Here's a little gazeteer of the named hills and "mountains" of modern Orange County, NC. They are listed alphabetically by name with approximate latitude and longitude, as well as a brief note on the source from which I got the name and location. Some of these names may not be that old.
If you know anything more about any of these (or if you know of ones that I missed) then please comment below.
Ball Mtn – On Duke Forest property just east of Union Grove Church Road; approx. N 35° 58’30”, W 79° 07’; 1918 Soil Map.
Big Hill – Just south of Ball Mtn, northwest of Calvander and east of Union Grove Church Road; approx. N 35° 57’, W 79° 07’; USGS.
Blackwood Mtn – Off Millhouse Road, near Orange County Landfill; approx. N 35° 55’, W 79° 05’; USGS.
Mount Bolus – On Mt Bolus Road behind Chapel Hill Police Station; name taken from Diabolus - a naughty nickname for UNC Pres. Jos. Caldwell; approx. N 35° 56’, W 79° 03’; USGS.
Chapel Hill – The hill that UNC sits atop, originally New Hope Chapel Hill; approx. N 35° 55’, W 79° 04’; USGS.
Clover Hill – Across NC86 from Mt. Bolus; approx. N 35° 56’, W 79° 03’; 1918 Topo & Battle's History.
Mt. Collier – Apparently a mistaken interpretation of McCauley Mtn; approx. N 35° 53’ 30”, W 79° 06’; 1918 Soil Map.
Collins Mtn – Close to Terrells Mtn, SSW of Carrboro; mostly in Chatham County; approx. N 35° 51’ 30”, W 79° 13’; USGS.
Couch Mtn – Off Couch Mountain Road, northeast of Carolina Friends School; approx. N 36° 01’, W 79° 00’ 30”; USGS.
Cox Mtn – Near Pleasant Green Road in Eno River State Park; approx. N 36° 05’, W 79° 01’; ERSP Website.
Crawford Mtn – On the east side of Cane Creek Reservoir; approx. N 35° 58’, W 79° 13’; USGS.
Crawford Mtn – A name sometimes (mistakenly?) applied to Mitchell Mtn; approx. N 35° 57’ 30”, W 79° 14’; 1891 Tate.
Currie Hill – Just south of Scarlett Hill, east of Old NC 86; approx. N 36° 01’, W 79° 06’; USGS.
Grampian Hills – A small range of hills leading W into McCauley Mtn; ranging approx. N 35° 56’, W 79° 03’ to N 35° 53’ 30”, W 79° 06’; 1918 Soil Map.
Gravelly Hill – Between Cheeks Crossroads and Efland; approx. N 36° 04’, W 79° 11’ 30” ; 1891 Tate.
High Hill – Off Mt. Carmel Church Rd, almost on Chatham County Line; approx. N 35° 52’, W 79° 02’; USGS.
Iron Mine Hill – W of Estes Drive Ext and Seawell School Road in Chapel Hill; present site of Ironwoods subdivision; site of former Iron Mine marked with plaque; approx. N 35° 56’, W 79° 04’; USGS.
Iron Mountain – Battle's History gives this name for Iron Mine Hill.
Iron Ore Hill – Southeast of Mt. Willing; presumably Thunder/Thompson Mtn; approx. N 35° 58’, W 79° 13’; 1891 Tate.
Laurel Hill – East of Morgan Creek, southwest of Calvander; approx. N 35° 55’, W 79° 01’; USGS.
McCauley Mtn – Just west of University Lake; approx. N 35° 53’ 30”, W 79° 06’; USGS.
Mitchell Mtn – Northwest of Cane Creek Reservoir; called Crawford Mtn. on Tate map; sometimes called Ward’s Mtn; approx. N 35° 57’ 30”, W 79° 14’; USGS.
New Hope Chapel Hill – Old name of Chapel Hill; approx. N 35° 55’, W 79° 04’; New Hope Chapel was on site of present Carolina Inn.
Nunn Mtn – Site of the water tower in northern Chapel Hill, just east of NC 86; approx. N 35° 57’ 30”, W 79° 03’; USGS.
Occoneechee Mtn – Just south of Hillsborough; approx. N 36° 03’ 30”, W 79° 07’; USGS.
Pickards Mtn – NW of Carrboro; approx. N 35° 58’, W 79° 09’; USGS.
Piney Mtn – North of New Hope Creek, near intersection of Mt. Moriah Road and Friends School Road; approx. N 35° 59’, W 79° 01’; USGS.
Piney Prospect – A point of land next to Gimghoul Castle in Chapel Hill; not really a hill unto itself; aka Point Prospect; approx. N 35° 55’, W 79° 02’; 1918 Topo.
Point Prospect – A point of land next to Gimghoul Castle also called Piney Prospect; approx. N 35° 55’, W 79° 02’; 1918 Topo.
Poplar Ridge – Off US 70A, just north of the Triangle Sportsplex; approx. N 36° 05’ 30”, W 79° 05’; USGS.
Scarlett Hill – East of Old NC 86, just south of I-40; approx. N 36° 01’ 30”, W 79° 05’ 30”; USGS.
Stony Hill – South of Lake Hogan Farms in Carrboro, just north of Homestead Road; approx. N 35° 56’ 30”, W 79° 06’ 30”; USGS.
Terrells Mtn – WSW of Carrboro; about half in Chatham County; approx. N 35° 52’, W 79° 10’; USGS.
Thompson Mtn – North of Cane Creek Reservoir; now commonly called Thunder Mountain; also once called Iron Ore Hill; approx. N 35° 58’, W 79° 13’; USGS.
Thunder Mtn – Southeast of Mt. Willing and north of Cane Creek Reservoir; aka Thompson Mtn or Iron Ore Hill; approx. N 35° 58’, W 79° 13’
Wards Mtn – Northwest of Cane Creek Reservoir; another name for Mitchell Mtn; approx. N 35° 57’ 30”, W 79° 14’; 1918 Soil Map.
Mt. Willing – N of Oaks, off Mebane-Oaks Road; approx. N 36° 00’, W 79° 15’ 30” ; 1918 Soil Map.
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Some friends and I hiked up to the top of McCauley Mtn a few days ago. Turns out that the site is owned by the Traingle Land Conservancy ( www.triangleland.org ), although they have done nothing to publicize it. I can see why they don't promote it. The site is difficult to reach and involves two rough dirt roads that cannot really handle the kind of traffic that would come if more folks knew about it.
ReplyDeleteThe view to the north was beautiful (to the south was too wooded to see much) and the very top had the ruins of an old cabin. Seems like a strange place to build a home, but maybe it was more like a retreat or hunting cabin.
The top of Mitchell Mountain has an old stone quarry on it. I assume this monadnock is named for former UNC Geology Professor Elisha Mitchell, but I don't know.
ReplyDeleteHi Mark, I just recently moved to the area and MCCauley Mtn is technically in cross-country bushwhacking distance from me. I'd like to explore it but I don't see any access areas. How did you hike it?
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