Jan 29 Hannah Creek's Dam

 

I did not intend to visit Hannah Creek's dam today but ended up here due to going the wrong way on Plantation Road. My original plan was to look for homesites and Old Jim's grave. Never heard of Old Jim? I didn't know either until I saw an old Joe Moffitt map with "Old Jim's grave" on it. I don't know who Old Jim was. Maybe just a dog? However, it was a good enough excuse to go out and look. Starting at Robbins Branch trailhead and proceeding to Hannah Creek trail and finally the old UT route now just a manway. Where the manway connects to the Birkhead Mountain trail, I located two chimney falls.

I searched around both for any ancillary buildings or other things of interest. I only found some piles of stones, not stackable. 

Here is a very large three trunked Tuliptree right in a stone wall. I knew I was near Hannah Creek, so I headed down.

Just before reaching Hannah Creek, I began following some red flagging and crossed this picturesque tributary. The flagging took me across Hannah Creek and another 1/4 mile before ending. I felt I was close to the private property, it was appropriate to turn around and get back to Hannah Creek. Finding a spot to cross is usually difficult but as soon as I came upon the creek, there was a creative rock hop. Bushwhacking up from the creek I came upon Plantation Road. Knowing where I was, I promptly turned the wrong way and ended up back at the creek right by the dam.

Joe Moffitt's book says the Binghams had a mill here. It looks like classic detention dam, so no mill. There is a rock wall on both sides, nothing in the middle. The walls are constructed with the highest point on the down creek side, sloping downward on the up creek side. The ford was just down creek. I'm not aware of any other dams on Hannah Creek but I have not followed it on private land once it leaves the national forest and empties into the Uwharrie River. There is a large pile of rock creekside in the horseshoe by Bingham Graveyard but it does not have a "dam" shape and is only on one side. 

You don't see this often

After climbing on the dam, I headed back up Plantation Road back to the Birkhead trails.