On November 9th, 2022, I was a part of a thirty-five-person group of hikers that traveled to the Tate Mountain Estates area of Northeastern Pickens County. We entered the rustic entrance off Highway 136 and traveled to the southeastern side of the dam, just south of manmade Lake Sequoyah. We were greeted by the ever-gregarious John Martin, long-time resident of the area (son of columnist and author Harold Martin). Over the course of the day, John would meet us at various locations to share interesting tales of local lore.
One such story was of the arrival of Isaac Burlison with his family, pioneer residents of Gilmer County (Pickens County formed out of parts of Gilmer and Cherokee County in 1853). Issac traveled by wagon over 150 miles from North Carolina to the North Georgia Mountains about three years after the Cherokee Indians were exiled ignominiously to Oklahoma. Isaac was a farmer and a preacher/founder of the Burnt Mountain Baptist Church.
Burnt Mountain as shown on a Rand McNally map from 1883
Later, during the Civil War, he became a Confederate Postmaster of the Burnt Mountain Community. Isaac and his wife Matilda raised many children before leaving this world in 1885 (Isaac), and in 1899 (Matilda). Both are buried beside the church.
Isaac and Matilda Burlison
The community of Burnt Mountain wasn't on maps for long. With the arrival of the railroad in Jasper in the 1880s, the desire for the hardscrabble lifestyle of the mountaineer was no longer appealing in comparison to living a more comfortable life near the city of Jasper.
In 1929, Colonel Sam Tate, had decided to build the Tate Mountain Estates. One of the main recreational features of the area was the fifty-acre lake he named Sequoyah - after the famous Cherokee creator of the Cherokee alphabet. We walked past the tennis courts and the two-level diving platform that bounded the south side of the lake.
Two-level diving platform on Lake Sequoyah
From there we walked into the abandoned golf course. In its heyday, it was a verdant 18-hole course designed by Van Kleek and associates. Charlie Yates was a frequent golfer of the course, and once he had even brought his friend, Bobby Jones (founder of the Augusta National Golf Course) to play with him.
As we rounded the northeastern part of our trail, we walked over a bridge that was near a pond by Reese Gap. From there we walked across the 11th hole
The Tate Mountain Estates Golf Course
Bridge Connecting Holes 11 and 12
Our next stop was at Burnt Mountain Baptist Church. John Martin met with us again, this time to recount the sordid tale of Kate Southern and the murder of Narcissa Fowler. The case made national headlines in the 1870s and 1880s. Eventually, Kate was sent to prison for murdering Narcissa. Writers assailed the newspapers, begging the Governor of Georgia to pardon Kate. In the spring of 1882, Governor Colquitt did just that and Kate and her husband moved back to Pickens County. By 1909, the Southerns moved to Alabama where they passed away of old age in the 1920s.
Kate and Robert Southern in 1909 (Alabama)
We moved west towards the earthen dam that blocks Clear Creek's passage and meandered down Gym Way, in the direction of the old wooden gym.
The gym at Tate Mountain straddles Clear Creek as it makes its way Southwest. Built in the 1930s, the gym was also home to the Fritz Orr Camps of 1936 and '37. During these years it was known as Camp Tate. This was near the location of the second Dude Ranch, a.k.a. Camp Winnaretta.
A great distance away from the gym, following a narrow and steep path beneath mountain laurels and other flora, is the tombstone of Peter Cantrell, a former Confederate soldier who was murdered by the Jordan Gang.
Gravesite of Peter Cantrell
Very interesting look back into some interesting history.
An enjoyable and informative read. I have attended Burnt Mountain Church as a visitor for years. My father has pastored the church in the past. The current church building is at least the third building on the site. I can recall going to services in the previous building, which used a wood heater in the winter. My late grandmother remembered attending service in the church building before that, which had a dirt floor.
Stay off the property.