Lost Mountain History

The Cherokee Indians who lived in the Lost Mountain area are credited with naming the mountain. Chief Kennesaw and his tribe lived on the sheltered sides of the Twin Mountains. The chief’s sole affection was for his daughter who matured into womanhood and pledged her love to a young brave – a union to which the chief would not consent. Heart-broken by the thought of separation, the two ran away to the little mountain they loved. When the chief missed them, he called a council and formed a party to search for the young lovers. The first footprints clearly led the party to the distant mountain, but as they followed the trail the encountered difficulties. The pathway became half hidden with laurel and fern and their progress slowed. Finally, the mountain appeared just a little ahead of the search party. They reached the mountain only to discover it was a mere hill, flat and overgrown with a tangle of vines and sweet smelling bays. They meticulously searched every piece of ground for the brave and his love, but at dusk, acknowledged defeat and turned homeward to the Kennesaw’s, the old chief lamenting – lost – lost on the mountain.

The year following World War I, the Lost Mountain area was not well known and was described in the newspaper as a “small community on the west side of the county”. Old Landmarks of our small community include a rural post office where the brick store stands today at the corner of Mars Hill and Dallas Highway, a Presbyterian Church which was established in 1850 at Midway Road on Dallas Highway, and a Baptist Church established in 1877 that was situated on the southwest quarter of the mountain. Another interesting landmark was the old Lost Mountain School.

Lost Mountain School was a two-story building with a one-room school in the bottom story and a Masonic lodge in the top. The building – eventually destroyed by fire – was located on Dallas Highway just west of the big general store where land office business was done after the Civil War. Citizens of the surrounding community took a vested interest in always having a good school master for their children.  At times they even resorted to “passing the hat” to acquire adequate funds. The one room school served the Lost Mountain community until 1940 when it was combined with seven other similar schools to become the McEachern School.

The Lost Mountain Middle School, situated on 88.83 acres, officially opened on Monday, January 6, 1992. The new facility currently houses approximately 1050 students. The school serves as a focal point for the future development and expansion of Lost Mountain area.