Mount Parnell is one of the most prominent outlooks in Franklin County.
From the journal of Rev. Thomas Barton, a minister who visited Fort Loudoun when it served as a supply depot for troops moving west: "At little distance from the fort appears Parnel's Nob, a round hill of great height. At its highest point one could see the locations of Forts- Loudoun, McDowell, Steele, Waddell and Davis."
It's believed it was named for an early settler, Edward Parnell.
James Hunter and Archibald Hunter, retired Scots army officers, lived on the mountain. Samuel Riddle operated the Mt. Parnell Chopping Mill and Distillery. Harvey Blade, one of the last residents, made medicine from herbs.
In her remarks to Rose Vance of the Vance Inn, Mary Glass related her memories of staying at the Inn as a young girl. She and the two Baker girls slept in a corner room of the Inn.
She said, "If we lay on our bellies and poked our heads up, we could see the ghost light where it was out on the rocks close to the top of Mount Parnell. It stayed in the rocks most of the time, but it was out the first three nights I was down there. It's funny how it made me afraid. I wouldn't stick my nose outside the door after dark, when it was out on the rocks, but we liked to watch it when we were in bed."
The Inn served as a station on the Underground Railroad. While Mary was staying at the Inn, slaves were being hidden in the attic and basement.
The light was out for three days, signaling to the slaves and their keepers that slave hunters were in the area and it was not safe for them to travel.
It's also believed that locals hid their horses on Parnell from Confederate soldiers, but they were eventually found. There was also a beacon light on top of Mount Parnell.
According to the memoirs of the late Eugene Zeger: "The Parnell Beacon Light was built in 1926 or 27. Howard Stewart was the manager and three other men were the builders and stayed at our farmhouse. My brother, Leonard, and I hauled the tower and concrete slabs (for the arrow) to the top of Mount Parnell. We went up the road from Sky High to above the big rock along the road, then took a new road south. We went a short distance to a steep hill where the horses played out. We had to unload half of our load. We went back and got what we unloaded and took it to the top. Two things we saw on top of Mount Parnell. One: Buzzard's Bowl, which always has water in it. Two: Large hole dug on top with a saying: 'Indian buried here with relics.'"
Majestic and towering, Mount Parnell will always stand like a silent sentinel over our towns and farmlands.
Fort Loudon Sidelights is published every other Saturday. Anna Rotz can be reached at 369-3318 or email@example.com.