The Gates of Hell are near a small town outside of Atlanta, Georgia

A dormant volcano lies just north east of Atlanta between the cities of Winder and Statham in Georgia. The Creek Indians called it Nodoroc which to them meant Hell and they believed the Devil, which they called Wog, lived near it.

It is said that the Nodoroc had significant religious significance to the native Americans in the area possibly dating back for over a thousand years. An unknown civilization built a stone temple near the site. The Upper Creeks and Cherokees would go to war with one another in order to control the land.

Mr. John Gossett lived nearest the mudhole, as it was called. He cleared a large field that almost surrounded Nodoroc. One morning when he and his good wife were in the field they noticed an unsual amount of fog hanging over the swamp. As the sun rose higher in the heavens they noticed that it did not dispel the supposed mist. But on the other hand the "fog" grew denser, until about 9'oclock Mrs. Gossett saw a great volume of smoke burst forth from the swamp. She called her husband, who was plowing, to look. Both heard a loud rumbling noise, somewhat like that of distant thunder.... All at once the whole surface of the mud hole seemed to rise up into the air.... It appeared to rise so high and the air was so full of the small particles that it darkened the sun for a few moments. Then came the hot stuff back to the earth, falling all around Gossett and his wife...

The Wog was said to be a fearsome creature that would terrify cattle and inhabitants by night by devouring the bodies of the dead. The Creeks and Cherokees would perform human sacrifices of prisoners and sometimes villagers to appease the Wog and the bubbling cauldron of the Nodoroc.

According to a visitor to the Nodoroc the Wog was said to be covered by jet-black hair, have the head of a bear, have four legs the size of a deer with the back legs shorter than the front, have large teeth, a forked tongue, red eyes, and a long tail that would make a buzzing sound that could be heard from a long distance.

Sources:
Early History of Jackson County

Barrow County History

Wikimapia

The volcano has been in four different counties due to boundaries changing over the hundreds of years. I felt this was an interesting story as many of us who live in the southeast would never consider it possible that we might live near a volcano. For you mason watchers, its also of note that it sits at 33 degrees latitude.

[edit on 22-4-2010 by ararisq]

Very interesting. Thanks for the post.

Originally posted by ararisq
According to a visitor to the Nodoroc the Wog was said to be covered by jet-black hair, have the head of a bear, have four legs the size of a deer with the back legs shorter than the front, have large teeth, a forked tongue, red eyes, and a long tail that would make a buzzing sound that could be heard from a long distance.

Sounds like the visitor to the Nodoroc probably just ran into my ex-wife. She lives in Gwinnett Co. now.

reply to post by Kansas City


Thanks, I have also read that it was drained (the swamp it was in) and turned in to farm land giving up a good amount of corn in the 1800s. It is now though apparently very dangerous again. The writer of one of the sources above said that the land owner pushed a stick four feet in length in to the ground using his palm and then pulled it out again. Whatever it is, it appears to me to be more active now than it was in times past. It looks very small on the map and, funnily enough, is right across from the landing strip at the local airport.

Will make for an interesting landing for someone one day.

Wow so instead of, The Devile "went down to" Georgia, like the song says, its really the opposite of those 3 words in quotations. Instead of went its came, instead of down its up, instaed of to its from. The Devil "came up from" Georgia.


Posted Via ATS Mobile: m.abovetopsecret.com

Very interesting...Georgia's history is always fascinating. I have lived in Georgia my entire life and had never heard about this. Volcano?...who knew?

My cousin lives in Winder. I'll ask him if he's seen the devil running around town, lol. But seriously, do you know if this place is open to the public? I would like to stop by and see it next time I'm around there.

Originally posted by CDippa
My cousin lives in Winder. I'll ask him if he's seen the devil running around town, lol. But seriously, do you know if this place is open to the public? I would like to stop by and see it next time I'm around there.

Look at the WikiMap. It is across from the airport on private land. The blog writer I sourced apparently set up a visit and they walked him around the land and told him the story in person. I believe the Winder museum also has some printed information you can pick up.

I did see the Wikimap...thanks for that. I just couldn't tell if that was private land or not. It looks like a road runs right by it, so maybe I could stop on the side of the road and get a quick peek just to see it.

Thanks for the OP.

I live about 4 hours south of the area you are talking about. I'd love to take a weekend trip and check it out.

Good stuff.

reply to post by broahes


That old Divil gets about a bit.

He has another piece of property up by Yellowstone - another volcano.

Source: Smithsonian (Sorry had to put it all in as it is on GE and cannot be linked)

Hell's Half Acre lava field, the easternmost of the young basaltic lava fields of the Snake River Plain, covers an area of about 400 sq km SW of Idaho Falls and is the 2nd largest of the Snake River Plain. Basaltic lavas forming the broad, low shield volcano are dominantly pahoehoe flows that were erupted from a 3-km-long, NW-SE trending vent system at the NW part of the field during a brief eruptive episode about 5200 years ago. The summit vent area contains an irregular, elongate 0.8 x 0.3 km wide central depression that was the site of a former lava lake that fed late-stage flows. About 10 circular pit craters truncate the surface of the lava lake, and two prominent lava tube systems are located near the summit vent complex. Two major lava flow lobes, each about 5 km wide and 10 km long, extend to the south and SW along the flood plain of the Snake River and surround Morgans Pasture, a large kipuka. Interstate 15 highway crosses the SE margin of the lava field SW of the city of Idaho Falls.

reply to post by doctor j and inmate c5779


Hehe, the greatest trick the Devil ever played was convincing the world he went down to Georgia.

i find it fascinating that so much stuff of our western world was already in the history of the native Americans before it was colonized.

reply to post by PuterMan


Nice info PuterMan.

I always place value on your posts. Thanks.