J. P. McKelvey
The 1.6 billion year old Pilot Mountain appears like a sailing ship on the ocean in the Piedmont of North Carolina. This landmark has been dubbed the 'great guide.' From the top of the Big Pinnacle at Pilot Mountain State Park you can see an unobstructed view of three thousand square miles. It was an important smoke signal location during the day and fire beacon at night for the twelve Native American tribes of North Carolina known to traverse the region.This recognized Natural National Landmark has been called a Natural Curiosity.You may know it by the fictionalized name of Mount Pilot often mentioned on the Andy Griffith Show. President Thomas Jefferson’s dad, surveyor Peter Jefferson, labeled it both Stonehead Mountain and Mount Ararat on the popular real-life Joshua Fry- Peter Jefferson map in 1752. That map was printed in England and used by the early settlers because of its extraordinary attention to the details of the landscape. Indeed, it is almost guaranteed you will find the truth is far stranger than fiction in this well documented/footnoted history of Pilot Mountain State Park. This truth found for the book came from distant sources so even a local expert might find a new truth about the mountain not known before.Things you will learn and view with both modern and historic images in this book:You will take a fascinating private guided tour of the mountain with the grandchildren of the last owner of the mountain, Pearle Beasley, for the entire first chapter of the book. There is enough information in this first chapter to give your own family and friends an informed tour of the mountain that was known as Mount Pilot on the Andy Griffith Show.Pilot Mountain State Park features a pyramid from one perspective that is roughly three times the size of the Great Pyramid in Giza. It might be the only pyramid on earth where you can drive your car most of the way to the top. Walking the trails you see the view of the 99% pure crystal top made of quartzite. You can actually put your hands on the truncated apex of the pyramid at Pilot Mountain State Park.Stone faces are found on nearly all the trails of Pilot Mountain State Park. Some can only be seen from nearly a mile away because they are so large. The unique geology makes it difficult to tell if the stone faces are natural or man-made? Is it the Mt. Rushmore of the Native American Mound Culture that descriptively called it Stonehead Mountain in oral history and on the first detailed map by Fry and Jefferson?There is an interesting phenomena that happens at sunset on the equinox that reminds the viewer of the stairway shadow of Chichen Itza in the Yucatan.Journals written within a dozen miles of the mountain since 1753 were published in German and are now available in English. They describe the Pilot Mountain State Park neighborhood well. The second chapter is mainly from the Moravian perspective.The interesting lives and unique stories of the previous private owners of Pilot Mountain are featured in the book.Do you know the card game, 'Seven Up'? That game plays an important role in the history of Pilot Mountain State ParkIf you are one of the travelers who have gone by this amazing landmark your entire life wondering about it with each pass on U.S. Route 52, this book is for you. These pages will help orient you and point out amazing features to look for on your first visit. You will appreciate the spiritual beauty and ancestry of this beloved North Carolina landmark. Begin your journey into the deep mysteries by reading the book and then visiting Pilot Mountain State Park in person.
