Devil's Courthouse
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| Devil's Courthouse | |
|---|---|
 Devil's Courthouse as seen from the scenic overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway |
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| Elevation | 5,720 feet (1,743 m) |
| Location | Transylvania County, North Carolina, USA |
| Range | Appalachian Mountains |
| Coordinates | |
| Topo map | USGS Sam Knob |
Devil's Courthouse is (1)great overhang of Whiteside Mountain, which has a road to the top,between Cashiers and Highlands, North Carolina and the Georgia border. From the top edge of the overhang it is a straight 3000-4000 foot drop to the valley floor below. From the Mountain top itself one can view several States. A foot trail leads off the Road to the top of the Mountain to the Court House. This feature is often confused with the one below but they are some 30 miles at least apart--one is near the Blue Ridge Parkway and this one is just off 64. The Park Service since the 1980s has tried to restrict access to it and allowed the trail to it to grow over because of dangers of not only getting to it but one in a stong wind could cause someone to be blown off of it. They also did not want accidents from paragliding and similar activities taking place from the Mountain or from the Courthouse. The overhang itself is a small platform less than 7 feet in what would be it's diameter connected to Whiteside as if it were a cantilever. Similar overhangs can be found on the Applachian Trail. The overhang edge has carved into it a message which supposedly says that De Soto was here and supposedly carved by his men who alledgely threw over thier crippled sick horses here as well as someone who was giving De Soto trouble and alledgely De Soto held Court and determined that the man should be executed by being thrown off what is called today Devil's Courthouse. It is dangerous to try to read the carved letters which are less than an inch from the drop off point of the bottom letters and in the 1950s only a small child can even get close to the letters without falling off. The letters must be safely viewed upside down with a mirror or a running mini-video camera attached to a long pole or some sort of robot--- besides rattlesnake trails have been seen here. The best way to see the letters is by helicopter and even then they are difficult to see.
There are two legends about this Whiteside Mountain feature---the one below regarding the Cherokee and the one about De Soto which has been described above and next. A legend about the carving by Desoto has persisted for many years and even got into some otherwise reputable history texts used in Schools; however, it was proven a hoax and was carved by some boys around 1926 when there was probally much more of the overhang than there is today (2007). This terrain is just too rough for Man and Horse to get through by climbing up straight up sheer walls and over Mountains especially when one considers the straight almost vertical walls of the Blue Ridge escarpment as well as the Gorge in this area for De Soto to have come through here in a time when there were no roads and only pathways or no pathways at all. De Soto's most likely route took him through the Cumberland Gap from South Carolina. (2) a mountain in the Appalachian Mountains of western North Carolina in the United States of America. The mountain is located at the Western edge of the Pisgah National Forest about 10 miles (16 kilometers) northwest of Brevard and 28 miles (45 kilometers) southwest of Asheville. Located at milepost 422.4 of the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Devil's Courthouse has a moderate/strenuous trail climbing a half mile to its peak where panoramic views can be seen.
Cherokee lore says that Judaculla, a slant eyed giant, dwells in its cave. Folk tales say that the devil holds court in the chambers of the cave.
