Woodall Mountain

Woodall Mountain
Elevation 807 ft (246 m)[1]
Prominence 296 ft (90 m)[2]
Listing U.S. state high point
Location
Woodall Mountain

Tishomingo County, Mississippi, U.S.

Range Southwest Appalachian Mountains
Coordinates 34°47′16″N 88°14′30″W / 34.787739928°N 88.241629444°WCoordinates: 34°47′16″N 88°14′30″W / 34.787739928°N 88.241629444°W[1]
Topo map USGS Iuka

Woodall Mountain is the highest natural point in the state of Mississippi at 807 feet (246 m). It is located just off Mississippi Highway 25, south of Iuka. The summit is marked with a National Geodetic Survey triangulation station disk and three radio towers. A sign cautions visitors to prepare for a steep, unpaved, and rocky inclined road approximately a mile in length to the summit.

Atop the hill there is a bench, a high point register, and a gravel circle allowing parking room for several vehicles. Until 1998, an observation tower stood atop the hill in the middle of the gravel circle. A climb to the top gave an encompassing view of the surrounding area, and was an excellent vantage point to watch the town of Iuka’s fireworks displays. By the time of the tower's removal in 1998, some steps up the tower had rotted and the tower itself showed signs of age.

The height of Woodall Mountain is often lampooned by locals. Some nearby stores sell souvenir T-shirts with the phrase "Ski Woodall". However, the mountain does rise prominently above the surrounding terrain, is visible for several miles, and provides a good view of the surrounding countryside.

The Tupelo-based bluegrass band The Woodall Mountain Boys took their name from the mountain.

History

Woodall Mountain was originally called Yow Hill.[3] It was the scene of fighting during the American Civil War. On September 19, 1862, the Battle of Iuka took place there. Union General William Rosecrans occupied the mountain and used it to launch artillery barrages on the town of Iuka, then under the control of General Sterling Price. The battle was a victory for the Union, although Price slipped away.[3]

Summit area of Woodall Mountain

The mountain was named after Zephaniah Woodall, who bought the mountain and surrounding land in 1884.[3]

Woodall Mountain, highest point in Mississippi, U.S., reaching an elevation of 806 feet (246 metres) above sea level. It lies in Tishomingo county in the extreme northeastern part of the state, just southwest of Iuka in the westernmost foothills of the southern Appalachians. During the American Civil War it was the site of the Battle of Iuka (September 19, 1862), at which a Union force under General William S. Rosecrans was initially repulsed by Confederates under General Sterling Price near its base. It is thought to be named for Zephaniah H. Woodall, a former sheriff of Tishomingo county.

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Knob Reset". NGS data sheet. U.S. National Geodetic Survey. Retrieved 2012-10-17.
  2. ↑ "Woodall Mountain, Mississippi". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2012-10-17.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Howell, Elmo (1998). Mississippi Back Roads: Notes on Literature and History. Roscoe Langford. p. 140. ISBN 0962202665.

External links

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