Growing up in the little two of Gray Court, SC, there were two prominent geographical landmarks that always fascinated me. Two small monadnocks, the Big Knob and Little Knob, dominated the landscape just three miles south of the town. As a child I was fascinated with geology, especially volcanoes. I imagined that these small mountains were actually two dormant volcanoes that would someday erupt in a light show of ash and lava. I thought it would be cool.
Fast forward a bit…
Over the past twenty years the area around both hills has started to grow up. Three-acre parcels have been sold as “mini-farms”, and most of these have had single-wide mobile homes plopped down on them. The result is the overall decline of once-beautiful farmland. I feared for both of these hills.
Fortunately, someone else has had similar concerns, and has taken steps to preserve these geologic oddities. In this morning’s Greenville News was the story that the Little Knob has been purchased by Dianne and Chad Culbertson, and that they have entered into a conservation agreement with Upstate Forever to protect the 297 acre tract. This property adjoins their Timber Creek Farm property, which is also under a conservation agreement with the organization. The Culbertsons are referring to the tract as “Warrior Mountain”, which is the name for the hill found on old maps dating back to colonial times. Nearby Warrior Creek gets its name from the same source. (Map)
Dianne Culbertson has been instrumental in other preservation efforts in the Gray Court area. She helped establish the Gray Court Historical Society, and has re-created a colonial settlement with historic buildings. I had the pleasure of teaching her sons, Chad and Tucker, when I was at Gray Court, and I’m glad to see Chad taking an active role in preservation with his mother.
This is great news for the Little Knob/Warrior Mountain. I wish such an arrangement could be worked out for the nearby Big Knob. So far the area seems to be protected by the fact that there is a lookout tower and radio towers near the summit. I hope these is enough to preserve the unique nature of this landmark, but I wish there was someone like the Culbertsons to protect it, as well.
I have the pleasure of looking at Big Knob from my front porch. It is a beautiful sight. I too wish someone would take interest in preserving this little mountain.