"Breathtaking monadnocks are the cornerstones of the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area (AMNHA), which serves to celebrate these otherworldly rock outcrops and the surrounding region as a recreational wonder and cultural treasure. Lying east of Atlanta, the AMNHA includes pristine natural areas, former quarry and agricultural sites, spiritual centers, historic communities and buildings. This patchwork of wilderness and former farmland began with the formation of the monadnocks, Arabia and Panola Mountains, about 400 million years ago. Human history in the area stretches back tens of thousands of years, with the South River acting as an important trading and settlement route for Native American societies. Following the ceding of Muscogee land to the U.S. Government in the 1820’s, European settlers and enslaved Africans populated the landscape. An agricultural economy dominated the area for many years. Today, that rural history can been seen at Vaughters’ Farm, a remnant of the area’s once-booming dairy industry, and at Flat Rock. Preserved and studied by the Flat Rock Archives, this African-American community is one of the oldest in Georgia, surviving enslavement and marginalization to prosper in the deep south."