View Full Version : The Priest
I'm really interested in finding out about the Priest, a mountain in Central Va. The surrounding mountains also have names referring to the Catholic church: the Friar, the Cardinal. I was wondering if anyone knew anything about this--why these mountains have such interesting names?
totally Boagus
07-29-2005, 14:50
I thought it was called that because after you climbed up from the tye river you were on your knees in prayer.
i think some circuit-riding preacher was one of the first to go through there and he named the mountains
well jerbear (btw I am assuming you are a different jerbear than the guy I hiked with a few times) the best description that I found quickly was from the AT guide to Central Virginia 2001 edition (aka first edition revised) on page 51 :
"Several stories try to explain the naming of The Priest, a landmark since the early 1700s and shown on the 1751 Jefferson and Fry map of Virginia. A family named DuPriest lived in the region and may have owned the mountain. It has also been speculated that Pastor Robert Rose, prominent in the early history of the area, may have named the Religious Range, including The Bald Friar and The Cardinal. A legend holds a small monastery had been (a) not far from Tyro or (b) near the Amherst-Nelson County line, and traces of the foundations are said to exist today. One version placed a solitary priest living on the mountain."