Howard Knob
Encyclopedia
Howard Knob is a mountain in the North Carolina
High Country
, located in the town of Boone
. According to the US Geological Survey, the mountain's proper name is Howard Knob, but it is known to locals and tourists as Howard's Knob. Howard Knob and the surrounding area are part of the Appalachian Mountain Range. The mountain has an elevation of 4396 feet (1,339.9 m) above sea level, and rises nearly 1000 feet (304.8 m) above the town of Boone and the campus of Appalachian State University
.
Howard Knob was named after Benjamin Howard, a British loyalist, contemporary of Daniel Boone
, and early settler of the area. According to local legend, Howard hid from Whigs
on the knoll which was to be named after him.
In 1977, the Federal Energy Research and Development Administration and the Department of Energy
announced that Howard Knob had been selected as the site for an experimental wind turbine
, which was later built by General Electric
in October 1978. The project was part of a surge in renewable energy research which began under then-President Jimmy Carter
. The turbine, formally known as MOD-1, was managed by NASA
and operated by Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation. It stood 131 feet (39.9 m) tall and had two 97 feet (29.6 m) long steel blades that rotated counterclockwise at 35 mi/h. It was designed to power 300 to 500 average-sized homes, given wind speeds of 25 mi/h.
An unintended consequence
of the new technology was a low-frequency "swish-swish" or "wooshing" noise that irritated locals. In March and April of 1980, DOE and NASA engineers determined that a two-cycle-per-second sound was generated by wind blowing through the blades. Although the sound was twenty cycles below the range of human hearing, it caused windows and other objects to vibrate audibly. A group of Appalachian State University
students calling themselves "Wooshies" mocked the turbine project in a class video and gained the attention of local and regional newspapers. The turbine was also blamed for disrupting television
signals. Some questioned whether it was working at all, since the blades did not seem to move very often. The turbine was dismantled in 1983.
The abandoned turbine site on Howard Knob was handed over to the county to serve as a park "in perpetuity."
Howard Knob has been at times a popular spot for bouldering
, rock climbing
, and hang gliding
. However, those activities were discouraged and ultimately prohibited by town authorities and private property owners.
and signed a conservation easement protecting 46 acres (186,155.6 m²) as a forested natural area with limited provisions for hiking trails and a small shelter. Three of the owners' remaining acres were slated for 1 acres (4,046.9 m²) residential plots near existing homes.
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
High Country
Western North Carolina
Western North Carolina is the region of North Carolina which includes the Appalachian Mountains, thus it is often known geographically as the state's Mountain Region. It is sometimes included with upstate South Carolina as the "Western Carolinas", which is also counted as a single media market...
, located in the town of Boone
Boone, North Carolina
Boone is a town located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina, United States. Boone's population was reported as 17,122, as of 2010...
. According to the US Geological Survey, the mountain's proper name is Howard Knob, but it is known to locals and tourists as Howard's Knob. Howard Knob and the surrounding area are part of the Appalachian Mountain Range. The mountain has an elevation of 4396 feet (1,339.9 m) above sea level, and rises nearly 1000 feet (304.8 m) above the town of Boone and the campus of Appalachian State University
Appalachian State University
Appalachian State University is a comprehensive , public, coeducational university located in Boone, North Carolina, United States. Appalachian State, also referred to as Appalachian, App State, or simply App, is the sixth largest institution in the University of North Carolina system...
.
History
Daniel Boone
Daniel Boone was an American pioneer, explorer, and frontiersman whose frontier exploits mad']'e him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. Boone is most famous for his exploration and settlement of what is now the Commonwealth of Kentucky, which was then beyond the western borders of...
, and early settler of the area. According to local legend, Howard hid from Whigs
Patriot (American Revolution)
Patriots is a name often used to describe the colonists of the British Thirteen United Colonies who rebelled against British control during the American Revolution. It was their leading figures who, in July 1776, declared the United States of America an independent nation...
on the knoll which was to be named after him.
In 1977, the Federal Energy Research and Development Administration and the Department of Energy
United States Department of Energy
The United States Department of Energy is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government concerned with the United States' policies regarding energy and safety in handling nuclear material...
announced that Howard Knob had been selected as the site for an experimental wind turbine
Wind turbine
A wind turbine is a device that converts kinetic energy from the wind into mechanical energy. If the mechanical energy is used to produce electricity, the device may be called a wind generator or wind charger. If the mechanical energy is used to drive machinery, such as for grinding grain or...
, which was later built by General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
in October 1978. The project was part of a surge in renewable energy research which began under then-President Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
. The turbine, formally known as MOD-1, was managed by NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
and operated by Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation. It stood 131 feet (39.9 m) tall and had two 97 feet (29.6 m) long steel blades that rotated counterclockwise at 35 mi/h. It was designed to power 300 to 500 average-sized homes, given wind speeds of 25 mi/h.
An unintended consequence
Unintended consequence
In the social sciences, unintended consequences are outcomes that are not the outcomes intended by a purposeful action. The concept has long existed but was named and popularised in the 20th century by American sociologist Robert K. Merton...
of the new technology was a low-frequency "swish-swish" or "wooshing" noise that irritated locals. In March and April of 1980, DOE and NASA engineers determined that a two-cycle-per-second sound was generated by wind blowing through the blades. Although the sound was twenty cycles below the range of human hearing, it caused windows and other objects to vibrate audibly. A group of Appalachian State University
Appalachian State University
Appalachian State University is a comprehensive , public, coeducational university located in Boone, North Carolina, United States. Appalachian State, also referred to as Appalachian, App State, or simply App, is the sixth largest institution in the University of North Carolina system...
students calling themselves "Wooshies" mocked the turbine project in a class video and gained the attention of local and regional newspapers. The turbine was also blamed for disrupting television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
signals. Some questioned whether it was working at all, since the blades did not seem to move very often. The turbine was dismantled in 1983.
The abandoned turbine site on Howard Knob was handed over to the county to serve as a park "in perpetuity."
Howard Knob has been at times a popular spot for bouldering
Bouldering
Bouldering is a style of rock climbing undertaken without a rope and normally limited to very short climbs over a crash pad so that a fall will not result in serious injury. It is typically practiced on large natural boulders or artificial boulders in gyms and outdoor urban areas...
, rock climbing
Rock climbing
Rock climbing also lightly called 'The Gravity Game', is a sport in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a pre-defined route without falling...
, and hang gliding
Hang gliding
Hang gliding is an air sport in which a pilot flies a light and unmotorized foot-launchable aircraft called a hang glider ....
. However, those activities were discouraged and ultimately prohibited by town authorities and private property owners.
Land Conservancy
With unparalleled views of downtown Boone and the surrounding mountains, Howard Knob has often been targeted for residential development. In December 2004, owners of a 50 acres (202,343 m²) tract on Howard Knob allied with the High Country ConservancyHigh Country Conservancy
High Country Conservancy is a non-profit land trust operating in northwest North Carolina. Its mission is "to protect the natural resources of Appalachia by conserving land with significant ecological, cultural, recreational, or scenic value in the North Carolina High Country." Through 2007 HCC...
and signed a conservation easement protecting 46 acres (186,155.6 m²) as a forested natural area with limited provisions for hiking trails and a small shelter. Three of the owners' remaining acres were slated for 1 acres (4,046.9 m²) residential plots near existing homes.