North Carolina's strange, strange pond.

I plan on posting a thread soon about a very strange area on some land that my relatives own. It's really amazing. I don't know much about the subject of power spots or sacred spots and I apologize for sounding unscientific, but the place is, for lack of a better or more descriptive word, "enchanted".

While researching the topic , my cousin stumbled upon this story.
I thought it was a very cool story, and from what I've gleaned so far, quite a mystery!
It actually involves a song by the band Fleetwood Mac.

My cousin was online browsing some sites about this stuff, and he saw a discussion board
where people were talking about 'ley lines' which are supposed alignments of
ancient sacred or 'power' spots, monuments, etc. There's a ton of online and youtube info on the stuff

On the discussion board, there was an old post by a guy who said he grew up in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Apparently, the guy had been checking out the online discussions about strange power spots, vortexes and 'Earth anamolies'.

He said that one day in 1969, he and three friends were riding dirt-bike motorcycles in a large forested area near Winston-Salem. He described it as thick forest with bike trails worn through the woods. Deep in the middle of the forest was a large clearing. They had ridden their bikes there many times before, but on this day, when they reached the clearing, they were shocked to see a huge, perfectly round depression in the ground that was probably 80 - 100 feet in diameter . He said it was as if a giant iron ball had been pressed into the ground, buried halfway, and then lifted out. The dirt in the indentation was 'smooth as glass'. There was not a bump or a ripple anywhere. Of course they thought that it had somehow been man-made...dug out with bulldozers or something. But there was no machinery anywhere. There was no way to get any machinery there! There were no roads, just bike trails. They got really spooked and got the hell out of there. From what the guy said, all four of them were pretty spooked.

They went back to town and told some friends. A couple other guys went there shortly thereafter and they saw it too. The weird depression was gone within a few days, as if it was never there.
Now this is weird! ....supposedly someone took some photos, but never gave them to any news people, reporters, etc. The story became quite a local legend. I'm surprised it's not really famous. Maybe because the "mystery circle" was there and gone so quickly?

A couple years later, Fleetwood Mac released their song "Hypnotized". Some of the lyrics definitely sound like the Winston-Salem circle, although the term "pond" is used.

The lyrics:
I remember a talk about North Carolina and a strange, strange pond
You see the sides were like glass
In the thick of a forest, without a road
And if any man's hand ever made that land, then I think it would've showed



It was written by Bob Welch, Fleetwood Mac guitaristsongwriter. He died recently.
I wonder how Bob heard of the 'strange pond'.

reply to post by ColeYounger


I find this fascinating and look forward to your upcoming thread.
2nd

Star and flag for bringing something fresh and unique...and of course the tie-in with Fleetwood Mac!
I look forward to your upcoming thread !!!


Thanks for the wonderful contribution

Intriguing post OP.

I live in W-S and have had my fair share of sightings and a couple of encounters in this area.

Can you disclose the general area where this occurred?

If you're close by, we should meet up and exchange stories sometime.

reply to post by htapath


My cousin actually got the info from the guy I mentioned in the thread. The guy had posted on a discussion board.
He was relating a story that happened to him way back in 1969.
What I found interesting was that the guy never mentioned the Fleetwood Mac song. He may not be aware of it!
My cousin said "There's a Fleetwood Mac song that talks about a 'weird pond' in North Carolina."
When he played it, I recognized it as "Hypnotized". I love the song, but was never fully aware of the lyrics.
It sounds exactly like what that guy was describing! "sides like glass.. middle of a forest"

I'm sorry I don't know where exactly they saw the 'circle'. He just said a large forested area near Winston-Salem.

maybe fleetwood mac is an extra-terrestrial and he made it.

he didn't really "die" but just went back home.

don't worry, they'll come back in 80 years with a new face and new songs, when most of the people who could recognize his style and voice are dead or barely functional to care.

I've heard about this from family in Winston-Salem. I don't know of any details other than what you've said. However, you may want to consider a possible connection to Brown Mountain and the lights people have seen there. Brown Mountain is 30-40 miles north of Winston Salem, and the experiences people have there are similar to the Hessdalen phenomenon in Norway.

reply to post by ColeYounger


Thanks for the clarification.

I also like that song very much, and now I hear its message thanks to you.



P.S. RIP Bob.

Originally posted by ColeYounger



It was written by Bob Welch, Fleetwood Mac guitaristsongwriter. He died recently.
I wonder how Bob heard of the 'strange pond'.

www.fleetwoodmac.net...

In Hypnotized you talk about a strange pond in North Carolina. What's the story behind it, and where's it supposed to be? A curious North Carolinian... (Louie Golden, Charlotte, NC, USA)

A guy that I used to work with from Winston-Salem told me the story of he and some friends riding dirt bikes 20 miles or so out in the woods when they came upon a strange "crater" in the ground with smooth sides like melted glass. It was a "pond" in the sense that there was some rainwater in it I guess.

There were no access roads or caterpillar tracks so it wasn't a construction site. I think the location must have been near Winston-Salem. They all immediately got the feeling they should get out of there. Maybe it was a meteor impact ? I just liked the imagery for the song.

reply to post by OrchusGhule


That's true. Brown Mountain is 90 miles to the west of Winston-Salem.

Another possibility is the Pilot Mountain area.

reply to post by Pauligirl


Thank you so much! Brilliant detective work. So Bob actually met one of the guys who were riding that day!
I did what I thought was a fairly exhaustive search, but didn't get anything this specific!

As I said, I'm really surprised this story isn't more famous.

P.S. I changed my original post to reflect this clarification. The song is in fact about the W-S circle.

reply to post by ColeYounger


Thanks for posting OP,

I spent time with my family in the area...this is the first time I have heard of it being mentioned...I will have to check it out next time.

Your story is quite intriguing. In the mid to late 70's, my sister and I used to walk or ride our bikes with our friends to a pond in Jacksonville, NC. We always felt this pond had strange, possibly supernatural properties. We even gave the pond a name, Devil's Pond. As a matter of fact, it was hard to know if the stories we told each other about the pond & surrounding area were our own fabrications or passed down from other sources.

Good memories. Strange pond. Always felt a powerful, somewhat dark energy there. I remember some story about a ghostly "lady in the water" in Devil's Pond at some point in my youth. Eh...it was probably all kid stuff and spooky stories...or was it??

Originally posted by ColeYounger
they reached the clearing, they were shocked to see a huge, perfectly round depression in the ground that was probably 80 - 100 feet in diameter . He said it was as if a giant iron ball had been pressed into the ground, buried halfway, and then lifted out. The dirt in the indentation was 'smooth as glass'.

Underground water, raises and lowers the ground. If you drill a hole there, you'll hit a cave of water underneath.

I live in Brown Summitt. I have never heard of this. Interesting. Just a side note, OP say's just a big wooded area near Winston Salem. Pretty much outside of Winston Salem it's all wooded area, These cities in this thread sure aint NY City.

You could hide Winston Salem, & Greensboro & High Point in N.Y City. I do know of the Devils Stomping Ground located near Fort Bragg, and the James Town ghost. Never heard of this pond. It maybe because I just don't like Winston Salem, to be more specific, I don't like the Winston Salem Police Dept. A couple bad run ins in my youth.

I will check this out. I have a couple of friends that live just outside of Winston Salem & I hunt there on occasion. Would be cool to find that area. As far as Fleetwood Mac is concerned, Christi McVeigh was the one with the best voice, Stevie Nicks sounds like she's singing into a box fan.

Originally posted by htapath
reply to post by OrchusGhule

 

That's true. Brown Mountain is 90 miles to the west of Winston-Salem.

Another possibility is the Pilot Mountain area.

Plus, the Devil's Tramping Ground is about 70 miles southeast of Winston-Salem.

reply to post by ColeYounger
My favourite Fleetwood Mac song...and a Fortean story behind it too? Well, it's a mystery to me!

Maybe it was a cloaked alien spacecraft? I always mistake them for glassy ponds.

Explanation: S&F!

Pilot Mountain is 20miles [aprox] from Winston-Salem NC ...





And it has a big clearing in the middle and dirt roads ...



Now after looking around the whole area very carefully I found something here (marked in red up top left) ...



That sorta fits the criteria for the strangepool requirements ...



100ft wide ...









And finally a long wide angle low view ...



There is nothing similar in this area that I have found that matches the data provided ...

Forested area 20miles outside Winston-Salem NC USA ... check!

Forested are has dirt roads and big clearing in the center ... check!

In that area is a 100ft diameter bowl like impression ... check!

Thats 3 for 3 and thats good enough for me!

Personal Disclosure: I find the tale highly credible!

reply to post by OmegaLogos


That is some great detective work. You really went over the area with the proverbial fine-tooth comb.
The guy telling the original said the depression was perfectly round and was only there for a few days, then it disappeared.

BUT....maybe you did find the location, and after 40 years, the depression isn't a perfect circle anymore.
Your clues certainly fit the story. The large wooded area near W-S, the clearing, the strange open area.