Rutherford Trace Route 2

William Moore Stop to Pigeon River

Taking the Trace

If you are taking the Cherokee Tour and want to follow the army’s path more closely, follow these directions instead of your mapping app.

Please see our Hurricane Helene page about likely impacts to these directions from the 2024 floods.

Directions

From the William Moore Homesite and Grave:

  1. Photo of a large tree in winter in front of a pasture, with a road passing on the left and a historical sign on the right
    The Osborne Boundary Oak Tree (AmRevNC photograph)

    Drive west (downhill) 0.3 miles on Sand Hill Road to where it appears to end at Sardis Road.

  2. Turn right to stay on Sand Hill Road (NC 112).
  3. Drive 1.5 miles to US 19/23, and turn left.
  4. Drive 2.2 miles, passing NC 151, and turn left at Old US 19/23.
    Note: This road enters the intersection diagonally from the far left.
  5. Stay on Old US 19/23 until it rejoins US 19/23.
    Note: This route mostly parallels Hominy Creek on the left, which the Rutherford army was following. The army camped somewhere along this stretch October 3rd, but the location is unknown.
  6. On US 19/23, drive 4.8 miles into Canton, and just before the bridge, turn left on 110 South (Sorrells Street).
    Note: Rutherford’s army may have camped here on September 4, as described on the Pigeon River page. (Also see Footnote 1 there.)
  7. Drive 0.5 miles to a roundabout, and take the first right to stay on 110 South.
    Note: The first large pasture on the right after the roundabout is the other possible campsite. This area was first settled 10,000 years ago by Native Americans, and occupied off and on until the 1600s. Archaeologists found remains of three ceremonial mounds and two towns, and some evidence Cherokees camped here in the colonial period.
  8. Drive 3.1 miles to Wells Road on the right, but turn left and park between Jeffrey Lane and the garage just past it.
    Note: The Osborne Boundary Oak Tree on the other side of Jeffrey existed in 1776, so it witnessed the passing of the army.
  9. Continue down 110 South 1.2 miles, to Lake Drive on the left.
  10. Turn left, and immediately loop to the right onto the shoulder so you are facing back toward NC 110, or go further down Lake Drive to a safe turnaround and return.

Refer to the “Pigeon River” page at this point.