clemson Agricultural Center and the cheese making was moved there. Today, the Stumphouse Tunnel is used as a recreational site; if you visit bring a flashlight. The tunnel is part of our heritage that continues today, the conservation purchase will protect acres near the tunnel. The Stumphouse Tunnel is not part of the purchase, it is owned by Clemson University.

Directions and park information: The park is open daily from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM; admission is free. From SC-11 at Walhalla, follow SC-28 west, through Walhalla and up the mountain to the park entrance (on your right). For more information, call 864-646-3782.

Find additional information on Stumphouse visit the following links:

• Learn more about Clemson Cheese 
• http://www.discoversouthcarolina.com
• http://www.sctrails.net/Trails/ALLTRAILS/waterfalls/Issaqueena.html

Want to learn more about the history of Stumphouse Mountain and the railroad in South Carolina, we recommend reading: "The Rocky Road To Nowhere: A History of the Blue Ridge Railroad in South Carolina" and "Calhoun's Dream: John C. Calhoun and the Blue Ridge Railroad" Both by Betty L. Plisco. Order you copy today by calling 864.944.0343 or email bplisco@aol.com. $15.95 each (plus tax and s/h) About the Author Betty Plisco is a popular lecturer and guide specializing in the unique history of a remote corner of South Carolina, and the people who made it happen. Currently involved in trying to save the Lunney Museum in Seneca.

Your gifts are needed now, because there are simply not enough public dollars to save Stumphouse Mountain. Your gift will go toward the purchase of the 511 acre Stumphouse Mountain tract which includes the spectacular Issaqueena Waterfall.

Send donations to:
The Nature Conservancy
Save Stumphouse Mountain
2231 Devine Street, Suite 100
Columbia, SC 29205
or call (803) 254-9049 x12  or  fax (803) 252-7134 for credit card donations.