Rendezvous Mountain Educational State Forest


Rendezvous Mountain Educational State Forest is a North Carolina State Forest in Purlear, North Carolina.

History

Rendezvous Mountain is popularly rumored to have been an assembly point for the Overmountain Men during the Revolutionary War. Colonel Benjamin Cleveland is said to have called militiamen from around Wilkes County, by blowing a large ox horn from the mountain's summit. Cleveland was able to summon over 200 Patriots from the surrounding area to join him on a march to the Battle of Kings Mountain. The route they took is now commemorated by the nearby Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail.
In 1926, the forest's original tract was donated to the state by Judge T. B. Finley of North Wilkesboro for inclusion in the State Park System; however, the unit was never opened to the public due to its small size, inaccessible location, and questionable historic significance. The land was transferred to the Division of Forestry in 1956. It was later opened to the public in 1984 as an educational state forest. In the early 2000s, the forest was greatly expanded when large tracts along its western boundary became available.