The Robinson Rockhouse Ruins
Deep in the preserve stand the stone ruins of the John Robinson Rockhouse, built in the 1780s and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009. A trail named for it leads you there through the woods.
What's here
- The stone walls of the John Robinson Rockhouse, a Revolutionary-era farmhouse.
- The Robinson Rockhouse Trail, which branches off the Sierra Loop.
- Interpretive history of the land, from Native peoples to the park.
Good to know
The ruins are fragile and protected. Look and photograph, but don't climb on the walls or remove stones. The site is a hike from the nature center; get a trail map before you set out.
The house
The Rockhouse was built in the 1780s by the Robinson family, who bought the land after its first European settler. Its stone construction is why something of it survives: today its walls remain in the forest, and in 2009 the ruins were added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Getting there
From the nature center, take the Umbrella Tree or South Fork trail to the Sierra Loop, then follow the Robinson Rockhouse Trail. The walk takes you across Reedy Creek and through mature forest; allow at least an hour round trip with time at the ruins.
A long human history
People lived here long before the Robinsons: artifacts from the Woodland period show Native American occupation. In the mid-1700s, John Selwyn received a land grant from King George and settled the area; the Robinsons later bought the land. The City of Charlotte purchased it in 1981 to create Reedy Creek Park, Mecklenburg County took over when the city and county park departments merged in 1991, and in 1997 the land was divided into today's park and nature preserve.
Visiting respectfully
Treat the ruins like any historic site: stay on the trail, keep off the walls and leave every stone where it is. The Robinson Rockhouse Trail is also one of the preserve's best birding routes, so walk quietly and you may hear warblers along the way.
What you'll see
The ruins are low walls of rough fieldstone outlining the house, a tall stone chimney stack that still stands well above the walls, and broad slab steps at what was once an entrance. In winter, with the leaves down, the outline of the house is easiest to read; in summer the walls are softened by moss and ferns.
See the rest of the park
Robinson Rockhouse is one of 6 featured areas at Reedy Creek Park.