Bottomless Pools

The Bottomless Pools near Chimney Rock have long had mysteries surrounding them. Many people used to think it was an endless pit of water. However, in actuality, it is simply an unusually deep divet from the continuous whirlwind motion of water that has eroded the rock to be so deep. 1

Fig 1: Bottomless Pools

Hidden Gold

“Maybe some day somebody will stumble on the cave and its fabulous fortune in gold. But it is doubtful. For the land that can not be plowed under keeps its secrets. And this is such. A world of stone that defies the plow.” by John Parris. 2

There are myths of hidden gold being in the area of Chimney Rock. Specifically, for centuries people have searched for this fabled gold in Round Top. In certain accounts, the gold is said to belong to 18th century Englishmen who had found a gold mine and were on their way to Charleston. Before they could get there though, it has been said that people of a Cherokee tribe killed the majority of them and the gold was lost possibly with a cave. 3

Other historians believed that the gold was from Spanish conquistadors De Seto. In 1936, an article claimed that an old Spanish coin had recently been found near Lake Lure and an old fort. The finding has substantiated people’s belief that De Soto had left gold in the area. 4 However, other historians aren’t sure that conquistadors would have been so far inland. Nevertheless, it is an intriguing myth to dream about.

Figure 2: Map of Lake Lure

Ghost Stories

“Whether it’s mirage or magic, you have to agree that this land of time – sculptured rocks is one to stir the most laggard imagination” – John Parris. 5

There are many accounts of ghosts in the Chimney Rock area. These myths seem to originate from Cherokee tales of a “ghostly tribe called the Little People that ruled the cliffs and Gorges about Chimney Rock”. 6

In the early 1800s, settlers have also claimed to see sitings of creatures that seemed to rise from the ground at Chimney Rock. These creatures have been described as similar to people but were illuminated and of many different sizes. Some people have called these figures ghosts while others have called them aliens. 7

Figure 3: Chimney Rock

Fig 1: “Bottomless Pools”, n.d., Box 3, Folder 1, Scrapbook, pp 10, Morse Family Chimney Rock Collection, D. H. Ramsey Library Special Collections, University of North Carolina at Asheville, Asheville, NC.

Fig 2: “Lake Lure Map”, n.d., Box 2, Folder 10, Morse Family Chimney Rock Collection, D. H. Ramsey Library Special Collections, University of North Carolina at Asheville, Asheville, NC.

Fig 3: Nell MacCart, Chimney Rock, May 14, 2019.

  1. Old Trudge, “Oddities of Chimney Rock,” The State, July 7, 1935, Box 2, Folder 4, Morse Family Chimney Rock Collection, D.H. Ramsey Library Special Collection, University of North Carolina at Asheville, Asheville, NC
  2. John Parris, ” Fabled Treasure On Round Top Has Lured Searchers For Years,” Roaming the Mountains, 1959, Box 2, Folder 4, Morse Family Chimney Rock Collection, D.H. Ramsey Library Special Collection, University of North Carolina at Asheville, Asheville, NC
  3. John Parris, ” Fabled Treasure On Round Top Has Lured Searchers For Years,” Roaming the Mountains, 1959, Box 2, Folder 4, Morse Family Chimney Rock Collection, D.H. Ramsey Library Special Collection, University of North Carolina at Asheville, Asheville, NC
  4. D. W. Crawford, “Chimney Rock Section Is Rich in Tradition,” Asheville Citizen-Times, September 19, 1936, Box 2, Folder 4, Morse Family Chimney Rock Collection, D.H. Ramsey Library Special Collection, University of North Carolina at Asheville, Asheville, NC
  5. John Parris, “Legends Encrust Chimney Rock,” Roaming the Mountains, 1959, Box 2, Folder 4, Morse Family Chimney Rock Collection, D.H. Ramsey Library Special Collection, University of North Carolina at Asheville, Asheville, NC
  6. John Parris, “Legends Encrust Chimney Rock,” Roaming the Mountains, 1959, Box 2, Folder 4, Morse Family Chimney Rock Collection, D.H. Ramsey Library Special Collection, University of North Carolina at Asheville, Asheville, NC
  7. Old Trudge, “Oddities of Chimney Rock,” The State, July 7, 1935, Box 2, Folder 4, Morse Family Chimney Rock Collection, D.H. Ramsey Library Special Collection, University of North Carolina at Asheville, Asheville, NC