Stone Mountain Golf Club is on Greenstreet Mountain in Wilkes County. Greenstreet Mountain was named after Peter Greenstreet, a late 18th century resident of the mountain. Joseph Tyre McBride and his wife, Margaret Ann Yale McBride, moved to Greenstreet Mountain in 1895. Originally from Traphill, the family had moved to Ashe County. They returned when they were able to purchase a 65-acre farmstead on the mountain from McBride’s grandfather.

Most of their farm is part of the Stone Mountain Golf Course. Golfers can still see the remains of the old homestead’s chimney and the nearby cold mountain spring which cascades down the west side of the mountain. Eight other families lived near the McBride’s on Greenstreet Mountains. These included the Holbrook, Casey, Ingool and Adams families. The children walked two miles down the mountain to school.

Remains of the McBride Homestead 

A partial excerpt from Fannie McBride’s memoirs describes her childhood on Greenstreet Mountain: “With the Hanging Rock on the east side and a spectacular view of Stone Mountain from the peak, the rhododendron, dogwood and cherry in the spring, it is a thing of beauty and joy forever and will never fade into nothingness. In the winter, how peaceful were the moments… as we looked out over the sunlit terrain of hills and valleys under a blanket of snow and sniffed the exotic aroma of ham and biscuits coming from the kitchen. We felt very secure under the watch care of loving parents while the fire burned brightly in the open fireplace."

To get to school, the children followed the trail down Two-Mile Gap (Near lot 200, 201) for two and a half miles to Holly Grove School on Long Bottom Road.

The McBrides had six children. They grew corn, wheat, rye, potatoes, apples, peaches, and chestnuts on the farm. Considering it was on the top of a mountain, the farm included a considerable amount of good-lying land. Apples and peaches were dried in kilns built under rock overhangs. In addition to crops, McBride cut timber for rail ties to sell to the Elkin & Allegheny Railroad in northeastern Wilkes County.

Sources:
The Journal-Patriot 9/11/19996 Article by Jule Hubbard
A Tale of Two Sisters by Marian Holbrook, Traphill Baptist Church Newsletter 8/96

Our good friend Chy Billings, who grew up in Traphill and is a descendent of the McBrides, has lent us some wonderful photos of the early days on the mountain. We'll scanned them, put them under Old Family Photos, and we think you'll be tickled with some of them. Keep checking inas we add more all the time. Please make sure to thank Chy the next time you see him. He's been a wealth of information, and a good friend to Stone Mountain Golf Club.

The spring house was an early refrigerator.  Did the light stay on when the door was shut?

Oh, the tales this Model T could tell...


These few pages are just a very brief overview of the history of the mountain.  If you would be willing to share your favorite Greenstreet Mountain tales or pictures we would be glad to add them.