The Devil's Tramping Ground

Near Siler City, North Carolina

Another North Carolina mystery can be found near the town of Siler City. It is a perfect enigma for which many explanations have been attempted and yet none exist. It is in a wooded grove near the small town where the Devil is said to have come and walked the earth, creating a perfect circle that is exactly forty feet in diameter.
No plant or tree will grow inside of this circle. The surrounding brush only grows up to its edges and then no further. Animals do not come here, for no grass will grow and they seem to shy away from the area, as if it were somehow tainted.
There is a path which leads to the circle which is also barren and persons who visit the spot will sometimes place sticks or stones inside the circle, only to have them removed by morning.

And the Tramping Ground is not a recent addition to North Carolina lore. The area has apparently existed for many, many years. The first settlers who came here attributed the strange spot to the Indians holding their tribal ceremonies here.... and yet the circle has remained long after the Indians departed.

Some have suggested that perhaps the ground may be sterile because of everything from UFO landings to ancient crop circles. Others have suggested more mundane solutions. A few years ago, testing on the ground revealed a high level of salt in the soil. This would certainly cause the land to be barren.
But the question remains... what could have caused this? And why does the area exist in a perfect circle? We may never know.

The Devil’s Tramping Ground can be found just outside of Siler City, in central North Carolina. Take Highway 421 south, nine miles to County Road 902. Go six miles west to Harper’s Crossroads, then turn north on County Road 1100. In two miles, a signpost indicates the area.

by Troy Taylor