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The tunnel at Stumphouse Park began in 1853 as part of a railroad line to Ohio. The project was abandoned after six years of work.
Photo by Keith Phillips
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Adventurous hikers can follow a rugged trail to the base of the falls. Most people opt to view the falls from an observation platform at the top.
Photo by Matthew Franklin Carter
Editor’s note: With South Carolina still in the grip of the COVID-19 pandemic, please check with the City of Walhalla at (864) 638-4343 before visiting, and follow current health recommendations to stop the spread of the coronavirus. For updates on the pandemic, visit scdhec.gov/covid19.
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Dark green moss drips off the jagged base of the mountainside leading to Stumphouse Tunnel.
A thick canopy of trees frames the rounded arch of the 25-foot-tall entrance, and a wave of cool, damp mountain air hits you before the abandoned railroad tunnel comes fully into view.
Stumphouse Tunnel is a relic of the past, tucked inside Stumphouse Park just north of downtown Walhalla. The tunnel was intended to be part of the Blue Ridge Railroad, a route linking Charleston to Cincinnati, Ohio. Construction began in late 1853, and for six years, a team of 1,500 Irish immigrants used hand drills, chisels, hammers and black powder to drill through a wall of solid blue granite. It was slow and intense labor; at peak manpower, workers were only able to progress around 200 feet a month. The railroad abandoned the tunnel in 1859 when funding ran out.
The temperature inside the tunnel remains at a cool 50 degrees with 85% humidity year-round. In the 1940s, a Clemson University professor realized the tunnel’s conditions made it an ideal spot for molding cheese. Thus, Clemson Blue Cheese was born. Production of the cheese continues today, but the tunnel hasn’t been used for that purpose since 1955.
Visitors armed with flashlights can explore about 1,600 feet of this curious landmark that has been a local playground for generations, says Walhalla native Misty Price.
“My grandpa would take me to the tunnel all the time when I was a kid,” Price says. “We would just run around and have a blast.”
The 440-acre Stumphouse Park, operated by the City of Walhalla, is also home to the impressive Issaqueena Falls and newly expanded hiking and mountain biking trails that link to the Upstate portions of the cross-state Palmetto Trail.
Local legend says the waterfall was named after Issaqueena, the daughter of a Native American chief. She fell in love with a white settler, and together, the pair fled the persecution of those who did not approve of their relationship. During the pursuit, Issaqueena poised over the falls and leaped into the water to escape her pursuers.
The upper observation deck is a short quarter-mile hike down a gently sloping path, and a more strenuous trail leads adventure seekers to the base of the falls. Everyone in town seems to have their own version of the story behind the romantic spot, and even if it’s only a legend, visitors like Jared Ketterman don’t seem to mind.
“It’s a living piece of history,” he says of the tunnel and the falls. “We’re lucky to have it in our backyard.”
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Get There
Stumphouse Park, including Issaqueena Falls and Stumphouse Mountain Bike Park, is located at Stumphouse Park Road, off Hwy. 28, about six miles north of Walhalla.
Normal hours: Open daily during daylight hours.
Admission: Free for Walhalla residents; $5 parking fee for all others. Annual passes can be purchased at Walhalla City Hall for $25 (Oconee County residents) or $35 for all others.
Details: (864) 638-4343; cityofwalhalla.com and visitoconeesc.com/stumphouse-park.