#oldfortnc

[kimberly40]

May 2025- Mountain Appalachian Inn located in Old Fort in McDowell County, North Carolina.

Built in 1880, this beautiful home is a rambling, quirky Victorian nestled in the heart of downtown Old Fort. It features four guest rooms.

*Old Fort's Original Bed and Breakfast

•Innkeepers, Chuck and Becky Aldridge

[exploringcreationvids]

Old Fort, NC Devastated by Hurricane Helene: Shocking Flood Damage

Discover the powerful aftermath of Hurricane Helene in Old Fort, North Carolina. This video captures the widespread flood damage caused by the storm, impacting homes, businesses, and the heart of this small town. 📍 Location: Old Fort, North Carolina 🌊 Event: Hurricane Helene Flood 2024 #HurricaneHelene #OldFortNC #FloodDamage #NorthCarolinaStorms #DisasterRecovery #ExtremeWeather from Exploring…

[ginnyandmatt]

Seen in Old Fort. Sounds like someone’s fed up with online dating! 😄 #getcreative #latevalentines #lovealocal #howromantic #oldfortnc (at Old Fort, North Carolina) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bt69IkPBdZ5/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=87ctkiu7kzkb

[annebevan]

The Barns Up Yonder 5x7” oil on canvas mounted and in 8x10 double mat. #NorthCarolinalandscape #pleinairpainting #barns #countrylife #freshair #mcdowellcounty #OldFortNC #smalloilpainting #todayinthestudio http://bit.ly/2ZhE5Hv

[kimberly40]

Then and Now- Circa 1930’s and 2022. Point Lookout in Old Fort in McDowell County, North Carolina.

When, in the 1920s, Route 10 became Highway 70 (now Old U.S. 70), Point Lookout became a major tourist stop with a view of Royal Gorge. The site was fully developed in the 1930s by H.A. Ragle of Old Fort with a retail shop, gas station and motel.

Motorists came up from Old Fort and stopped to rest their engines and to visit the stop’s most famous attraction, Sally the Bear, also called “Prohibition Sally,” chained to a cage and enjoying soda pop. Ragle sold Point Lookout in 1947. The section of Old U.S. 70 between Old Fort and Black Mountain was closed off when Interstate 40 was constructed in the area in 1968.

In 2008, various public and private partners created Point Lookout Trail for hikers and bikers, without any tourist attractions, except for the view. In 2022, the Point Lookout Trail was included as a section of Fonta Flora State Trail, currently under development.

This paved, hiking, and bicycle trail rises approximately 1,000 feet in elevation within a 3.62 mile trail. This is a non-motorized trail, managed by U.S. Forest Service, McDowell Trails Association, McDowell County, and the Town of Old Fort.

(By: Rob Neufeld Feb. 9, 2016)

[kimberly40]

June 1938- Andrew's Geyser in Old Fort in McDowell County, North Carolina

(Photo taken by Baker. From the Department of Conservation and Development, Travel Information Division Photograph Collection, State Archives of North Carolina)

[kimberly40]

McDowell County, North Carolina. The old Crooked Creek Amoco Station is located on Bat Cave Road in Old Fort, N.C. This is near the Crooked Creek Fire Department.

This used to be Walker’s Store.

•2023

[kimberly40]

Early 1900’s- The Guthrie place was located on Moffitt Branch Road in Old Fort in McDowell County, North Carolina. Mr. Guthrie was a blacksmith.

Blacksmithing was essential to the survival of Appalachian communities. They were highly respected and played a vital role in everyday life. Families that settled in distant, remote corners of the mountains were often miles from the nearest blacksmith. Out of necessity, these remote, independent farmers learned the trade themselves. They often used their own anvil and forge to make and repair tools and household items.

Objects produced included: shoes for mules, oxen and horses; farming tools like plows, rakes, and hoes; guns and traps for hunters; and general use items like axes, hammers, nails, pots, pans, utensils, and knives.

[kimberly40]

Then and Now- Late 1920’s and 2022.

•Looking north on Catawba Avenue in Old Fort in McDowell County, North Carolina.

•The Arrowhead was dedicated in July 1930.

•The population of Old Fort by 1930 was 866.

[kimberly40]

Four Oaks Fish Camp used to be located here on Bat Cave Road in Old Fort in McDowell County, North Carolina. Mountain Laurel Montessori Collective School is now here.

*The Tradition of North Carolina Fish Camps:

Fish camps are casual restaurants that specialize in perfectly fried seafood with plenty of piping hot hushpuppies and simple side dishes, washed down with endlessly refillable cups of ice-cold sweet tea. These restaurants are often family run, akin to hometown barbecue joints, with similar vibes and loyalties. Although one can find a few fish camps in South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, they are strongly associated with North Carolina.

The original fish camps date back to before World War II. They were little more than rudimentary waterside kitchens, either outdoors or in smaller spots along riverbanks or coastal sounds, where fishermen could cook what they caught. Some of the fishermen saw entrepreneurial opportunities and hired cooks to help out. Over time, these camps evolved into no-frills seafood restaurants, a few of which remain in business today. Some are in the same locations as the old camps, while others moved a little closer to town.

Fish camps served not only as restaurants, but as community gathering places where friends and extended family could catch up over a good meal. The fare provided hearty servings at reasonable prices.

[kimberly40]

Train Tunnel through the mountains in Old Fort, North Carolina (McDowell County). This is still an active railroad with daily traffic.

[kimberly40]

West Crawford Street off of Catawba Ave near Downtown Old Fort in McDowell County, North Carolina

[kimberly40]

If those walls could talk, imagine the stories they could tell…

•Old Fort-Sugar Hill Road in the Old Fort community in McDowell County, NC

[kimberly40]

Then and Now- 1950’s and 2024.

Rockett Motors operated this full-service gas station on the corner of East Main and Spring Streets in Old Fort in McDowell County, N.C.

Twisted Rod Co. is now located here.

(Photo from Bill Nicols )

[kimberly40]

THE STRICKLAND HOUSE-

Local tradition holds that in 1910, Witt Blackwelder built this home on Catawba Avenue in Old Fort in McDowell County, North Carolina for Mr. Strickland. It is a typical example of Victorian homes built on Catawba Avenue during the early 20th century.

The maior elements of this basically Queen Anne, two-story residence are its steeply pitched, hipped roof, cutaway gables, wraparound porch and Eastlake detailing around the gable ends and eaves of the roof and porch.

Entrance to the house is gained through an ornately decorated door with a bottom panel and a stained glass Queen Anne window on top.

Many original features inside including the stairway, mantels, doors, and a built-in glass cabinet are still present.

*Note- The house did receive some flood damage during Helene but it looks like it’s okay. The house is located on Catawba Ave next to the Self Help Credit Union.

•Photo from March 2025.

(Written by: Nada Carroll

Source: Architectural Survey, Dept. of Archives & History)

[kimberly40]

Built in 1940 and located at 169 E Main Street in Old Fort in McDowell County, N.C.