| Madison Co. Nature Trail--Green Mt. |
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The public is invited to reserve the pavilion for picnics and family gatherings by calling Butch Chaffin, the park manager at 883-9501. You can also reserve the small chapel in the park, where approximately 10 weddings were held last year.
On the north side of the lake along the walking trail, you will come upon the original cabin of Charles Green, the homesteader that Green Mountain was named after. The plaque on the cabin tells the story of this man and how he came to live on Green Mountain.
The plaque on the cabin reads:
"Charles D. Green was born either in Copenhagen, Denmark or the Duchy of Holstein, Germany. He was born Kurt Gruene on October 6, 1828. It is not known for sure why he changed his name when coming to the United States. He arrived in Boston in 1849. From Boston to New York to Harris County, Georgia he came.
He married Martha Catherine Craig to whom was born a son and a daughter--George in 1860, Catherine 1862. His wife died in 1863 and he married again in 1865 to Mary Elizabeth Pike. In 1869, he was on his way to Texas but stopped in Madison County because his wife was pregnant and could travel no further. He purchased 40 acres--eventually 320--on the mountain later to bear his name and there he sired 12 more children.Charles Green was an agronomist, cabinetmaker, and carpenter. He died December 9, 1902 and in interred in Maple Hill Cemetery. His gravesite had 14 plots for his 14 children but 13 are interred in Rosebud and Temple, Texas. One child, John Campbell was born on the mountain on December 3, 1888 and was still alive in 1977."
In 1975, the Madison County Commission acquired and developed the site where the Nature Trail sits. 1998 saw completion of trail improvements and restroom renovations with a National Recreational Trails Fund grant provided through the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs. Make time to get away from the hussle and bussle of the city, and enjoy a quiet walk through nature on top of Green Mountain real soon!
Directions to the Park: From South Memorial Parkway, take Weatherly Road east; turn right on Bailey Cove Road, left on Green Mountain Road, and right on Shawdee Road to the park, which will be on your right.