WASHMORGAN HOLLOW
CLASS II NATURAL-SCIENTIFIC STATE NATURAL AREA

NATURAL AREAS Auntney Hollow Barnett's Woods Bays Mountain Big Cypress Tree Bon Aqua Woods Big Bone Cave Burgess Falls Campbell Bend Barrens Carroll Cabin Barrens Carter (Harry Lee) Cedars of Lebanon Chimneys Colditz Cove Couchville Cedar Glade Crowder Cemetery Devil's Backbone Dry Branch Duck River Complex Dunbar Cave Elsie Quarterman Cedar... Fall Creek Falls Falling Water Falls Fate Sanders Barrens Flat Rock Cedar Glade... Frozen Head Gattingers Cedar Glade Ghost River Grundy Forest Hampton Creek Cove Hawkins Cove Hicks Gap Honey Creek House Mountain Hubbard's Cave Langford Branch Laurel-Snow Lucius Burch Jr. Forest Manus Road Cedar Glade May Prairie Meeman-Shelby Montgomery Bell Morril's Cave Mount View Glade Natural Bridge North Chickamauga Crk Overbridge Ozone Falls Piney Falls Powell River Pogue Creek Radnor Lake Reelfoot Lake Riverwoods Roundtop Mountain Rugby Savage Gulf Sequatchie Cave Short Mountain Short Springs Stillhouse Hollow Falls Stinging Fork Falls Stones River Cedar Glade Sunk Lake Sunnybell Cedar Glade Taylor Hollow Twin Arches Vesta Cedar Glade Vine Cedar Glade Virgin Falls Walker Branch Walls of Jericho Walterhill Floodplain Washmorgan Hollow Watauga River Bluffs William B. Clark William L. Davenport

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COUNTY:	Jackson	ACREAGE:	73
7.5' QUADRANGLE:	Dodson Branch	OWNERSHIP:	The Nature Conservancy
PHYSIOGRAPHIC PROVINCE:	Eastern Highland Rim	YEAR DESIGNATED:	1995

DESCRIPTION:

Map to Washmorgan Hollow Printer friendly version - pdf

Washmorgan Hollow is a 73-acre natural area in Jackson County and is owned by The Nature Conservancy of Tennessee. This sheltered ravine on the Eastern Highland Rim has a rich and diverse flora uncommon in many other areas in the region. It provides excellent habitat for plants and animals alike. The narrow winding ridges are separated by steep slopes that drop between 200 and 300 feet to the bottom of the hollow. A perennial stream tumbles over a waterfall at the head of the hollow. The stream flows out of Washmorgan Hollow into Roaring River just below the confluence where Spring Creek enters Roaring River. Both of these are state scenic rivers.

The forest in this natural area is relatively undisturbed, and birdwatchers have observed neotropical warblers here that includes cerulean warblers, scarlet tanagers, and worm-eating warblers. The rich slopes support red and sugar maples, large beeches, and tulip poplars. There are large sycamore trees and box elder in the hollow along the stream. The forest throughout Washmorgan Hollow is a mixed mesophytic community type as indicated by the presence of buckeye and basswood. In addition to all the many co-dominants already described, many other species of ash, oak, and hickory are a part of this forest. Unfortunately, the impact of butternut canker can be observed here as many of the butternut trees (Juglans cinerea) have been affected and are dead or dying.

This rich hollow with its steep slopes and mixed mesophytic forest supports a colorful spring flora. The flora includes a large population of synandra (Synandra hispidula), which is the mint family, and uncommon in Tennessee.

SITE MANAGEMENT:

The Nature Conservancy, Tennessee Chapter, 2021 21st Ave South, Suite C 400, Nashville, TN 37212, phone (615) 383-9909; Division of Natural Areas, 401 Church Street, 7th Floor L&C Annex, Nashville, TN 37243, phone (615) 532-0431.

PUBLIC ACCESS:

Public access allowed. Parking and hiking trails not provided at this time.

DIRECTIONS:

From Gainesboro go east on Highway 135, which meanders along the Roaring River. When Highway 135 begins to leave the river bottom, turn left onto Spring Creek Road and go approximately a one half mile to the mouth of the second large hollow where Washmorgan Hollow is located.