Morrow Mountain State Park

Morrow Mountain State Park is a state park in Stanly County, North Carolina, USA. Located near Albemarle, 4,496acre within the Uwharrie Mountains.GeographyMorrow Mountain is one of the highest peaks in the Uwharrie Mountains of central North Carolina. When first formed, these mountains rose to nearly 20000ft above sea level, but erosion has gradually worn them down to little more than high hills that average less than 1,000 feet in elevation. These pinnacles are the remains of one of the oldest mountain ranges in the eastern United States.The park contains several peaks, of which Morrow Mountain is a high point at 936ft.The mountain rises some 400ft above the surrounding lower terrain, and on a clear day offers superb views of the surrounding countryside. In addition to the mountains, the park also contains the Yadkin-Pee Dee River, one of central North Carolina's largest river systems. The river can be seen from the overlook atop Morrow Mountain.HistoryThe discovery of artifacts in the area attests to the presence of Native Americans at least 12,000 years before European settlement. Morrow Mountain was the site of one of the largest quarries in the Piedmont of today’s North and South Carolina. Just a little east of the small town of Badin, in northeastern Stanly County, is an archeological dig location known as the Hardaway Site; and it has been a treasure trove for scholars and enthusiasts for decades. Stone tools and weapon points by the thousands have been excavated, and represent one of the most extensive bodies of Native American stone work in existence. The Hardaway Site has been referred to as "The Remington Arms Factory of 10,000 BC", but the raw material for those weapon points and tools came primarily from one location: the top of Morrow Mountain, about 5 miles away. Tools made from this stone,( rhyolite, or more accurately for this specific stone: rhyodacite).were traded among native peoples and have been found from Maine to Florida.