Abstract

The Devil’s Tramping Ground is a legendary site in Chatham County, North Carolina, where folklore claims the Devil himself paces in a perfect circle, leaving the ground barren. This website explores the legend through oral tradition, belief, and cultural participation. Drawing from folkloristics, this project examines the site’s use in regional identity and fear-based storytelling. Through legend-tripping, storytelling, and symbolic behavior, participants reinforce group belonging and curiosity about the unknown. By analyzing verbal, customary, and material folklore, this project shows how the Devil’s Tramping Ground acts as a living narrative shaped by both tradition and performance in a Southern context.

Visual References

Photo of actual site

Source: DevilJazz Tripod

Photo of woman standing beside the site sign

Source: DevilJazz Tripod

Google Maps location

Source: Spectrum News

Newspaper clip of the site

Source: Fayetteville Observer