Near Waynesville in Haywood County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Rutherford Trace

circa June 1999

1. Rutherford Trace Marker

Inscription. The expedition led by Gen. Griffith Rutherford against the Cherokee, Sept. 1776, passed here, through Pigeon Gap.

Erected 1954 by North Carolina Office of Archives and History. (Marker Number P-41.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Indigenous Peoples and Communities • War, US Revolutionary. In addition, it is included in the North Carolina Division of Archives and History series list. A significant historical month for this entry is September 1776.

Location. 35° 28.371′ N, 82° 56.467′ W. Marker is near Waynesville, North Carolina, in Haywood County. It is on Pigeon Road (U.S. 276), on the left when traveling west. Marker is between Pigeon Gap Road and Pippin Lane. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Waynesville NC 28786, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in North Carolina’s Mountains, specifically in Greater Asheville,

and in the Great Smoky Mountains.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America,

the Western

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Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the original Cherokee Nation,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Pigeon Gap Watering Hole (within shouting distance of this marker); West Fork Pigeon River Truss Bridge (1891) (approx. 2.4 miles away); Museum Of N.C. Handicrafts (approx. 2.7 miles away); Museum of North Carolina Handicrafts (approx. 2.7 miles away); The Gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains Arch (approx. 2.9 miles away); Battle House (approx. 2.9 miles away); Old Time Music (approx. 2.9 miles away); Haywood County Quilt Trails (approx. 2.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Waynesville.

circa June 1999

2. Rutherford Trace Marker

Rutherford Trace Marker on Left. Pigeon Gap Watering Hole Marker on Right. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tom Bosse, April 18, 2025

3. Rutherford Trace Marker on Left. Pigeon Gap Watering Hole Marker on Right.

Credits. This page was last revised on May 27, 2025. It was originally submitted on September 26, 2008, by M. L. 'Mitch' Gambrell of Taylors, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 1,524 times since then and 57 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 26, 2008, by M. L. 'Mitch' Gambrell of Taylors, South Carolina. 3. submitted on May 26, 2025, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.