The Phantom Army of Chimney Rock

This story was included in an abreviated form in my recently published book, "Ghost Lights." With Halloween coming up, I thought you might enjoy it.

The Phantom Army of Chimney Rock - by Carolyn Radford Echols

About 25 miles southeast of Asheville, NC is situated Chimney Rock State Park, a 6,200 acre park in the Hickory Nut Gorge area running through portions of Rutherfordton, Polk, Henderson and Buncombe counties. This area is known for its natural, scenic beauty, including a 404 ft. tall waterfall cascading down the gorge, and of course, Chimney Rock itself. Chimney rock is a 315 ft. high stone spire that overlooks Hickory Nut Gorge and Lake Lure. The 500-million-year-old monolith can be seen for miles.

Visitors to the park enjoy rock climbing and rappelling as well as hiking trails, sightseeing birding and nature walks . It is also a designated conservation area sheltering and protecting 36 species of rare plants and 14 rare animal species. Chimney Rock also has a history of some truly strange, paranormal activity.

The native Cherokee warned the early settlers about a hoard of small, evil beings that inhabited Hickory Nut Gorge and Chimney Rock Mountain. The Cherokee call these fairy-like creatures, Yunwi Djunsti. They are described as looking much like the Cherokee people, only much smaller with hair that touched the ground. The Yunwi Djunsti are said to dress in white clothing and make their homes in the mountains among the rocks. They are said to be lovers of mischief and enjoy wreaking havoc.

The high strangeness came to the forefront in 1806, when 8 year old Elizabeth Reeves, who lived with her family in Buncombe County, told her older brother, Morgan that she had seen a man standing on top of Chimney Rock. Elizabeth said the strange looking man was rolling white rocks down the mountain and waving sticks around. Now, this was before rock climbing became a hobby, and people risking their lives to climb dangerous outcroppings was unheard of and outrageous. Morgan was sure his little sister was just making up stories, but she kept insisting and begging him to come and see the man. Finally, Morgan agreed to have a look for himself just to shut her up. To his amazement, he saw not just one man, but a host of figures, and not just standing on, but flying around Chimney Rock!

The children then ran to fetch their mother, Patsey Reeves, who followed them back to the scene along with their older sister, Polly. They, too witnessed the amazing spectacle. The figures were too far away for their faces to be discerned, but Patsey Reeves described them as being dressed in brilliant white garments. She said the figures appeared to range in size from infants to adults. After watching in astonishment for an time, Patsey Reeves sent for her neighbor, Robert Siercy who also witnessed the unearthly spectacle. The vast throng of beings seemed to be flying or walking on air around Chimney Rock in some sort of ethereal ritual dance.

Finally, all the beings rose to the top of Chimney Rock and gathered there. Then, three of the larger beings, who appeared to be the leaders, ascended into the air and hovered there briefly before leading the entire crowd of shining entities up into the Heavens where they disappeared from sight. None of the observers of this spectacle were frightened by the experience. Siercy was quoted in the Raleigh Register and Gazette as saying he was “left with a solemn and pleasing impression on the mind, although this was accompanied by a weakness of physical strength.”

If this account wasn’t strange enough, an even stranger occurrence was reported five years later in 1811. According to botanist and historical writer, Silas McDowell of Rutherfordton who interviewed the witnesses, an elderly couple who lived deep in the Chimney Rock Pass Gorge were seated outside, relaxing in their yard. Just as the evening shadows began to fall over the mountains, they witnessed an alarming spectacle. Two armies of humanoid creatures riding on winged horses appeared, circling each other in the sky above Chimney Rock. This went on for a while, then, a loud shout was heard, and the two armies engaged each other in fierce battle.

The witnesses swore they could hear the clash of metal swords and the war cries and saw the sunlight glinting off their blades. The battle raged fiercely on for about 10 minutes until the defeated army retreated, pursued by the victors and all disappeared up into the sky. The witnesses further swore they could hear the shouts of the victors and the moans and wails of the injured and defeated. McDowell stated that in addition to the elderly couple, he had located three respectable men who had witnessed the confrontation from their homes in the valley as well.

According to McDowell’s report, the ghostly cavalries were seen again on at least two occasions, but never again engaged in combat. Accounts of the Heavenly battle were published in several newspapers across the state and a public meeting was called in Rutherfordton to discuss the matter. Nothing definitive came out of the meeting, but the vague opinion was raised that the battle was somehow tied to the Revolutionary War.

It is said that McDowell was troubled all his life by the experiences he had reported and endured a lot of ridicule because of it. Years later, he tried to offer a more rational explanation, perhaps to salvage his reputation. He attributed the riders and the horses to gnats magnified when seen through mist forming on the mountains in the cool Autumn evening. He attributed the glint of the swords to sunlight reflecting off the gnats wings and the clang of swords to cowbells echoing from the valley. Not everybody bought this rather shaky explanation, though and many still believe something truly supernatural and bizarre happened around Chimney Rock.

Nothing of this paranormal caliber has been reported in Chimney Rock since, but tourists still gaze up at the towering outcropping in hopes of catching a glimpse of the spectral visitors.

I think this is one of the most intriguing paranormal occurences I have ever researched.

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