About Stumphouse Tunnel
Stumphouse Tunnel was supposed to carry trains through the Blue Ridge Mountains. Instead, it became an unfinished stone passage, a public attraction, and at one point an unusually large cheese cellar.
Workers began excavating the tunnel as part of an ambitious railroad route before the Civil War. Much of the labor was done with hand tools. The larger project collapsed before the route could be completed, leaving the tunnel terminating inside the mountain rather than emerging from the other side.
About a quarter mile is open to visitors today. The interior remains near fifty degrees throughout the year, a feature that eventually attracted researchers from Clemson University. For decades, the university used the tunnel’s cool, humid environment while developing and curing blue cheese.
The public section is dark, damp, and dramatically cooler than the outside air in summer. Visitors should bring a flashlight and check Stumphouse Park for current admission, parking, and closure information. A failed railroad bore becoming an experimental cheese cave is exactly the sort of second career an abandoned tunnel deserves.