Many residents have installed apps on their phone to track the sound levels. In a town of about 1,855 people, up to 800 families live within a mile of the mine. In December, Lynell and fellow resident Cyndie Roberson started a private Facebook group for people to share their experiences and grievances. But year-round, residents living up to a mile away from the mine can hear it. During winter, the noise gets worse without leaves on trees to help absorb the sound. In Murphy, residents who can hear the indelible hum most prominently live near an unobstructed path from it. And low-frequency sounds, like the rumble from the crypto mine, travel farther than high-frequency sounds (think: a scream, or nails on a chalkboard) because the longer waves of a low-frequency noise cover more ground before losing energy. Sound travels in waves and tends to travel farthest in open landscapes.
Many houses off Harshaw, Mulkey, and Poor House Mountain surround what used to be the 18-hole Cherokee Hills Golf and Country Club, which closed at the end of 2016. All the streets wind with hairpin turns up into the lush hills, splitting into side streets. The two are bisected by Club House Road, which then turns into Poor House Mountain Trail.
Back at the stop sign, Mulkey Place goes straight. From the mine, roads weave like a spider’s web. During the day, its low-frequency hum-which, directly outside, may go up to 95 decibels-can make it seem like you’re next to a running motorcycle. It looks out of place in western North Carolina, something so modern.Īs you approach the mine, which is owned by the San Francisco-based firm PrimeBlock, you begin to hear the roar. Drive parallel to the highway for about half a mile, and you’ll see it on your left: large white boxes housing blue containers in a cornfield, partially surrounded by a gray wall. Turn right on Harshaw Place and left on Harshaw Road at the stop sign. “It was a threat, nevertheless.”įollow Highway 64-or as the residents call it, the four-lane-east from town for about three miles. Lynell took the podium and spoke for more than 20 minutes, pressing the commissioners on why they’re backing the mine and what they’re planning to do to mitigate the noise.Īfter the bullet appeared on her doorstep, she wondered if she had said too much. Residents have three minutes to make a statement during the public comment period at these meetings. More than six months had passed since the mine began causing a disturbance, and she was fed up with the lack of transparency from her elected officials, who had yet to act upon the concerns of their citizens. Lynell ran her mouth on April 18, at the Cherokee County (Murphy is the county seat) board of commissioners meeting. And, as she puts it: “I was blessed with a mouth.” Before moving to Murphy three years ago with the intent to retire there, she ran a small business with her husband. But Lynell was frustrated by her neighbors’ stories and began speaking out on their behalf at bimonthly county commissioner meetings. They only hear the mine from their home when there’s no other noise outside. They likened this new, pervasive sound to a highway, a jet engine on the runway, or a semi idling in their driveway, and said it was disrupting their sleep and eroding their sense of peace. Within weeks of when the mine began running, angry residents started complaining about the incessant noise on Facebook and Nextdoor. Sitting in the foothills of the Appalachian and Blue Ridge Mountains, Murphy is a lush oasis promising an uninterrupted soundtrack of nature, and attracting those who value that quiet. Crypto Exchange Founder Dies, $190 Million Missing.
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