Judaculla Rock Petroglyphs

Judaculla Rock Petroglyphs. . The Judaculla Rock cultural and archaeological site is one of America’s most significant historical places. Revered through the ages by the Cherokee, the site’s rich cultural legacy makes this one of their most important ancestral places. The rock is carved with approximately 1,548 designs, more than any other known petroglyph boulder in the eastern United States. Petroglyphs are images and designs engraved within a rock’s surface to symbolize important places, stories or events., Archaeologists believe intensive use of the site began of 3,000 years ago with the soapstone boulders were quarried for making bowls. Petroglyph carving began around 1,500 years ago and likely continued until early European settlement disrupted Cherokee lifeways and traditions some 300 years ago., For nearly 100 years, the Parker family has been a good steward and protected the boulder on the farm from the vandalism that has defaced or destroyed many of North Carolina’s petroglyph sites. In 1959, Milas Parker donated a one acre tract around the boulder to Jackson County. In 2011, grandson Jerry Parker placed 107 acres of the family farm into a permanent conservation easement that protects the broader cultural site and preserves the undeveloped mountain experience for generations to come., (captions) , The Parker Family – Generous Caretakers: Milas Parker sits proudly in front of the Judaculla Rock circa 1930., Mapped surface of the densely carved Judaculla Rock, covered with over 1,500 engravings., Archaeological excavations conducted in 2007 revealed that the earliest evidence of prehistoric use was buried beneath four feet of sediment.