One of the recent additions to Pilot Mountain State Park, is this tract which borders both the Ararat and Yadkin Rivers including the confluence. After acquiring the property, this unmarked cemetery was discovered. There appear to be about 6 graves with unmarked stones as head and foot stones. The size of these graves appears to be adult except one. Speculation is that this is a slave cemetery.
Not far from the cemetery are the remains of a home. It is just beyond the park gate and occupies a level spot with a commanding view of the large field below. The bricks I saw appear to be extruded so this home would not have been less than 100 years old.
An active railroad crosses the property. One train rambled through during my visit. I assume, the company dredging sand from the river on the adjacent property, would transport sand by rail.
I was able to pass under the railroad at this bridge which crosses over the Ararat just upriver from the confluence. However, the sandy banks are steep and there is virtually no walkable shoreline along the Yadkin. I did look downriver to see the sand dredge. Two workers paddled their way out to the dredge in a flat bottom Jon boat. They revved up the dredge engine and then departed.
Looking up the Yadkin at the confluence
After that little excursion, I walked through the upper field to a spot at which I could make my way down the much larger lower field. This field borders the Ararat and appears to have been planed in corn 2 or 3 years ago. I followed it along the river until the field ended and then I continued into the woods along the Ararat. After a few minutes, the bank got quite steep and full of Mountain Laurel, so I turned back.
There is an old farm road which leads from the park gate down to the lower field. It would be possible to develop this for access to the Ararat. Doing that would give the park a put in which could be combined with an already existing access on the South side of the Yadkin, for a river outing within the park.
Lower field bordering the Ararat (on right)
Park gate at end of road. Homesite is next to the cedar.
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