The Devil Tramping Grounds

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 The Devil Tramping Grounds


As a North Carolina resident, of course, I had heard the legend that is the devil's tramping ground and after what felt like forever I finally made a trip out there.


Read on for a bit of history and my experience.


This hidden gem is located in a Rural area in Chatham County North Carolina. There is a clearing right off the road and has over 100 years' worth of legend. Going back to 1882 some say even further. There is a barren 40-foot (12m) circle in a patch of forest where it is said nothing will grow, no animals dare cross into the circle and the devil himself comes to dance here. 

 In 1980, John W. Harden wrote a book titled "The Devil's Tramping Ground and Other North Carolina Mystery and Stories." Which led to an increasing number of visitors. Through the years there has been some parts of the legend being added and taken from. Some say an Indian chief is buried beneath the circle, others suggest there is treasure hidden there.

People from all over have made the travel to see this unique place. It has become quite a popular destination. Paranormal investigators, mundanes, reporters, and even scientists have made the visit then in 2022 there was a movie made "The Devil Stomping Ground" which of course revived interest in this place. 


There are 2 trails on the backside of the clearing leading to the circle some legends say the devil himself comes walking down one each night. One of the most famous stories is that if anything is left inside the circle it will be thrown out before the next morning regardless of how much it weighs. As the legend goes, it's because the devil needs room to dance inside the circle. There have been reports of people seeing glowing red eyes in the center of that same circle.

Back in 1998, a journalist from Greensboro paper decided to test his bravery and spend a night camping smack dab in the center of the circle with his 2 dogs. Though he had no issues staying in the circle till morning light he recalls hearing ghostly footsteps circling the tent. Psychosomatic or was it the devil wandering around?



All of which leaves one wondering whether the circle represents the territory of some nocturnal animal, perhaps the duty of spooking folks has been passed down from generation to generation by locals. Or possibly the tramping grounds are simply so imbued with legend that the stories simply seem to come true in the minds of the visitors.


According to the official website 

“Another story associated with the circle is that the Indians before the white man came, would meet for feasts there and after eating would do a war dance tramping around the circle which is why nothing grows there. A second legend is that two rival Indian tribes met at the Tramping Ground and a fierce battle ensued. The Indian chief Croatan was killed and buried on the spot and it was speculated that the circle stays clears because the great spirits are still in mourning for their fallen leader. Whatever the legend, the circle remains barren to this day. It is unknown who named the Devil's Tramping Ground.”


Currently owned by Tamara Owens her family has owned the land for about 100 years. Tamara goes on to say soil tests have been performed over the years and they have indicated the earth below the circle is neutral to salty but no other material that would prevent growth has been found. Tamara's late father Robert Dowd loved the energy of the clearing so much that he hosted a Woodstock-style music festival there in 1987.


As you can imagine I was excited to check out this mysterious place so we booked a night of haunted endeavors and this is how it went.


We had stopped in during the day about a month back before the trees had turned green which made it a bit easier to find. Due to all the trash and broken glass, I was quite hesitant to stay the night but after a bit of debate decided to give it a try.


We arrived before nightfall and explored around. It appeared other visitors decided to leave more trash and some of the trees appeared burnt and even a salt circle had been laid but nothing seemed overly scary.


                                  
Just some of the trash lying around. Looked like someone burned some while they were at it.


The legend goes on to say that no animal dares to go into the circle and nothing will grow in it. So we had originally expected quite the barren circle. However, what we found was a bit surprising. Not only does moss like greener grow in the circle clover does as well. Several butterflies and even a frog made a visit through the circle with ease. It wouldn't be hard to keep the area clear of most vegetation in order to keep the legend alive. Not to mention all the visitors walking through it.

 
 


It was a beautiful spring afternoon, the birds were singing, animals moving about, could hear the cows from down the road. After some inspection, we found a spot with a bit less broken glass to pitch the tent and got settled in for the evening. With reading the circle was about 40 feet we were yet again a bit surprised at how small it is. Perhaps they are referring to the entire clearing. Here you can see 9 feet from his back to the tape measure right in the center of the circle.


As night started to fall there were plenty of sounds to go around. To a city person, I could imagine the spookiness of it but to my country self, it was quite peaceful. Aside from the inconsiderate people on the road thinking they are scaring us by blaring their truck horns as they drive by.

The spiders make for wonderful "glowing eyes" for the legend. Their little eyes just glistened in the light of the flashlight. All the animals hunkering down for rest and their sounds make for a creepy tale even the coyotes yapping. But my favorite was the whip-o-wil bird that was having fun going off like an alarm. Though it was as mundane and unhaunted as a place could be we decided to break out the equipment and give it a try.


We sat an item in the circle and worked with the Ouija board, pendulum, and emf. Aside from someone down the road having late-night target practice, there was not even the slightest hint of activity. Finally we settled in and that whip-o-wil went at it ALL night LONG. By daybreak, nothing spooky had happened. No weird sounds, nothing. The item (tape measure) was still in the circle in the exact spot it was left.


All in all, it was a long night. With zero paranormal activity. Aside from the trash, and broken glass everywhere, someone target practicing loudly and rude folks laying on the vehicle horn it is a nice little area. 
If you decide to give it a go yourself. Keep an eye out for beer cans, trash, and a shit ton of broken glass It appears to be a favorite dumping site.

If you would like to see some footage check out my YouTube video:
https://youtu.be/JzCLzGlkweE















chatham magazine
wikipedia






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