Local legend has it that over 280 years ago, the Catawba and the Cherokee were locked in a brutal and savage conflict in the smoky hills around what is now Lenoir, North Carolina. So many warriors were killed on both sides that the leaders came together to talk peace, not as victor over vanquished, but as equals. Distrust and enmity were conquered and peace was made—at least temporarily. The symbol of that peace would be two trees and their ability to grow together. The legend of the Twin Poplars suggests…
