Did you know eight passenger trains a day once ran through Old Fort, North Carolina?
And that, back in the late 1700s, three former Indian trails intersected here?
If you’re old enough, you might recall soda-swilling “Sally the Bear” who lived at Point Lookout in a cage complete with a swimming pool. Or you may remember how one man’s effort to desegregate Old Fort School in the mid-1950s was noted in the nationally circulated Look magazine.
Even if you’re too young to have these memories, you’re likely to enjoy the second phase of the Mountain Gateway Museum’s photography exhibit, “A Peek Into the Past: Old Fort at 150.”
Opening on Tuesday, August 1, part two of this free exhibit continues to celebrate the Town of Old Fort’s sesquicentennial with images that feature some of the town’s outstanding people, places, events, and institutions from the past century and a half.
As a bonus, some of the exhibit labels contain QR codes. When scanned with a smart phone, the codes reveal excerpts from recorded interviews with McDowell County senior citizens, whose memories relate to the accompanying photograph. The interviews were done between 2011 and 2015 as part of the McDowell County Tourism Development Authority’s “McDowell County Legacy Project.” Retired WNCW 88.7 radio producer Kim Clark edited the interviews for this exhibition.
The Town of Old Fort, first incorporated as “Catawba Vale” on Jan. 25, 1872, was re-chartered as “Old Fort” by the North Carolina General Assembly on February 23, 1873. The name was inspired by the stockade that Samuel Davidson built alongside Mill Creek during the 1770s for early settlers’ protection from the Cherokee.
By the American Revolution, Gen. Griffith Rutherford’s soldiers had converted Davidson’s simple stockade into a militia fort. From there, Rutherford launched a “scorched-earth campaign” against Cherokee towns in western North Carolina in September 1776. The expedition’s purpose was twofold: to weaken the Cherokee before they could fully ally with British troops and to retaliate against the native people for their attacks on European settlers, who had been encroaching on Cherokee territory. The route of the expedition became known as the “Rutherford Trace.”
“A Peek Into the Past: Old Fort at 150” will remain open through Sunday, Feb. 18, 2024.
The Mountain Gateway Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Sunday from 2 to 5 p.m. Admission is free.
MGM will also be hosting a “So Long to Summer Street Dance” from 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9. Ulysses Long, a 2012 finalist in the NBC show “America’s Got Talent,” will be performing beach music and past summertime hits on the front porch of the museum’s Morgan cabin. Water Street, which runs behind the museum, will be closed off for dancing, and Carolina Snowie will be onsite with icy treats to keep everyone “cool.” Admission is free!
The town of Old Fort has been welcoming travelers to this corner of the Blue Ridge Mountains for more than 150 years. Named for the Revolutionary-era Davidson’s Fort, this charming mountain town is today surrounded by Pisgah National Forest — it’s the perfect place to start your next mountain adventure.
Hit the trail with your hiking boots or mountain bike to experience the rugged forest terrain. Take the whole family on a hike to see breathtaking Catawba Falls, or meander alongside Newberry Creek as it winds toward the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Enjoy scenes from Old Fort history as depicted by local artists and students on the Seven Wonders mural trail. And take a drive to visit Andrews Geyser, a man-made fountain built as a tourist attraction during the early years of rail travel in Western North Carolina.
After your adventure, kick back with a pint of local craft beer at Hillman Beer’s creekside patio or visit Davis Country Store. A number of vacation rentals, cabins and campgrounds are available for you to rest and recharge for another day exploring the Blue Ridge.
