Sites Along the Trace

There are abandoned townsites that are completely overgrown with vegetation, with almost no evidence of man's presence, save a couple of rusting safes and a brick cistern. On a short hike to Rocky Springs townsite, we heard the faint sounds of hymn singing wafting through the trees. Shortly, we came upon the only building still standing – a brick Methodist church that was constructed in 1837. A service was in progress, and an elaborate potluck buffet had been laid out in front for the congregation, which was celebrating its Springtime Pilgrimage.

We visited Mt. Locust, which was a "stand", or inn, along the trace. The original house, built in the late 18th century, still stands, and is authentically furnished. The outbuildings have all vanished with time, but we did find the old slave cemetery.

The most hauntingly mysterious sight along the Trace is the ruin of a great plantation mansion known as Windsor. The building survived the civil war, only to burn around 1900 due to a discarded lighted cigar. Only the stone Corinthian columns and a portion of the iron balustrade remain. The ruins have been featured in several movies over the years. We were fortunate in that we had the site all to ourselves while we explored. All of a sudden, a tour bus arrived, along with several antique cars. The spell was broken!

We saw many wild turkeys along the side of the road. They always seemed to want to cross the road as soon as we got close to them. They would just run across so we would have to slow down so as not to run over them. Also saw many armadillos on the road that where not so fortunate however.