Rendezvous Mountain Educational State Forest

Rendezvous Mountain
Educational State Forest
North Carolina State Forest
Rendezvous Mountain Fire Tower
Named for: Rendezvous Mountain
Country United States
State North Carolina
County Wilkes
Coordinates 36°13′38″N 81°17′34″W / 36.22722°N 81.29278°W / 36.22722; -81.29278Coordinates: 36°13′38″N 81°17′34″W / 36.22722°N 81.29278°W / 36.22722; -81.29278 [1]
Area 3,316 acres (1,341.9 ha) [2]
Founded 1926[3]
 - Opened 1984[2]
Management North Carolina Forest Service
IUCN category VI - Managed Resource Protected Area
Nearest city Wilkesboro, North Carolina
Location of Rendezvous Mountain Educational State Forest in North Carolina
Website: Rendezvous Mountain Educational State Forest

Rendezvous Mountain Educational State Forest (RMESF) is a 3,316-acre (13.42 km2) North Carolina State Forest in Purlear, North Carolina.[2]

History

Rendezvous Mountain is popularly rumored to have been an assembly point for the Overmountain Men during the Revolutionary War.[4] Colonel Benjamin Cleveland is said to have called militiamen from around Wilkes County, by blowing a large ox horn from the mountain's summit.[4][5] Cleveland was able to summon over 200 Patriots from the surrounding area to join him on a march to the Battle of Kings Mountain.[4][5] The route they took is now commemorated by the nearby Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail.

In 1926, the forest's original 146-acre (0.59 km2) tract was donated to the state by Judge T. B. Finley of North Wilkesboro for inclusion in the State Park System; however, the unit was never opened to the public due to its small size, inaccessible location, and questionable historic significance.[3] The land was transferred to the Division of Forestry in 1956.[3] It was later opened to the public in 1984 as an educational state forest.[2] In the early 2000s, the forest was greatly expanded when large tracts along its western boundary became available.

References

  1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Rendezvous Mountain
  2. 1 2 3 4 "NC Forest Service Natural Assets" (PDF). North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services. January 23, 2014. p. 13. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 "History of the North Carolina State Park System" (PDF). North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation. August 27, 2015. p. 10. Retrieved September 24, 2015. Rendezvous Mountain was donated in 1926. As its history was questionable and he acreage small, it was transferred to the Division of Forestry in 1956.
  4. 1 2 3 Fay Byrd; Wilkes Community College. Division of Learning Resources (19 October 2010). Wilkes County Bits and Pieces. Wilkesboro, NC: Lulu.com. pp. 306–310. ISBN 978-0-557-49244-2. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
  5. 1 2 Peter J. Barr (2008). "Rendezvous Mountain". Hiking North Carolina's Lookout Towers. John F. Blair, Publisher. pp. 225–232. ISBN 978-0-89587-433-7.
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