In 1968, The Burnt Mountain Corporation was approached by a real estate developer named H. Dean Spratlin with a proposal. He wanted to build a second home mountain community. As part of that venture, we wanted to buy part of the land owned by the BMC and some of the land owned by the Tate Mountain Associates.
As far as the TMA was concerned, if Spratlin could use his proposed tax revenue increases for leverage against the county, then he would have a chance in getting Pickens County to move Highway 108. In return, Spratlin wanted an option to buy 800 acres from TMA. The land would be south of 136 and would form a boundary between the southern land of TMA and the northern land of the new community. The proposed northern entrance to the development would be about a quarter of a mile west of the current entrance to Tate Mountain Associates off of 136. They would move the northern side of Chicken House Road further east. They would also relocate Highway 108 in a way that would shorten its path, ending on Land Lot 101.
This plan would terminate if permission wasn't granted from the county to relocate highway 108, zoning wasn't approved, negotiations fell apart with BMC or the other necessary lands couldn't be purchased to make it feasible for Spratlin.
Negotiations went back and forth and Spratlin had asked for the land where the Cracow House was near the overlook off 136. This immediately threw Charlie Winship, owner of the Cracow property into an uproar, and the option was removed. Cracow was to stay as part of the TMA or standalone. It was not for sale.
Spratlin's original idea for the mountain community involved 5,000 to 8,000 lots, 27 holes of golf, horses, tennis, arts and crafts, a lodge, and clustered houses with shingled roofs only (no white roofs). The names Beach Mountain and Hound Ears were tentative.
Nonetheless, the deal fell apart and Spratlin's original 10,000-acre plans ended up being closer to 3,500. In October of 1969, Spratlin and Associates filed Articles of Incorporation for a community named Bent Tree. It was a far better choice than Hound Ears.
