Stumphouse Tunnel2 min read time

“When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don’t throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer.”
― ” ~ Corrie Ten Boom

Since my physical travel has been limited since March, I have spent more and more time traveling through books.  While listening to one of my favorite podcasts, The Candid Frame, I discovered the work of Keith Carter. 

I was hooked instantly and ordered two additional books containing his photographs.

Keith’s book, From Uncertain to Blue, is a collection of photographs taking during road trips Keith and his late wife,  Patricia, would take.  They decided to visit and photograph towns in Texas that had interesting names.  Since my husband, Randy, and I enjoy road trips and unexplored (to us) territories, an idea was sparked to visit places we haven’t already seen in the Carolinas.

Stumphouse Tunnel was one of the first places we chose for this new adventure.

Stumphouse Tunnel is located in a public park in Mountain Rest, South Carolina.  The construction of the tunnel began in the 1800’s as a part of a project to connect the Blue Ridge Railroad from the Charleston Harbor to the midwest.

After three years working on the tunnel, funding was halted for the project due to a collapse of South Carolina’s economy.

For about 20 years in the 1900’s, Clemson used the tunnel to cure Blue Cheese.

Today, visitors can spend a day visiting Stumphouse Tunnel.  The tunnel is located in a park open to the public.  Visitors to the tunnel can also enjoy biking trails and nearby Isaqueena Falls.

When we first arrived at the tunnel, we were dismayed to discover that my headlamp was at home rather than in my pack.  I spent time photographing outside of the tunnel while Randy went to a local store to purchase some flashlights for our adventure.

Once Randy returned with the flashlights, we were ready to explore inside the tunnel.

Many visitors enjoyed the walk through the constant fifty degree temperatures during our visits to Stumphouse Tunnel.

The next time you are up for an adventure, perhaps you will consider a trip to Stumphouse Tunnel.