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    Old Fort
    Old Fort
    Old Fort
    Ebook191 pages54 minutes

    Old Fort

    By Kim Clark

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    About this ebook

    Old Fort is situated near the headwaters of the mighty Catawba River, and in many ways it has also stood at the headwaters of American history--it takes its name from a fort that was the westernmost outpost of white settlement in America at the time of the American Revolution. After the Civil War, Old Fort was the base of operations for the extension of the railroad up the steep mountain grade to Ridgecrest, an accomplishment that is still considered a marvel of engineering and perseverance. A tract of wilderness in the Curtis Creek area was the first parcel of the Pisgah National Forest. The dedication of Old Fort's arrowhead monument in 1930 marked the first time that representatives of the Cherokee and Catawba tribes shared a peace pipe. More recently, one of the earliest acts of courage in the civil rights movement took place on the steps of Old Fort School. Old Fort showcases the rich heritage of this McDowell County town.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArcadia Publishing
    Release dateApr 13, 2015
    ISBN9781439650813
    Old Fort
    Author

    Kim Clark

    Kim Clark is a researcher, public radio host, and the author of Images of America: Marion. She assembled this collection on behalf of Old Fort Historic Site, Inc. More than 200 historical images bring to life the many fascinating aspects of Old Fort's heritage.

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      Book preview

      Old Fort - Kim Clark

      blast!

      INTRODUCTION

      Artifacts, historical documents, and handed-down recollections tell us that what is now Old Fort was Cherokee territory when Spanish explorers came through on expeditions in the 1500s. The Catawba tribe lived here at one time but migrated south after being decimated by war and disease. When the first European settlers began to arrive in the mid-1700s, they found Cherokee hunting camps, sacred sites, and villages. There was an uneasy alliance between native and newcomer at first, but it was soon shattered by the American Revolution and the settlers’ seemingly insatiable appetite for land.

      After a series of violent attacks by the Cherokee against the settlers, Gen. Griffith Rutherford launched his retaliatory campaign, Rutherford Trace, from the fort that would later give the town of Old Fort its name. In one month, Rutherford’s men left dozens of Cherokee villages in ruins with hundreds of acres of crops destroyed and livestock killed or seized.

      There is an old adage that history is written by the victors, and it is as true for the history of Old Fort as anywhere else. There are no doubt countless stories of Cherokee accomplishments and courage that have gone unwritten and will be unrepresented in this volume, lamentably so. Just as history books are written by people, people are also authors of the everyday decisions and actions that combine to weave the fabric of the history of any town. Old Fort has been fortunate—or perhaps destined—to have been home to several extraordinary authors who significantly shaped its story.

      There was Maj. James W. Wilson of the Western North Carolina Railroad, who took stock of the railroad that couldn’t be built and figured out how to build it. In less than four years after tackling the impossible, he was able to wire former North Carolina governor Zebulon Vance: Daylight entered Buncombe County today through the Swannanoa Tunnel. Grade and centers meet exactly.

      George Sandlin, who became mayor of Old Fort on his 21st birthday, gave a large share of his life force to the railroad but also found time to help those less fortunate. His undisclosed acts of generosity were such that persons unknown to his family openly wept at his funeral. After Sandlin had retired from the railroad, he provided legal council for the African American children and parents who were seeking to integrate Old Fort School in the 1950s.

      Col. Daniel W. Adams came to Old Fort from Louisiana in 1911 to survey the Curtis Creek tract for the US Forest Service, which set the stage for the creation of the Pisgah National Forest. He moved his family here and set about improving life for everyone in town by building a municipal water system, constructing a dam on the Catawba River to generate the town’s first electric power, and providing numerous other civic improvements. Old Fort residents used to say that they loved it when Colonel Adams went away and made money from his mining or oil interests because they knew that when he returned, he would do something for the town with his financial gain.

      Albert Joyner of the Catawba View community was getting dressed for work one August morning in 1955 when he realized that a group of African American children that were supposed to be escorted to Old Fort School in a desegregation effort had been abandoned when their escorts got cold feet. Joyner led the children himself, and he was ostracized and harassed for years as a result. In later interviews, he said, You just got to have that gettin’ up spirit.

      Old Fort police chief Frankie Poteat was the first female police chief in the state of North Carolina. In a television news feature that made much of the historic nature of her accomplishment, she is seen patrolling the streets as if her achievement was no big deal. She served as chief for two decades and was a beloved and respected figure.

      In the 1980s, modern life was growing further and further away from the sustainable and harmonious ways that had been practiced by Native Americans. The planet—and the human spirit—seemed to be nearing a point of no return. For many, a path to rediscovery of the old ways led through Old Fort. Here, the seeker found traditional healer, herbalist, and shaman Chief Two Trees and Woody Grant, whose Native American museum on Main Street provided a respite from the modern world.

      Of course there are countless other religious leaders, mayors, businessmen, teachers, and humanitarians who helped shape Old Fort and whose influence has spread far afield. Their names may not be mentioned in this book and their deeds not recorded anywhere except in the memories of those that they touched, but their impact is felt just the same.

      Now, for a proper introduction to this book, I would like to turn things over to George Sandlin:

      In 1928, when New York governor Al Smith was the Democratic candidate for the president of the United States, his train passed through Old Fort while he was on his way from New York to Asheville for a two-week vacation. Smith’s train stopped in Old Fort, but it was made clear that the governor would not be emerging to deliver one of his soaring speeches. Stationmaster George Sandlin was not satisfied with that course of events, so he summoned the Old Fort band to the scene. The ragtag conglomeration of brass, reeds, and drums soon attracted a crowd around the town fountain, but Smith did not take the bait. At

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