Stumphouse Mountain Tunnel
Encyclopedia
Stumphouse Mountain Tunnel in Oconee County, South Carolina is an uncompleted railroad tunnel
for the Blue Ridge Railroad of South Carolina in Sumter National Forest
. This is now a Walhalla
park which also features nearby Isaqueena Falls
.
Construction on Stumphouse tunnel began in 1856 when the George Collyer Company of London brought many Irish workers into the area for this project. Many of the workers lived in housing on top of Stumphouse mountain called Tunnel Hill. By 1859, the State of South Carolina had spent over a million dollars on the tunnel and refused to spend any more on the project, therefore the tunnel work was abandoned. The tunnel had been excavated to a length of 4,363 feet of the planned 5,863 total feet. Today, where the tunnel was meant to end on the other side of the mountain, there remains a mound of earth (intended for the railway tracks) submerged during the summer months under Crystal Lake, located just west of Highway 28.
As a part of the planned Blue Ridge Railroad, two other tunnels were begun in the 1850s and are all connected by terrain at railroad grade. Middle Tunnel, a quarter mile from Stumphouse Tunnel was successfully completed but mostly collapsed and was partially sealed off in the mid 1900's. It is only accessible by foot. Saddle Tunnel, the last of the South Carolina complex was also begun for a short distance 1.5 miles north of Middle Tunnel. Saddle is partially completed yet is mostly submerged by a small lake. Only the entrance to the tunnel is visible.
Beginning in the 1950s Stumphouse tunnel was used by Clemson University
to grow blue cheese
until the 1970s when the blue cheese operation was relocated to air-conditioned cheese ripening rooms where the tunnel environment was duplicated.
Today, Stumphouse tunnel is operated as a public park along with nearby Isaqueena Falls by the city of Walhalla
. It is open daily except Christmas Day and during inclement weather from 10am til 5pm. Inside the tunnel the temperature is a constant 50 degrees with humidity of 85%. The tunnel is easily accessible by foot, a few yards from a gravel parking lot. The structural integrity of the tunnel is solid and almost no cracking is apparent minus an enlarged vent halfway through the tunnel. In 1999 this vent was impacted by a rock slide, however in 2000 the town of Walhalla re-excavated the tunnel and safely returned it to public use.
The Stumphouse Tunnel Complex was named to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1971 - Structure - #71000793.
, Naturaland Trust, and Chattooga Conservancy has asked the City to work with them to find a conservation solution to address the City's needs and protect the property.
Tunnel
A tunnel is an underground passageway, completely enclosed except for openings for egress, commonly at each end.A tunnel may be for foot or vehicular road traffic, for rail traffic, or for a canal. Some tunnels are aqueducts to supply water for consumption or for hydroelectric stations or are sewers...
for the Blue Ridge Railroad of South Carolina in Sumter National Forest
Sumter National Forest
The Sumter National Forest is one of two forests in South Carolina that are managed together by the United States Forest Service, the other being the Francis Marion National Forest. The Sumter National Forest consists of which are divided into several non-contiguous sections in western South...
. This is now a Walhalla
Walhalla, South Carolina
Walhalla is a mountain city in Oconee County, South Carolina, United States. It is located from Clemson University in Clemson, South Carolina and is also located in the Appalachian Mountains of South Carolina. The population was 3,801 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Oconee County...
park which also features nearby Isaqueena Falls
Isaqueena Falls
Isaqueena Falls, located near Walhalla, South Carolina, is a waterfall in the Oconee District of the Sumter National Forest. The falls are named after a Cherokee girl who allegedly leaped from the top of the falls with her lover, an Oconee brave, in an attempt to hide him from the rest of her...
.
History
The tunnel was first proposed in 1835 by residents of Charleston, South Carolina as a new and shorter route for the Blue Ridge Railroad between Charleston and the Ohio river valley area which until then was only accessible by bypassing the mountains entirely to the South and then traveling up north through Georgia and middle Tennessee. In 1852, 13 miles of tunnel were proposed to cross the Blue Ridge Mountains through South Carolina, North Carolina, and into Tennessee. Construction on the railway was begun in the late 1850s and was successful through most of South Carolina until hitting the mountains around Wallhalla in Oconee County. There Stumphouse tunnel along with three other tunnels was to be built.Construction on Stumphouse tunnel began in 1856 when the George Collyer Company of London brought many Irish workers into the area for this project. Many of the workers lived in housing on top of Stumphouse mountain called Tunnel Hill. By 1859, the State of South Carolina had spent over a million dollars on the tunnel and refused to spend any more on the project, therefore the tunnel work was abandoned. The tunnel had been excavated to a length of 4,363 feet of the planned 5,863 total feet. Today, where the tunnel was meant to end on the other side of the mountain, there remains a mound of earth (intended for the railway tracks) submerged during the summer months under Crystal Lake, located just west of Highway 28.
As a part of the planned Blue Ridge Railroad, two other tunnels were begun in the 1850s and are all connected by terrain at railroad grade. Middle Tunnel, a quarter mile from Stumphouse Tunnel was successfully completed but mostly collapsed and was partially sealed off in the mid 1900's. It is only accessible by foot. Saddle Tunnel, the last of the South Carolina complex was also begun for a short distance 1.5 miles north of Middle Tunnel. Saddle is partially completed yet is mostly submerged by a small lake. Only the entrance to the tunnel is visible.
Beginning in the 1950s Stumphouse tunnel was used by Clemson University
Clemson University
Clemson University is an American public, coeducational, land-grant, sea-grant, research university located in Clemson, South Carolina, United States....
to grow blue cheese
Blue cheese
Blue cheese is a general classification of cow's milk, sheep's milk, or goat's milk cheeses that have had cultures of the mold Penicillium added so that the final product is spotted or veined throughout with blue, blue-gray or blue-green mold, and carries a distinct smell, either from that or...
until the 1970s when the blue cheese operation was relocated to air-conditioned cheese ripening rooms where the tunnel environment was duplicated.
Today, Stumphouse tunnel is operated as a public park along with nearby Isaqueena Falls by the city of Walhalla
Walhalla, South Carolina
Walhalla is a mountain city in Oconee County, South Carolina, United States. It is located from Clemson University in Clemson, South Carolina and is also located in the Appalachian Mountains of South Carolina. The population was 3,801 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Oconee County...
. It is open daily except Christmas Day and during inclement weather from 10am til 5pm. Inside the tunnel the temperature is a constant 50 degrees with humidity of 85%. The tunnel is easily accessible by foot, a few yards from a gravel parking lot. The structural integrity of the tunnel is solid and almost no cracking is apparent minus an enlarged vent halfway through the tunnel. In 1999 this vent was impacted by a rock slide, however in 2000 the town of Walhalla re-excavated the tunnel and safely returned it to public use.
The Stumphouse Tunnel Complex was named to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1971 - Structure - #71000793.
Current
A developer has proposed in January 2007 to purchase the property from the City of Walhalla to create a new development. A conservation partnership that includes Upstate Forever, The Nature ConservancyThe Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy is a US charitable environmental organization that works to preserve the plants, animals, and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive....
, Naturaland Trust, and Chattooga Conservancy has asked the City to work with them to find a conservation solution to address the City's needs and protect the property.