Twenty-eight years ago, the initials carved into the rocks were barely visible.
âTo find a set of inscriptions that has not been vandalized is especially rare and unusual,â Noel Harrison said in May 1992. âThereâs every indication itâs the real thing.â
Harrison, who still serves with the National Park Service, was referring to a tall outcrop of rocks located deep within the woods on the north side of Centreport Parkway, about a half-mile northeast of Mountain View Road. Old-timers who grew up in the area call the desolate landmark Buzzardsâ Roost.
While hiking with Boy Scouts in 1957, Clarence Snellings also came upon the rocks and the same patch of Civil War-era inscriptions.
It was a different world. An ice cream parlor, schools, restaurants, a park, all were full of family and friends and people that looked like her. African Americans on the Westside had their own swimming pool, their own playground, and, when the Ashby was built in 1934, their own movie theater.
You could, if you wanted, travel to the Fox, on Peachtree Street, and walk up a few hundred steps on the fire escape outside the building, and sit in the “Buzzard’s Roost,” which was reserved for “colored” patrons.
“But that was not my cup of tea,” said Stemley, now 79 and a retired high school counselor.
Theater of our own: The Ashby brought film to Black viewers sfgate.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from sfgate.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Rock faces closed for peregrine falcon protection A peregrine falcon takes flight. National Park Service/Andrew Kuhn photo
Twelve rock faces in the Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests are closed to climbing, rappelling, hang-gliding and other activities through Aug. 15 in order to protect the rare peregrine falcons that nest there.
Closed rock faces are:
Pisgah District Looking Glass Rock (north face) and North Cedar Rock
Appalachian District Whiterock Cliff and Buzzard’s Roost
Grandfather District N.C. Wall, Apricot Buttress and the Camel in Lineville Gorge; Shortoff Mountain in Linville Gorge; Bynum Bluff in Linville Gorge and Big Lost Cove Cliffs
With 2020 almost behind us, let’s look ahead to the new year and all the new whiskies it will bring, starting with these latest releases.
Jefferson’s is offering a single-barrel bourbon nationwide. Priced at $55, it’s available in limited amounts.
Israel’s
M&H Distillery is rolling out three new expressions in the U.S.: Elements Peated and Elements Red Wine Cask (both $65), which are widely available, and a single-cask STR-matured single malt ($90) with just 282 bottles.
Brown Water Spirits has launched O.H. Ingram River-Aged Straight rye. There are 2,400 bottles in the first batch, priced at $80.
Buzzard’s Roost has added a toasted barrel-finished rye to its lineup. The whiskey is priced at $79 and available in limited amounts.