Brasstown Bald, Georgia
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Brasstown Bald is the highest point in the U.S. state of
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
. It is located in the northeastern part of the state in the
Blue Ridge Mountains The Blue Ridge Mountains are a Physiographic regions of the United States, physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Highlands range. The mountain range is located in the Eastern United States and extends 550 miles southwest from southern ...
on the border between
Towns A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
and Union counties south of the city of
Hiawassee Hiawassee is the county seat of Towns County, Georgia, United States. The population was 981 at the 2020 census. Its name is derived from the Cherokee—or perhaps Creek—word ''Ayuhwasi'', which means meadow, (A variant spelling, "Hiwassee, ...
. The mountain is known to the native
Cherokee The Cherokee (; , or ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, they were concentrated in their homelands, in towns along river valleys of what is now southwestern ...
people as Enotah.


Description

The name in English is derived from a mistaken translation of the term for the nearby Cherokee village of Brasstown, located along the upper Brasstown Creek (named in English from the same error) feeding the
Hiawassee River The Hiwassee River is a river in the states of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee. It originates from a spring on the north slope of Rocky Mountain (Georgia), Rocky Mountain in Towns County, Georgia, Towns County in n ...
. Immediately north of the mountain and across the state line with
North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...
are other places named by English settlers: Brasstown, a community in the Brasstown
township A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...
of
Clay County, North Carolina Clay County is a county located in the far western part of U.S. state North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 11,089. The county seat is Hayesville. History Early inhabitants The area that became Clay County has lo ...
. Brasstown Bald encompasses
Towns A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
and Union counties with the county line intersecting the peak. The mountain is part of the
Blue Ridge Mountains The Blue Ridge Mountains are a Physiographic regions of the United States, physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Highlands range. The mountain range is located in the Eastern United States and extends 550 miles southwest from southern ...
(part of the
Appalachian Mountains The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, are a mountain range in eastern to northeastern North America. The term "Appalachian" refers to several different regions associated with the mountain range, and its surrounding terrain ...
) and within the borders of the Blue Ridge Ranger District of the
Chattahoochee National Forest The Chattahoochee River () is a river in the Southeastern United States. It forms the southern half of the Alabama and Georgia border, as well as a portion of the Florida and Georgia border. It is a tributary of the Apalachicola River, a rela ...
. The mountain consists mostly of
soapstone Soapstone (also known as steatite or soaprock) is a talc-schist, which is a type of metamorphic rock. It is composed largely of the magnesium-rich mineral talc. It is produced by dynamothermal metamorphism and metasomatism, which occur in sub ...
and
dunite Dunite (), also known as olivinite (not to be confused with the mineral olivenite), is an intrusive igneous rock of ultramafic composition and with phaneritic (coarse-grained) texture. The mineral assemblage is greater than 90% olivine, wit ...
. On a clear day it is possible to see the tallest buildings of
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
, some 85 miles away from the summit. The
U.S. Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands covering of land. The major divisions of the agency are the Chief's ...
has
webcam A webcam is a video camera which is designed to record or stream to a computer or computer network. They are primarily used in Videotelephony, video telephony, live streaming and social media, and Closed-circuit television, security. Webcams can b ...
s atop the
observation tower An observation tower is a tower used to view events from a long distance and to create a full 360 degree range of vision to conduct long distance observations. Observation towers are usually at least tall and are made from stone, iron, and woo ...
and a
RAWS The Remote Automatic Weather Stations (RAWS) system is a network of automated weather stations run by the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and monitored by the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), mainly to observe ...
weather station A weather station is a facility, either on land or sea, with instruments and equipment for measuring atmosphere of Earth, atmospheric conditions to provide information for weather forecasting, weather forecasts and to study the weather and clima ...
further down the mountain. The public can drive to a parking lot from the top via
Georgia State Route 180 Spur State Route 180 (SR 180) is a state highway in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. Its routing is located within portions of Union and Towns counties. Route description SR 180 begins at an intersection with SR& ...
and then continue to the summit via a shuttle bus or a short hike on a paved trail.


History

According to the two Georgia
historical marker A commemorative plaque, or simply plaque, or in other places referred to as a historical marker, historic marker, or historic plaque, is a plate of metal, ceramic, stone, wood, or other material, bearing text or an image in relief, or both, ...
s, the area surrounding Brasstown Bald was settled by the
Cherokee The Cherokee (; , or ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, they were concentrated in their homelands, in towns along river valleys of what is now southwestern ...
people. English-speaking settlers derived the word "Brasstown" from a translation error of the Cherokee word for its village place. Settlers confused the word ''Itse'yĭ'' (meaning "New Green Place" or "Place of Fresh Green"), which the Cherokee used for their village, with ''Ûňtsaiyĭ'' ("brass"), and referred to the settlement as Brasstown. The Cherokee gave the locative name, ''Itse'yĭ'', to several distinct areas in their territory, including an area nearby in what is considered present-day North Carolina. According to Cherokee legend about ''Itse'yĭ'', a great flood swept over the land. All the people died except a few Cherokee families who sought refuge in a giant
canoe A canoe is a lightweight, narrow watercraft, water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using paddles. In British English, the term ' ...
. The canoe ran aground at the summit of a forested mountain (now known as Enotah). As there was no
wild game Game or quarry is any wild animal hunted for animal products (primarily meat), for recreation (" sporting"), or for trophies. The species of animals hunted as game varies in different parts of the world and by different local jurisdictions, t ...
for the people to hunt and no place for them to plant crops, the
Great Spirit The Great Spirit is an omnipresent supreme life force, generally conceptualized as a supreme being or god, in the traditional religious beliefs of many, but not all, indigenous cultures in Canada and the United States. Interpretations of it v ...
killed all the trees on the top of the mountain so that the surviving people could plant crops. They continued planting and lived from their crops until the water subsided. Other transliterated spellings of the Cherokee name for the mountain include ''Echia,'' ''Echoee,'' ''Etchowee'', and ''Enotah.'' The term "
Bald Hair loss, also known as alopecia or baldness, refers to a loss of hair from part of the head or body. Typically at least the head is involved. The severity of hair loss can vary from a small area to the entire body. Inflammation or scarring ...
" is common terminology in the southern Appalachians describing mountaintops that have 360-degree unobstructed views. Former Georgia Supreme Court Judge Thomas S. Candler is memorialized with a stone monument at Brasstown Bald. It was erected in 1971 three months before he died in recognition of his efforts to support getting more visitors to the mountain and establishing a visitor center there for them.


Distances to summit

From the northeast, starting at the intersection of Owl Creek Road and the Unicol Turnpike (
concurrent Concurrent means happening at the same time. Concurrency, concurrent, or concurrence may refer to: Law * Concurrence, in jurisprudence, the need to prove both ''actus reus'' and ''mens rea'' * Concurring opinion (also called a "concurrence"), a ...
Georgia 17 State Route 17 (SR 17) is a state highway that travels northwest–southeast in the east-central and northeastern parts of the U.S. state of Georgia. The highway connects the Savannah metro area to the North Carolina state line, no ...
and
Georgia 75 Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of peo ...
) near
Mountain Scene A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher t ...
, the climb is long, gaining , an average 6.3%
grade Grade most commonly refers to: * Grading in education, a measurement of a student's performance by educational assessment (e.g. A, pass, etc.) * A designation for students, classes and curricula indicating the number of the year a student has reach ...
. From the southeast, starting at the intersection of Georgia 180 and Georgia 17/75 near Sooky Gap, the climb is long, gaining , an average of 5.8% grade. From the west, starting at the intersection of Georgia 180 and Richard B. Russell Scenic Highway ( Georgia 348) near Choestoe, the climb is , gaining , an average of 6.0% grade. From the intersection of Route 180 and Route 180 Spur at Jacks Gap the climb is at an average gradient of 11.2%, (height gain: ). An additional route to the summit is the Wagon Train Trail, starting at Young Harris College. The trail is traditionally hiked by graduating students and their families on the evening before graduation; a
vespers Vespers /ˈvɛspərz/ () is a Christian liturgy, liturgy of evening prayer, one of the canonical hours in Catholic (both Latin liturgical rites, Latin and Eastern Catholic liturgy, Eastern Catholic liturgical rites), Eastern Orthodox, Oriental O ...
service is held at the summit.


Biodiversity

Brasstown Bald is the only known location of the isopod '' Ligidium enotahensis''.


Tour de Georgia

In the 2005 through 2008 editions of the
Tour de Georgia The Tour de Georgia was a U.S. professional road cycling stage race across the state of Georgia. The race began in 2003 and was contested six times until 2008. It was one of the three events in North America ranked as Hors Classe ( 2.HC) stage ra ...
, a long-distance bicycle race, Brasstown Bald was the site of an ''hors categorie'' "King of the Mountains stage" finish.


Broadcasting

NOAA Weather Radio NOAA Weather Radio (NWR), also known as NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards, is an automated 24-hour network of Very high frequency, VHF Frequency modulation, FM weather radio stations in the United States which broadcast weather information direct ...
station KXI22 transmits from atop the mountain,
simulcasting Simulcast (a portmanteau of "simultaneous broadcast") is the broadcasting of programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simultaneously) ...
with KXI75 from
Blue Ridge, Georgia Blue Ridge is a city in Fannin County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 1,253. The city is the county seat of Fannin County and the largest city in the county. History Prior t ...
. The programming originates from NWSFO Peachtree City.
Georgia Public Broadcasting Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB) is a state network of PBS member television stations and NPR member radio stations serving the U.S. state of Georgia. It is operated by the Georgia Public Telecommunications Commission, an agency of the ...
had or has construction permits from the
Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, internet, wi-fi, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains j ...
(FCC) for two low-power
broadcast translator A broadcast relay station, also known as a satellite station, relay transmitter, broadcast translator (U.S.), re-broadcaster (Canada), repeater (two-way radio) or complementary station (Mexico), is a broadcast transmitter which repeats (or tran ...
stations at the summit. The
digital TV Digital television (DTV) is the transmission of television signals using digital encoding, in contrast to the earlier analog television technology which used analog signals. At the time of its development it was considered an innovative adv ...
station on channel 12 ( W25FP-D, licensed December 2009) is the direct replacement for
analog TV Analog television is the original television technology that uses analog signals to transmit video and audio. In an analog television broadcast, the brightness, colors and sound are represented by amplitude, phase and frequency of an analog ...
station W04BJ in nearby Young Harris, and also covers for
W50AB Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB) is a state network of PBS member television stations and NPR member radio stations serving the U.S. state of Georgia. It is operated by the Georgia Public Telecommunications Commission, an agency of the Geo ...
in nearby
Hiawassee Hiawassee is the county seat of Towns County, Georgia, United States. The population was 981 at the 2020 census. Its name is derived from the Cherokee—or perhaps Creek—word ''Ayuhwasi'', which means meadow, (A variant spelling, "Hiwassee, ...
(both to the north). New station WBTB FM 90.3 will transmit at just 97 watts, equivalent to several hundred watts because of the
height above average terrain Height above average terrain (HAAT), or (less popularly) effective height above average terrain (EHAAT), is the vertical position of an antenna site above the surrounding landscape. HAAT is used extensively in FM radio and television, as it is ...
of over 700 meters, or more than 2,300 feet. Both stations will have Young Harris as the
city of license In U.S., Canadian, and Mexican broadcasting, a city of license or community of license is the community that a radio station or television station is officially licensed to serve by that country's broadcast regulator. In North American broadcast ...
.


Images

Image:Brasstown_Bald_Historical_Marker_-1.JPG, Georgia Historical Marker #1 Image:GA180spur.jpg, Approaching Brasstown Bald Image:Brasstown Bald Visit.jpg, Aerial view of Brasstown Bald Image:BrasstownBald picnic.jpg, Picnic area at Brasstown Bald Image:Brasstown Bald North View.jpg, Viewing North Carolina from Brasstown Bald Image:BrasstownBald South.jpg, Looking south from Brasstown Bald Image:Northern Sunset View from Brasstown Bald.jpg, Northern Sunset View from Brasstown Bald Image:Brasstown Bald Parking.jpg, Brasstown Bald Parking as seen from Summit Image:Road to Brasstown Summit.jpg, Road leading up to Brasstown Bald Summit Image:Brasstown Bald Viewing Tower.jpg, Brasstown Bald Viewing Tower Image:View from Brasstown Bald in February.jpg, View from Brasstown Bald in February Image:Atlanta and Sawnee Mountain viewed from Brasstown Bald.jpg,
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
and
Sawnee Mountain Sawnee Mountain is a low mountain between the piedmont and Appalachian foothills of the U.S. state of Georgia, north of Atlanta. Average rainfall/46.26in/yr/ average snowfall/5.7in/yr/. The name Sawnee Mountain actually refers to the entire ri ...
viewed from Brasstown Bald Image:Mountain Top Sunset View (Brasstown Bald, GA).jpg, Mountaintop View at Sunset


See also

*
Brasstown Valley Resort Brasstown Valley Resort & Spa is a 134 room resort on just north of Young Harris, Georgia, surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains at elevation. The resort was built and opened in April 1995. It was a $27 million project which is privately ope ...
*
Brasstown Wilderness The Brasstown Wilderness was designated in 1986 and currently consists of . The Wilderness is located within the borders of the Chattahoochee National Forest in Union County and Towns County, Georgia. The Wilderness is managed by the United Sta ...
*
List of U.S. states by elevation A list is a set of discrete items of information collected and set forth in some format for utility, entertainment, or other purposes. A list may be memorialized in any number of ways, including existing only in the mind of the list-maker, but ...


References


External links


Georgia's Named Summits



Georgia peaks over 4,000 feet

NWR coverage map for KXI22
{{Authority control Mountains of Georgia (U.S. state) Protected areas of Towns County, Georgia Protected areas of Union County, Georgia Highest points of U.S. states Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest Appalachian balds Mountains of Towns County, Georgia Mountains of Union County, Georgia One-thousanders of the United States