Stone Pile Gap and a Fountain of Youth

Two hundred years ago, early explorers of the Southern Appalachians pondered the piles of stone they encountered at “all the gaps in the mountains.”

While most of those cairns have disappeared, they remain a mystery. One such rock pile has survived, though, at the middle of a highway intersection in Lumpkin County, Georgia. Where U.S. 19 and GA 60 cross, 10 miles north of Dahlonega, a state historic marker designates the grave of a Cherokee princess, Trahlyta.

As it was with other Cherokee princess legends, a thwarted romance led to a tragic ending. The Trahlyta tale has one added twist: A fountain of youth conferring ageless beauty upon those who drink its waters. Trahlyta and her people lived on nearby Cedar Mountain. The resident sorcerer, now known as the Witch of Cedar Mountain, guided Trahlyta down a winding forest path to a freshwater spring. The Witch of Cedar Mountain instructed Trahlyta to drink the water and make a wish to never grow old. “You will become more beautiful with each sip,” the witch promised Trahlyta.

Sure enough, the magical waters had the intended effect. As news of Trahlyta’s radiant beauty passed from village to village, eager suitors made their way to Cedar Mountain. Trahlyta refused them all, but the Cherokee warrior Wahsega would not take “no” for an answer. He kidnapped the princess and took her back to his home far away.

Trahlyta longed for her family and friends on Cedar Mountain and begged for her freedom, but Wahsega showed no mercy. Day by day, Trahlyta’s strength ebbed, her beauty faded and her despair deepened. Crying tears of gold, knowing the end was near, she made one final request—to be buried near her idyllic mountain home, and that passersby drop a stone on her grave for good fortune.

“The Song of Trahlyta” commemorates the princess and her dying wish: Pass not by, Stranger! Stop! Silently bare your head, drop a stone upon her grave, and make a wish straight from her heart. The Spirit of Eternal Youth and Happiness hovers near to grant the wishes of all who love the hills and valleys of her native home. 

Seekers of good fortune, dropping one rock at a time, have turned Trahlyta’s grave into a prominent landmark at Stonepile Gap. It endures thanks to another legend, that anyone taking a stone from the pile will incur the wrath of the Witch of Cedar Mountain.

The curse packs a mighty wallop, depending on who you talk to. Some say the Georgia Department of Highways set out to relocate the grave, twice, to make road construction more convenient. On both occasions, fatal accidents occurred during attempts to move the pile of rocks.  So today the roads barely skirt the memorial and the stone cairn still stands. Even without leaving their cars, travelers can chunk another stone on the pile.  Each year, hundreds do. Or they leave other tokens and trinkets to appeal to the “Spirit of Eternal Youth and Happiness.” 

But what about that fountain of youth which proved to be a mixed blessing, at best, for poor Trahlyta? The springs, now known as Porter Springs, are located about three-quarters of a mile northeast of Trahlyta’s grave. Some folks contend that Hernando de Soto heard about the fountain’s powers in 1540 and sent his conquistadors to investigate. Reports of a Spanish helmet found close by the spring have been offered as evidence of this early search for the magical waters. 

Joseph H. McKee, a Methodist preacher who also dabbled in real estate, took note of the springs in the 1860s. Upon testing the water, he found that it contained abundant quantities of therapeutic minerals. McKee publicized his findings and people seeking cures for rheumatism, dyspepsia, dropsy and other ailments flocked to Porter Springs. They would camp nearby, bathe in the waters and take home gallons of the liquid, convinced (or at least hopeful) of its healing powers.  

Before long, a hotel was constructed to accommodate the many visitors to Porter Springs, and it became a thriving resort. Around this same time the tale of Trahlyta circulated widely, adding to the allure of the mountain spa. Though the hotel burned to the ground in the early 1900s, the spring waters continue to flow. Modern explorers, inspired by a visit to the stone pile at Trahlyta’s grave, sometimes set off to find the spring and to see for themselves if its mysterious waters still provide the gift of ageless youth and beauty.

Maybe the Witch of Cedar Mountain was right. Thanks to that legendary sip from the fountain of youth, Trahlyta will always be young and beautiful in the minds of those who hear her story or add a rock to her monument at Stonepile Gap.  

About the author: Perry Eury resides in Cullowhee, North Carolina, where he gardens, hikes and photographs wildflowers.  He has a special fondness for vanished places of the Southern Appalachians, exploring the places that were, the places that never were and the places that might have been.