Pinnacle, NC

Pinnacle, North Carolina

Pinnacle is an unincorporated community in southwestern Stokes County, North Carolina, United States, approximately five miles SSE of the town of Pilot Mountain, between Pilot Mountain State Park and Hanging Rock State Park.

The town was originally known as Culler, named for Emanuel W. Culler who owned the land on which a railroad station was built and served as the towns first mayor. The present name was adopted in 1894. Pinnacle was incorporated in 1901 but the charter was repealed in 1903.

Some 20 miles (32 km) east of Pinnacle on State Route 1186 is the Rock House, the remains of a massive four-story stone structure with three-foot-thick walls built in 1770 by Capt. John ‘Jack’ Martin, one of the first two settlers of Stokes County, on a 8,000-acre (32 km2) grant from the Crown. Martin served in the North Carolina House of Representatives and as presiding judge of Stoke County court for over 30 years.

The house was built by slaves using local flint stones, with a fireplace large enough to roast an ox and stuccoed white plaster on the exterior, and was used as a blockhouse by early settlers.   Colonel Martin, who was born in Essex County, Virginia and became a fierce fighter for the Continental cause during the Revolutionary War.

Targeted by Tories during and following the War, when he was badly wounded while spying for American forces on the eve of the Battle of Kings Mountain, Martin was the brother of militia General Joseph Martin, namesake of Martinsville, Virginia. Col. Jack Martin saw action at the battles of Chestnut Ridge, Surrey County, Colsons, Old Fields, Alamance and Guilford Courthouse.

The Rock House served as the mustering ground for colonial forces during the Revolutionary War as well as the War of 1812.  One of the oldest structures in Stokes County and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975, the house burned in 1890, and only the great rock walls remain. Rock House was acquired in 1975 by the Stokes County Historical Society, which has struggled recently to protect the ruins from vandals.

Source:  Wikipedia

The Heart of North Carolina Wine Country

With a superb combination of sun, soil and soul, Yadkin Valley wineries are ideally located in the North Carolina region that is rapidly gaining a reputation for growing high-quality grapes and producing world-class award-winning wines. Located in the Piedmont area of the Tar Heel State, wineries in the Yadkin Valley benefit from what many winemakers consider the best terroir in North Carolina.

This Yadkin Valley Wine Trail ® website was established in early 2002 to provide a single stop for wine lovers seeking information about the wine, wines, wineries, vineyard, vineyards, bed and breakfasts, hotels and other lodging, restaurants and other dining, antiques and antique stores, art galleries, winery tours and other businesses affiliated with winery tourism in the Yadkin Valley.

In recognition of these unique features, the federal government approved the Yadkin Valley American Viticulture Area (AVA), effective February 7, 2003.  The Yadkin Valley AVA was North Carolina’s first, consisting of over 1.116 million acres located in Surry, Yadkin, Wilkes, Davie, Davidson and Forsyth counties. Adding to the importance of the Yadkin Valley with respect to wineries, the federal government approved the Swan Creek AVA as North Carolina’s second area, effective May 27, 2008.

The Swan Creek AVA consists of 96,000 acres located in Wilkes, Yadkin and Iredell counties. Over 57,000 acres of that total lies within the geographical boundaries of both viticultural areas. As of July 1, 2008, these are the only two designated AVAs in the state of North Carolina. In addition, a number of wineries in close proximity have banded together to form marketing associations. While not federally-designated AVAs, a handful of wineries listed on this site banded together as members of the Shallowford Wine Trail, the Yadkin River Wine Trail, and the Upper Yadkin Wine Trail. There are several more wine trails in the works, all within and encompassed by the Yadkin Valley Wine Trail ®.

There is a lot of history in the Yadkin Valley, from the original native Americans, to the Moravian settlers in the 1750s, to Daniel Boone, to the Revolutionary War, to the War Between the States, to Tom Dula (known as Tom Dooley) and Mayberry, as well as numerous wine festivals and tasting events, music festivals, craft and antique fairs. Many of the businesses along and around the Yadkin Valley Wine Trail ® contain a wonderful combination of Americana history, culture, arts and music along with award-winning wines.

Read more here:  Yadkin Valley Wine Trail Official Site