The New Student's Reference Work/Black Mountains

Black Mountains, a group of mountains in the western part of North Carolina, a few miles west of the Blue Ridge and belonging to the Appalachian system. The name comes from the forests of dark balsams on its summits. It has twelve peaks, all higher than Mt. Washington, the highest being the Black Dome or Mitchell’s Peak, as it is called in honor of Dr. Mitchell, of the University of North Carolina, who perished while exploring the mountain and was buried on its top. The height of this peak is 6,707 feet — the highest point of the United States east of the Rocky Mountains.