Thursday (6-2-22) we traveled to Manchester, TN to visit with Karen’s niece Savana and meet her new husband Josh for the first time. The young couple were on leave from the Navy base in San Diego, CA spending time with Josh’s parents near Nashville.
We gathered at Common John Brewing Company to catch up over lunch.
My welcome at Common John’s front door was amusing and confusing.
After lunch, we all drove to nearby Old Stone Fort State Archaeological Area for a walk in the woods. Dam Falls was the first in a series of waterfalls on Duck River.
Man-made Dam Falls was lovely, but could not hold a candle to what nature had waiting for us down river.
Bluehole Falls stunned us all with it’s natural beauty.
Savana and Josh left us after Bluehole Falls. Rain was in the forecast, the sky darkened and the youngsters had family obligations back in Nashville.
Karen and I decided to soldier on to Big Falls. After the wonderful surprise Bluehole Falls brought, we were eager to see more.
Near Big Falls are the ruins of the Stone Fort Paper Company Mill built in 1879. The natural, step-down progression along Duck River drew many mills to the area over the years, but none survived.
We were still oohing, awing and taking pictures at Big Falls when it began to rain. We made a spirited walk back to the car, where our rain gear was safe and dry.
Excavation in 1966 proved the stone and earthworks, mistaken for centuries as the remains of a fort, were built approximately 30-430 AD by Native Americans of the Middle Woodland period and used for gatherings and ceremonial events. The low, earthen walls would have been impossible to defend and therefore no fort ever existed here. Because the name for the place was used for so long to designate this landmark, it will forever remain The Old Stone Fort. We plan to go back and finish our walk along the Duck River and Little Duck River to ogle the beautiful waterfalls.