Chimney Rock, North Carolina.
The Beginning
The story of Chimney Rock and Lake Lure cannot be told without recounting the life of one man—Dr. Lucius B. Morse—who demonstrated what uncompromising vision and foresight can accomplish. The rugged beauty of Chimney Rock and the surrounding area so captivated him that it shaped the rest of his life and those of his older twin brothers, Hiram and Asahel. The land that comprises the Park and the dreams of the Morse family are still entwined today, more than 100 years after Lucius B. Morse first glimpsed the magnificent Rock.
Born in 1871 in Missouri, Dr. Morse was a practicing physician when he was diagnosed with tuberculosis. Advised to seek a more healthful climate, he made his way to the thermal belt of Western North Carolina. He loved to wander the area, often riding horseback down to Chimney Rock to view the giant monolith towering over the ten-mile gorge. It so intrigued him that he paid a man 25 cents to take him by donkey to the top. Surrounded by panoramic vistas, he conceived his dream here, not only of the Park but of the development of Lake Lure and the town of the same name.
At the time, Jerome B. “Rome” Freeman owned Chimney Rock, having purchased it and the surrounding 400 acres from a speculation company for $25.00 around 1890. It was Freeman who first thought of making a trail to the base and erecting a stairway to the top of the Rock and opening it to the public.
Chimney Rock, North Carolina.
The Beginning
The story of Chimney Rock and Lake Lure cannot be told without recounting the life of one man—Dr. Lucius B. Morse—who demonstrated what uncompromising vision and foresight can accomplish. The rugged beauty of Chimney Rock and the surrounding area so captivated him that it shaped the rest of his life and those of his older twin brothers, Hiram and Asahel. The land that comprises the Park and the dreams of the Morse family are still entwined today, more than 100 years after Lucius B. Morse first glimpsed the magnificent Rock.
Born in 1871 in Missouri, Dr. Morse was a practicing physician when he was diagnosed with tuberculosis. Advised to seek a more healthful climate, he made his way to the thermal belt of Western North Carolina. He loved to wander the area, often riding horseback down to Chimney Rock to view the giant monolith towering over the ten-mile gorge. It so intrigued him that he paid a man 25 cents to take him by donkey to the top. Surrounded by panoramic vistas, he conceived his dream here, not only of the Park but of the development of Lake Lure and the town of the same name.
At the time, Jerome B. “Rome” Freeman owned Chimney Rock, having purchased it and the surrounding 400 acres from a speculation company for $25.00 around 1890. It was Freeman who first thought of making a trail to the base and erecting a stairway to the top of the Rock and opening it to the public.