Pinnacle is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

in southwestern Stokes County, North Carolina, United States, approximately SSE of the town of Pilot Mountain, between Pilot Mountain State Park and Hanging Rock State Park.

History

File:Rock House Stokes County North Carolina.JPG, The ''Rock House'', built by Capt. 'Jack' Martin, ca. 1770 File:Window The Rock House Stokes County North Carolina.JPG, Detail of window,'' Rock House'' The town was originally known as Culler, named for Emanuel W. Culler who owned the land on which a railroad station was built and served as the town's first mayor. The present name was adopted in 1894. Pinnacle was incorporated in 1901 but the charter was repealed in 1903. Some east of Pinnacle on State Route 1186 is the '' Rock House'', the remains of a massive four-story stone structure with three-foot-thick walls built in 1770 by Capt. John 'Jack' Martin, one of the first two settlers of Stokes County, on a grant from the

Crown A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, parti ...

. Martin served in the

North Carolina House of Representatives The North Carolina House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The House is a 120-member body led by a Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives, Speaker of the House, who holds powers si ...

and as presiding judge of Stokes County court for over 30 years. The house was built by slaves using local flint stones, with a fireplace large enough to roast an ox and stuccoed white plaster on the exterior, and was used as a

blockhouse A blockhouse is a small fortification, usually consisting of one or more rooms with loopholes, allowing its defenders to fire in various directions. It is usually an isolated fort in the form of a single building, serving as a defensive stro ...

by early settlers. Colonel Martin, who was born in

Essex County, Virginia Essex County is a County (United States), county located in the Middle Peninsula in the U.S. state of Virginia; the peninsula is bordered by the Rappahannock River on the north and King and Queen County, Virginia, King and Queen County on the s ...

, and became a fierce fighter for the

Continental Continental may refer to: Places * Continental, Arizona, a small community in Pima County, Arizona, US * Continental, Ohio, a small town in Putnam County, US Arts and entertainment * ''Continental'' (album), an album by Saint Etienne * Continen ...

cause during the Revolutionary War. Targeted by Tories during and following the War, when he was badly wounded while spying for American forces on the eve of the Battle of Kings Mountain, Martin was the brother of militia General Joseph Martin, namesake of

Martinsville, Virginia Martinsville is an Political subdivisions of Virginia#Independent cities, independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 13, ...

. Col. Jack Martin saw action at the battles of Chestnut Ridge, Surrey County, Colsons, Old Fields, Alamance and Guilford Courthouse. The Rock House served as the mustering ground for colonial forces during the Revolutionary War as well as the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

. One of the oldest structures in Stokes County and listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1975, the house burned in 1890, and only the great rock walls remain. Rock House was acquired in 1975 by the Stokes County Historical Society, which has struggled recently to protect the ruins from vandals. In addition to the Rock House, the Hauser Farm was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.

Demographics

References

External links

Atlantic & Yadkin Railway
{{authority control Census-designated places in North Carolina Census-designated places in Stanly County, North Carolina Populated places established in 1894