I was born on land that is now part of the Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. In a little log house. The house was owned by the Gibson family. J. N. Gibson and my father, Tip Yeary, used to make moonshine whiskey under a rock cliff that had a cold-water creek running alongside it. I played in the creek, trying to catch crawdads, while my mother, Mary Ellen, sat on a boulder beside the still. The Eastern park line was directly behind the house I lived in when I was a teen. I dug ginseng and trapped foxes to earn spending money. I’m the original Stone Mountain Wild Man. It’s good to see HOME again on this computer. You know, they’ve never made anything more valuable to me. With just a few clicks of buttons I can find out anything in this world I want to know. And I want to know a lot. (Can’t type well. Miss the keys, but I get there) Thank’s Charles Yeary cyeary70@yahoo.com
Sincerely,
Cumberland Gap National Historical Park
This park sits at a natural opening in the Cumberland Mountains that served as one of the earliest gateways to the West for thousands of settlers traveling across the frontier. During the Civil War, Union and Confederate soldiers vied for strategic control of gap, and several forts still exist in the park. Visitors can explore the Hensley Settlement from the early 1900s, a historic community with original, hand-hewn chestnut and oak cabins. Hikers can enjoy underground tours of the park’s impressive caves, as well as more than 85 miles of trails, including routes that lead to unique rock formations and dramatic waterfalls. The four-mile drive to Pinnacle Overlook also offers wonderful views of three states.
State(s): Kentucky Tennessee, Virginia,
Established: 1940
“I believe we need a place to meet with God where we're not about to get run over by an automobile. God painted better pictures than Rembrandt. He did it in 3-D too! Hard to beat. Sunrise in the Cumberland Mountains of Virginia is one of the most peaceful sights I'll ever see. I'm really glad they made it into a park. Open-pit coal mines have ruined the appearance of so many of those mountains I could cry. The love of money destroys so much. just KEEP ON TRUCKING. Charles Yeary cyeary70@yahoo.com”
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