Chatsworth • Springplace • Eton • Murray County • North Georgia Mountains
Travel • Real Estate • Horseback Riding • Lodging • Restaurants • Outdoor Adventure
Chief Vann's House
• Fort Mountain
As we exit the back door of the Blue Ridge
Mountains and look back, we see the great blue wall of the western mountain
ranges of southern highlands. To the east the Blue Ridge Mountains rise
against the horizon like a fortress wall, protecting a strange forbidden
land. To the west of US 411 is an inviting land of rolling hills and
farmlands with occasional low ridges running parallel to the highway,
this is Murray County.
Approximately 30 miles west, across the "Great
Tennessee Valley" are the Cumberland Mountains, a southwestern section
of the greater Appalachian Mountains. Traveling south into North Georgia's
Murray County we enter the land of the Chieftains Trail.
Murray County, is a land of high and low
country. The low lands are rich in the history of both the early white
settlers and Native Americans. The higher regions of Murray County are
in the rugged mountainous back country of the Cohutta Wilderness in the western Blue Ridge Mountains.
 You'll also find an enormous cove surrounded
by the high mountain ridges of the Cohutta Wilderness. Here you can view
some beautiful meadow lands and the tranquil waterways that irrigate
this fertile land. This sparsely populated area at the foot of the mountains,
maintains a sense of what this region was like during a less progressive
time. You can also catch a view of a natural wood finished church, built
to fit the nature of this mountain community.
Chatsworth: Below the high peaks of Fort Mountain State Park, is the  town of Chatsworth. The Murray County
Courthouse, located in Chatsworth is one of the most impressive courthouses
we have seen. The old court house is an immense red brick structure with
a huge silver toned dome. It sits on a large square grassy knoll, covering
a full city block. When viewed from the upper reaches of Fort Mountain,
the courthouse dome shines like a beacon in the valley below.
The town of Chatsworth's early city designers
were keen on continuity. The town's design of brown stone structures
some dating back over a hundred years, creates a charming flow for folks
strolling the downtown shopping district. In Chatsworth and surrounding
Murray County you'll find shops, dining, and a variety of lodging.
 Near the Murray County Courthouse, you'll
find directional signs to the Chief Vann House. Take Hwy 52 west, a few miles,
(no more than a few minutes driving) to the community of Spring Place.
There, you will find a unique house for its time. The house was built
by Cherokee Chief James Vann in 1804. It was called the "Showplace
of the Cherokee Nation."
The mountains to the north lie in the Cohutta
Wilderness and Wildlife Management, a region of rugged back country and
unpaved forestry roads. To the south of Fort Mountain, below the southern
edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains are the shores of Carters' Lake, a recreational
lake ideal for boating, fishing and other water sports.
 Reaching
the mountain top, we find Fort Mountain State Park. The main feature
here as well as the park's namesake, is an ancient stone wall, 855 feet
in length with no known origin. Archeologist date the wall at 500 A.D.
Local Native American history has no explanation for the structure. Located
within Fort Mountain State Park's 3,268 acres, are hiking trails, mountain
bike trails, streams, an old gold mine and a waterfall cascading 400
feet down the cliffs.
click map
for a larger image |
Chatsworth Georgia - Weather.com
Chatsworth • Eton • Springplace • Murray County • North Georgia Mountains
Interested in your business being on the Highlander, click here...
Let our visitors tell you about the Highlander...
Click the feathers to go to the Highlander site
map...
Highlander Special Interests |
Learn More About the Towns and Cities in the Mountains |
Move to or Invest in the Mountains |
Traveling • Living • Enjoying
the Mountains |
Adventure and Outdoor Fun in the Mountains |
|
