The Haw River Trail (land trail not the paddle trail) is a planned 80 mile trail from Haw River State Park to Jordan Lake State Recreation Area. About 20 miles have been completed. Much of it will also be part of the Mountains to Sea Trail. My hike today was from the Shallow Ford Natural Area, an Alamance County Park. The Haw River Trail is incorporated into the park and for about .6 mile outside the park boundary.
I located 3 homesites in the area. This one has a huge circular pit. I wondered if this might have been for a well. Artesian wells were dug in a huge cone shape and filled in after reaching the desired depth, usually 40-60 feet.
This rock lined structure was likely a dairy or ice cellar. The nearby river would have provided ice. Often the ice was insulated with hay and could last well into summer.
Another homesite
After walking along the river as far as the trail went, I backtracked to this stone structure next to the river. It is not a bridge and not a dam across the river. I walked around here for about 30 minutes during to figure out the purpose. It is possible that water was diverted from the river but for what purpose. There appears to be a channel for the water to get back into the river about 100 yards from the structure. Join me next time and we'll figure it out.
This has to be one of the most underrated trails in the area. The views along the river were quite scenic. The river is loaded with rocks. riffles, rapids and dead trees, big and small.
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