Sugar Loaf Historical Society receives Legends & Lore marker for ‘Cat Rocks Treasure’ story

The Sugar Loaf Historical Society this week announced a new grant from the William G. Pomeroy Foundation for a new Legends & Lore roadside marker.

The marker will highlight the “Cat Rocks Treasure” legend surrounding the locally famous rock outcropping on the Appalachian Trail, where Revolutionary War outlaw Claudius Smith purportedly hid his gold, never to be found. At the gallows, The Tory outlaw Claudius Smith stated the location of his hidden loot moments before he was hanged. Since his hanging, many have searched The Cat Rocks’ network of talus caverns for it, to no avail.

The new grant is the third from the Pomeroy Foundation’s Legends & Lore marker program awarded in the past year to the Sugar Loaf Historical Society. The first two were awarded for “Hoop Snake Hill” and “Nathaniel Knapp,” respectively. Orange County currently hosts six Pomeroy Foundation Legends & Lore markers in all, and this seventh marker will add to the county’s import as a cradle of colonial legend.

The Sugar Loaf Historical Society will be dedicating its “Nathaniel Knapp” William G. Pomeroy foundation “Legends and Lore” marker later this month, at Sugar Loaf’s “Knapp’s View” park.

“Commemorating yet another centuries-old legend is a step forward for authentic historical and cultural preservation here in our county of great legend,” said Historical Society President Jay Westerveld. “The Sugar Loaf Historical Society’s mission has always been to research and accurately chronicle our region’s colorful history for generations to come, drawing from oral tradition handed down by our members’ own families. My childhood pals and I grew up hiking, hunting and camping out at Cat Rocks in the ’70s and ’80s, and the mystery of Claudius Smith’s treasure was always foremost on our minds whenever we were there. Indeed, our grandparents warned of the Tory outlaw’s ghost lurking among the rocks, guarding his loot.”

The Pomeroy Foundation’s Legends & Lore grant program helps communities promote cultural tourism by highlighting their local folklore and legends with fully funded roadside markers. As of June 2024, the Foundation has funded more than 170 Legends & Lore markers across multiple states nationwide.

“We convey our very sincerest gratitude to the William G. Pomeroy Foundation for ensuring these legends’ survival and longevity, as well as to prolific published research authors such as my friend, Professor Richard Hull, a true legend himself; and the late Donald Barrell,” added Westerveld.