Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, August 1, 1993 TAG: 9307300425
SECTION: DISCOVER PAGE: D-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LARRY W. BROWN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
But around its base lies a part of the Roanoke Valley filled with history many people have either forgotten or never knew at all.
"There's never been much activity on the mountain," said Mary L. Sullivan, who has lived on Old Mountain Road since 1929. "Since I've been here, the mountain's been quiet."
Stroking her cat, Honeyboy Jr. ("H.B.J."), and combing her red and gray hair with her fingers, Sullivan said not many people visit her area.
But, she said, her neighborhood used to be full of activity.
Sullivan lives in what was once known as the Black Horse Tavern, a hot spot during the 18th and 19th centuries.
"They say some presidents like George Washington came through here," she said. "Andrew Jackson was a regular guest on trips from Washington, D.C., to Tennessee."
Standing 2,360 feet in the heart of Hollins and stretching all the way to the Botetourt County border, Read Mountain is close to downtown - just about a 10-minute drive.
From the winding streets that surround the base of Read, one can see a mix of historic houses and newer subdivisions. Some additional houses are being built on the side of the mountain, such as on Read Mountain Road, but for the most part the residents live at the mountain's base.
Read Mountain and Tinker Mountain have both been called "Dead Man's Mountain," said George Kegley, a retired business writer for the Roanoke Times & World-News, who lives about a mile from the foot of Read.
"From a distance they both look like a recumbent corpse," he said.
According to Kegley, the privately owned mountain was named for the Read family, some of whom lived for at least 100 years in the house where Kegley now lives.
But compared to several of the valley's other mountains, Kegley said, Read is "not very significant and not very important" because nothing much happens there and not many people live on the mountain itself.
Next door to Sullivan's home is Bellvue, a former hotel that was established in 1854. It was the accompanying lodge for the bustling Black Horse Tavern.
Linda Selfe, who has lived at Bellvue with her family for seven years, said before it was converted into a home, Bellvue was also a school for the handicapped. The history and the natural beauty of the area make it a great place to live, she said.
"I like this part of town," Selfe said. "The view is spectacular."
Selfe said Read Mountain is full of tales and folklore, including one story about a white horse that comes down from the mountain whose rider is in search of his dead bride. But according to Sullivan most of the tales are just rumors.
While many people apparently can find nothing to do on the mountain, Selfe's 19-year-old son, Kevin, has been climbing Read for nearly three years.
"I just wanted to go up there and see what it was like," said Kevin Selfe, who added that the hike to the fire tower is about a half hour. "I've been to every mountain in Roanoke. I wanted to climb every one." His favorites are Read and McAfee Knob, he said.
Although Linda Selfe said she worries about her son climbing the mountains because of snakes, she supports his efforts.
"You really don't get addicted [to climbing]," she said. "But it's a love."
Sullivan, who likens herself to Calamity Jane because of her love of rifles, said the mountain was never a center for activity, but it always loomed in the background, a constant reminder of the beauty of the area.
The land surrounding Sullivan's house used to be filled with apple and peach orchards. In the past, she said, her family tended cattle there. Sullivan and two of her neighbors still get their water from a spring in the mountain, she said.
For some people such as Sullivan, the natural beauty and serenity make them want to stay in the area forever.
"It makes my heart hurt to even think about leaving here," she said.
by CNB