Stumphouse Tunnel, Walhalla, South Carolina

“There is a light at the end of every tunnel. Some tunnels just happen to be longer than others.”

Ada Adams

Feeling a little stir crazy, we decided to take a ride to the mountains. It was a beautiful day for a ride so we decided to go to Stumphouse Tunnel which we had seen before but it had been years. The added benefit of going there was we could also check out Issaqueena Falls which was in the same park. Since Joe enjoys driving and I enjoy riding, it made the almost three hour distance to our destination no problem. Driving through the magnificent South Carolina countryside was a joy as always. We drove up route 28 most of the way and enjoyed seeing large tracts of farmland, new and old barns, farmhouses that were very much lived in and loved, and lots of farm animals. As we drove by one farm, I noted to Joe, “Look, the cows are even social distancing,” as they were all standing at least 6 feet apart. There is nothing like getting out in God’s country and seeing the opens spaces as well as the small rural one light towns.

When we entered the city of Walhalla, South Carolina, which is the county seat of Oconee County and borders the Blue Ridge Mountains. It is considered the “main street to the mountains.” Along the main street, we saw all 2020 high school senior pictures hanging proudly from the light posts. They raise some good looking children in this part of Upstate South Carolina. We didn’t see any restaurants that were open for inside dining so we didn’t stop on our way to the mountains. We passed a Fried Chicken Restaurant that the line was incredibly long for take out. At first we thought it must be the only restaurant in town, but later saw that there were other places open for take out. They must serve some really good chicken. We continued on, passing another small restaurant at the base of the mountain that was full of bikers and decided against stopping there as they were not social distancing in that place.

A little further down the road, the road starting winding up and around the mountain. The Blue Ridge Mountains appeared remarkably blue and clear. The views of the mountains were spectacular as we breathed in the fresh mountain air. The road curved this way and that way, round and round till we were near the top of the mountain. We saw the sign for Stumphouse Tunnel about seven miles outside of town, so we pulled into the Walhalla City Park, a 42 acre park. We trudged up the steep short hill to the level where the tunnel is on. It is a short walk from the parking lot but as you get older it’s not as easy as it was some years ago when we were there before and a few pounds lighter. Stumphouse is an odd name and the legend states it may have been named because a Cherokee woman, named Isaaqueena, lived on this mountain with her white husband since both had been rejected by their own people. It was said they lived in either a large hollow tree or stumphouse or a home built of a log on top of stumps.

As soon as we crested the hill - there is was. The tunnel looked amazing. Walking up to the tunnel, it appeared as a black hole surrounded by granite rocks with greenery all around it. We walked in and let our eyes adjust to the blackness. We could only see a short distance in front of us as it was near pitch black except for an occasional flashlight or flash when pictures were taken. This tunnel was built as a means to make a shorter route for the Blue Ridge Railroad to go between Charleston and the Ohio River Valley. John C. Calhoun originally proposed this rail line back in the 1830’s wanting it to connect Anderson, South Carolina with Knoxville, Tennessee but it took till 1852 till they got the proposal passed, which was two years after his death. At that time, they proposed to build 13 miles of tunnels that would include Stumphouse and two other tunnels.

As we walked into the dark abyss, we saw there was water on both sides of a path that lead us into the tunnel. We heard the drips of water falling around us in puddles as we silently headed farther in. Looking at the walls you could see where the workers, mostly Irish Immigrants worked tirelessly blasting and drilling using hand tools, hammers, chisels and black powder. 500 men labored twelve hour days getting paid only $1.19 to $1.68 at day. They chiseled through the solid blue granite till this tunnel was 17’ wide and 25’ tall and made their way 1,617 feet into the mountain. Had the workers been able to finish, it would have been the longest tunnel in the United States.

The workers all lived above the tunnel in a town they named Tunnel Hill. It was said to be a violent town with primitive conditions. The single men lived in boarding shelters or shanties while the married men lived in primitive cabins built with flimsy wooden framed structures. It was excessively cold up on the mountain so living conditions were rough. There was also a schoolhouse, Catholic Church, post office and several saloons located in Tunnel Town.

They didn’t get to finish the project because by 1859, the state of South Carolina had all ready spent over a million dollars and didn’t want to spend anymore, so the tunnel was abandoned. Ten workers died during the excavation of the mountain. They tried to get the project finished at later dates, but couldn’t get the interest or funds needed. The two other tunnels, Middle tunnel which is a quarter mile from Stumphouse was completed but is now mostly collapsed and has been partially sealed since the mid 1900’s and can now be only seen by foot. Saddle Tunnel which is about 1.5 miles from Middle tunnel was partially completed but is now mostly submerged by a small lake.

We walked until we could go now further. At the end of the walking area, we reached a brick wall that had a gate at the 550 foot mark. The rest of the tunnel was closed in 2009 after several boulders fell from the ceiling and was deemed unsafe. The rest of tunnel is checked regularly and the tunnel is solid with almost no cracking. Clemson University had bought the property back in 1940’s and for a while used the tunnel to cure the Blue Cheese. They made it on campus and would cart the cheese a mere 30 miles to Stumphouse Tunnel, which they found it had the perfect environment for curing the cheese with the temperature staying at a steady 50 degrees with 85% humidity. At one point they had over 2500 pounds of Blue Cheese being cured here. In the 1970’s they moved the production to Clemson University where they duplicated the process using air conditioning.

Walking back out of the tunnel, you could see dips and puddles on the walkway created by the dripping water from the humidity of the tunnel. How fascinating to see this tunnel to nowhere and how sad for the workers who slaved so hard to try to complete this task and not be able to finish the project. The sun shone in from the face of the tunnel bringing light into part of the tunnel and we saw a sea of green from outside the tunnel. The air that blew in was slightly warmer than the inside air and felt great. Stepping out in the sunshine, the trees stood a gallant watch over us. On the same level as the tunnel, they have a railroad cart on display.

Next to the tunnel is a natural rock wall that people climb up with a small waterfall on the side of it. On the top of the mountain, the only remain from the Tunnel Town is a foundation of one of the homes. There were many people climbing this steep wall including a poor dog that climbed up fine but was scared to death to come back down. They had to get help from their friends to bring the poor pup down.

Walhalla City Park was very nice with a lovely pond with a gazebo and a gorgeous stream flowing through the park. There were picnic tables throughout the park and many people were spending the day outside and having a picnic lunch. There was also a nice picnic shelter overlooking the pond. The park had plenty of birds and plant diversity to see along with seeing the bright new green leaves on the trees this spring. It was a lovely day there with bright blue clear skies and cool weather.

This historic site was worth the trip. I know of no other place with a tunnel that leads to nowhere. We enjoyed the beautiful flora and fauna of the area. The workmanship of this tunnel is something to behold. The park is open daily except Christmas day and during inclement weather. We recommend seeing this historic site. Till next time. Bye for now.