Brown Mountain Lights
Encyclopedia
The Brown Mountain Lights are a series of ghost lights
reported near Brown Mountain in North Carolina
. The lights can be seen from the Blue Ridge Parkway
overlooks at mile posts 310 (Brown Mountain Light overlook) and 301 (Green Mountain overlook) and from the Brown Mountain Overlook on NC Highway 181 between Morganton, NC and Linville, NC. Additionally, good sightings of the Lights have been reported from the top of Table Rock
, outside of Morganton, NC.
employee, D.B. Stewart, studied the area in question and determined the witnesses had mistaken train lights for something more mysterious.
, a massive flood struck the area soon after the completion of the USGS study; all electrical power was lost and trains were inoperative for a period of time thereafter. Several automotive bridges were also washed out. The Brown Mountain lights, however, continued to appear.
One of the best vantage points, Wisemans View, is about 4 miles from Linville Falls
, NC, and the best time of year to see them is reportedly September through early November.
song, Scotty Wiseman’s “Brown Mountain Lights,” later performed by The Hillmen
(Vern Gosdin
- Vocals) and also the Kingston Trio and the Country Gentlemen
. In this version, the light is being carried by "a faithful old slave/come back from the grave" who is searching for his lost master. The song was also recorded by the progressive bluegrass
band Acoustic Syndicate
and performed by Yonder Mountain String Band
. This song was also performed and recorded by Sonny James
, Roy Orbison
and Tommy Faile. Tommy Faile's rendition can be heard at http://btmemories.com/articles/faile/tommy_faile.htm Several other versions of the song can be heard on YouTube.
In 2004, a science fiction novel was published by the author R. Scott Caines under the title The Brown Mountain Lights and The Mesozoic Phoenix. The story centers around a scientific mystery involving the Brown Mountain lights of North Carolina and the mass extinction of the dinosaurs.
Brown Mountain Light is an American style lager
produced by Olde Hickory Brewery out of Hickory, North Carolina
with its name based on the Burke County
phenomenon.
Will-o'-the-wisp
A will-o'-the-wisp or ignis fatuus , also called a "will-o'-wisp", "jack-o'-lantern" , "hinkypunk", "corpse candle", "ghost-light", "spook-light", "fairy light", "friar's lantern", "hobby lantern", "ghost orb", or simply "wisp", is a ghostly light or lights sometimes seen at night or twilight over...
reported near Brown Mountain in North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. The lights can be seen from the Blue Ridge Parkway
Blue Ridge Parkway
The Blue Ridge Parkway is a National Parkway and All-American Road in the United States, noted for its scenic beauty. It runs for 469 miles , mostly along the famous Blue Ridge, a major mountain chain that is part of the Appalachian Mountains...
overlooks at mile posts 310 (Brown Mountain Light overlook) and 301 (Green Mountain overlook) and from the Brown Mountain Overlook on NC Highway 181 between Morganton, NC and Linville, NC. Additionally, good sightings of the Lights have been reported from the top of Table Rock
Table Rock
Table Rock may refer to one of these locations in the United States:* Table Rock , a hill near Boise, Idaho* Table Rock, Missouri* Table Rock * Table Rock , a mountain in North Carolina...
, outside of Morganton, NC.
History
One early account of the lights dates from September 24, 1913, as reported in the Charlotte Daily Observer. A fisherman claimed to have seen “mysterious lights seen just above the horizon every night,” red in color, with a pronounced circular shape. Soon after this account, a United States Geological SurveyUnited States Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten it. The organization has four major science disciplines, concerning biology,...
employee, D.B. Stewart, studied the area in question and determined the witnesses had mistaken train lights for something more mysterious.
Research
Reports of odd lights continued, and a more formal US Geological Survey study began in 1922, which determined that witnesses had misidentified automobile or train lights, fires, or mundane stationary lights. However, according to a marker on the Blue Ridge ParkwayBlue Ridge Parkway
The Blue Ridge Parkway is a National Parkway and All-American Road in the United States, noted for its scenic beauty. It runs for 469 miles , mostly along the famous Blue Ridge, a major mountain chain that is part of the Appalachian Mountains...
, a massive flood struck the area soon after the completion of the USGS study; all electrical power was lost and trains were inoperative for a period of time thereafter. Several automotive bridges were also washed out. The Brown Mountain lights, however, continued to appear.
One of the best vantage points, Wisemans View, is about 4 miles from Linville Falls
Linville Falls
Linville Falls is a waterfall located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina in the United States. The falls move in several distinct steps, beginning in a twin set of upper falls, moving down a small gorge, and finally culminating in a high-volume drop. It is named for the Linville...
, NC, and the best time of year to see them is reportedly September through early November.
Popular culture
The lights are the inspiration for the bluegrassBluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
song, Scotty Wiseman’s “Brown Mountain Lights,” later performed by The Hillmen
The Hillmen
The Hillmen were a southern Californian bluegrass group. Formed in 1962, the original line-up of the Golden State Boys consisted of Vern Gosdin on guitar and lead vocals, his brother Rex Gosdin on double bass, Hal Poindexter on guitar, and Don Parmley on banjo...
(Vern Gosdin
Vern Gosdin
Vern Gosdin was an American country music singer. He idolized The Louvin Brothers and The Blue Sky Boys as a young man and sang in a gospel quartet called The Gosdin Brothers. An inheritor of the soulful honky tonk style of Lefty Frizzell and Merle Haggard, Gosdin was nicknamed "The Voice" by his...
- Vocals) and also the Kingston Trio and the Country Gentlemen
The Country Gentlemen
The Country Gentlemen were a bluegrass band that originated during the 1950s in the area of Washington, DC, United States, and recorded and toured with various members until the death in 2004 of Charlie Waller, one of the group's founders who in its later years served as the group's "focal point...
. In this version, the light is being carried by "a faithful old slave/come back from the grave" who is searching for his lost master. The song was also recorded by the progressive bluegrass
Progressive bluegrass
Progressive bluegrass is one of two major subgenres of bluegrass music. It is also known as newgrass, a term attributed to New Grass Revival member Ebo Walker. Musicians and bands John Hartford, New Grass Revival, J.D. Crowe and the New South, The Dillards, Boone Creek, Country Gazette, and the...
band Acoustic Syndicate
Acoustic Syndicate
Acoustic Syndicate is a rock/folk/bluegrass band from North Carolina formed in 1992. They have toured nationally in the US, including appearances at Farm Aid and the Bonnaroo festival. Their sound is characterized by three-part vocal harmony and complex polyrhythmic banjo playing...
and performed by Yonder Mountain String Band
Yonder Mountain String Band
The Yonder Mountain String Band is an American progressive bluegrass group from Nederland, Colorado. Composed of Dave Johnston, Jeff Austin, Ben Kaufmann, and Adam Aijala, the band has released five studio albums and several live recordings to date.- History :The band's history stretches back to...
. This song was also performed and recorded by Sonny James
Sonny James
James Loden , known professionally as Sonny James, is an American country music singer and songwriter best known for his 1957 hit, "Young Love". Dubbed the Southern Gentleman, James had 72 country and pop chart hits from 1953 to 1983, including a five-year streak of 16 straight among his 23 No. 1...
, Roy Orbison
Roy Orbison
Roy Kelton Orbison was an American singer-songwriter, well known for his distinctive, powerful voice, complex compositions, and dark emotional ballads. Orbison grew up in Texas and began singing in a rockabilly/country & western band in high school until he was signed by Sun Records in Memphis...
and Tommy Faile. Tommy Faile's rendition can be heard at http://btmemories.com/articles/faile/tommy_faile.htm Several other versions of the song can be heard on YouTube.
In 2004, a science fiction novel was published by the author R. Scott Caines under the title The Brown Mountain Lights and The Mesozoic Phoenix. The story centers around a scientific mystery involving the Brown Mountain lights of North Carolina and the mass extinction of the dinosaurs.
Brown Mountain Light is an American style lager
Lager
Lager is a type of beer made from malted barley that is brewed and stored at low temperatures. There are many types of lager; pale lager is the most widely-consumed and commercially available style of beer in the world; Pilsner, Bock, Dortmunder Export and Märzen are all styles of lager...
produced by Olde Hickory Brewery out of Hickory, North Carolina
Hickory, North Carolina
Hickory is a city in Catawba County, North Carolina. Hickory has the 162nd largest urban area in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 341,851, making it the 4th largest metropolitan area in North Carolina. The city's population was 37,222...
with its name based on the Burke County
Burke County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 89,148 people, 34,528 households, and 24,342 families residing in the county. The population density was 176 people per square mile . There were 37,427 housing units at an average density of 74 per square mile...
phenomenon.
Sources
- Jerome Clark, Unexplained! 347 Strange Sightings, Incredible Occurrences, and Puzzling Physical Phenomena, Visible Ink Press, 1993.