04/29/08

Back to the future in Old Fort

For the better part of a century, the only sign of a fort in Old Fort was a historical marker in the middle of town. A small band of men and women have set out to change that, and log by pointed log, weekend by weekend, they get a little closer to their goal.

In a field between Interstate 40 and a furniture mill, a palisade wall of logs rises, looking more like big sharpened pencils sticking pointy end up out of the dirt than the 120-by-120-foot picturesque frontier fort it will grow to be.

Each 12-foot log is raised into position by hand. It's hard, slow work, just as it was in the 1700s, but it's safe to say that these volunteers are having a lot more fun than the original builders.

The town's namesake was called Davidson's Fort, built in the 1700s on land owned by Samuel Davidson. In 1776, during the American Revolution, Gen. Griffith Rutherford raised a militia of farmers, trappers and frontiersmen to fight the Cherokee, who had sided with the British. The volunteers camped at the fort on their way deeper into the mountains.

The last remnants of the structure washed away in the great floods of 1916, and the fort was largely forgotten with the coming of the railroad and the mills. In recent years, a band of historical true believers has set out to build a new fort, this one an outpost of history and tourism for the area.

Each weekend, volunteers gather with their old axes and modern chain saws to chop and cut more of the iron-hard locust logs donated from a nearby development of high-dollar houses. The field yields an occasional clue to the history of the river valley. From a hole dug for the log gate comes a large arrowhead or spear point, hand knapped by Indians who hunted here hundreds or thousands of years ago.

As with the militia of 1776, more volunteers are raised over time. Curious people stop by to observe the work, and every now and then, one of them joins the group. Grants have been secured and more research is done.

With each log heaved into place, each hardwood peg driven into even harder wood, Old Fort gets a little closer to having a fort again, and becoming a destination for travelers heading deeper into the mountains and back into history.

http://www.newsobserver.com/1028/story/1001930.html

Old Fort plans replica stockade

Structures envisioned as a significant tourist draw

by John Boyle, JBOYLE@CITIZEN-TIMES.COM

published February 10, 2008 12:15 am

 

OLD FORT — It’s been a curiosity for decades: a town named for something that’s just not there.Old Fort has been lacking one — new or old — since 1916. But that’s about to change.

A devoted group of volunteers is erecting a replica of the Revolutionary War-era fort that once stood as America’s gateway to the West, an endeavor organizers and local leaders say should give a boost to regional tourism and the small town’s sense of history.

“It could bring a lot of people to Old Fort, and of course we all want visitors and tourists,” said Bud Hogan, a 78-year-old native of McDowell County whose company, Arrowhead Inc., sold the land for the new fort. “It could be a big thing for Old Fort.”

The new site is off Lackey Town Road about a mile from downtown Old Fort and the Mountain Gateway Museum, where what was left of the original fort — mostly pilings — met its demise in the flood of 1916.

“With the cost of land, this is as close as it’s going to be,” Mark Hall, president of the Davidson’s Fort Historical Society, said with a laugh on a recent Saturday.

What it will have

Nearby, a palisade of locust logs forms the front wall of the new fort. The plans call for it to be 120 feet by 120 feet, with two stockades, period lean-tos, a blacksmith’s shop and a candle-making shop.

“When you walk through that door, you’ll be walking into 1776,” said Tim Lewis, secretary for Davidson’s Fort Historical Park and one of the volunteers cutting and hoisting the logs, axed to look like giant sharpened pencils, into place.

“We don’t want to have an empty building here,” volunteer Joe Williams explained. “We’re wanting to have people inside the fort on a daily basis doing demonstrations and crafts. It’s going to be a living history out there not an empty building you come look at and walk away.”

Long-range plans also call for a visitors center and an Indian artifacts museum on the 18-acre site. The cost likely will come in at about $1.5 million when all is said and done, Hall said. Right now, they’ve got about $60,000 on hand and are working toward state and federal grants.

Violent history

The original fort played a key role in the settlement of the mountains, as well as in the Revolutionary War.

Around 1770, settler Samuel Davidson bought 640 acres of land, which included the present site of Old Fort. A stockade was built on part of the land, a common approach to settling new territory, and for a time the fort served as a point of departure for those venturing up the Blue Ridge escarpment to points west.

The land to the west remained Cherokee Indian territory, and during the Revolutionary War the tribe allied itself with the British. In March of 1776, in response to a Cherokee massacre of settlers, American Gen. Griffith Rutherford mustered 2,700 soldiers at the fort and then set out into the mountains on a mission to destroy Cherokee villages all the way to what is now Murphy.

After reducing the Cherokee threat, the militia remained active, fighting in the Battle of Kings Mountain in 1780 and the battles of Guilford Courthouse and Cowpens in 1781. The hub of its activity was the fort, and the militia based there was extremely effective in keeping British Gen. Cornwallis from easily venturing northward from South Carolina.

“The patriots in the west were really a thorn in the side of the British command,” said Joe Sam Queen, a state senator who represents McDowell County and had ancestors who fought at Kings Mountain and with Rutherford. “Because of that, they gave Washington a lot more leeway to stay alive and keep fighting.”

Samuel Davidson, the fort’s namesake, was a Revolutionary War veteran and the first settler in Buncombe County, having left Fort Dobbs in Winston-Salem to establish a farm in what was then Cherokee country. He stayed at the McDowell County fort before venturing into Buncombe County, then into Cherokee territory.

Legend holds that Cherokee Indians found Davidson’s horse and removed the bell on the animal’s neck, using it to lure Davidson farther into the woods, where he was killed and scalped. After the attack, his wife and children hiked overnight back to the fort.

A regional boost

Queen is working through the General Assembly to secure a $50,000 grant for the fort’s development. He and others associated with the fort, which is visible in wintertime off Interstate 40, envision it as a significant tourist draw. That may just work, according to Marla Tambellini, assistant vice president of the Asheville Convention & Visitors Bureau.

“I certainly think it will have regional appeal, and there certainly would be some real interest among educators interested in trying to incorporate North Carolina history into the curriculum,” Tambellini said.

Nationally, she noted, nearly 60 percent of American adults include some type of historical event or activity on a vacation trip, so adding such an attraction is one way to draw travelers.

The project has received assistance from U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole, R-N.C., and volunteers are working with the office of U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler, D-Waynesville. Eventually, they would like to see the fort linked in with the Rutherford Trace historical trail.

Just having something to show for more than two years of planning should help with future fundraising, Hall said.

The 10-to-14-foot tall locust logs, most 8 to 12 inches in diameter, may look a bit holey, but they’re deceptively strong. The tops were sharpened for defensive purposes and also to keep rainwater from pooling and rotting out the core.

“With all of the outside, we’re using as much locust as possible,” Hall said. “It’s about the only wood that’s still going to be here 40 or 50 years from now.”

“It looks like we’re going to do it,” added Hogan. “I’m real proud to have had a part in it. This is the first real sign that it’s coming.”

Donations help build replica fort

By MIKE CONLEY

nconley@mcdowellnews.com

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Davidson's Fort Historical Park is getting some financial help as the log walls continue to rise.

On Thursday, Dec. 6, the McDowell Chamber of Commerce presented a $1,000 donation to the Davidson's Fort project. Chamber Executive Director Rod Birdsong gave the check to Gary Jones, who is partnering with Mark Hall to build the park.

The next day, the effort got an even bigger boost.

The McDowell Foundation announced a $7,000 grant toward the development of Davidson's Fort.

"There is a core group of committed, well-organized and enthusiastic volunteers that are leading this project," said Sharon Parker, chairwoman of The McDowell Foundation. "They have identified an excellent location to create a great opportunity for our tourism market and education system."

Work has begun to develop the 18-acre site that will host an American Revolution-era replica fort, museum and park. A 40-foot section of log wall is erected. Folks involved with the project are out there almost every weekend working on the fort.

The money will go toward the purchase of replica tools and period-correct clothing that will be used during the construction of the fort, re-enactments to be hosted at the site and fund-raising events throughout the community, according to a news release.

The McDowell Foundation is an affiliate of The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina (CFWNC). Guided by a local board of directors, the fund works in partnership with CFWNC to develop resources for the local community and improve the quality of life by funding programs that support the arts, health and human services, education and more.

GATHERING AT THE FORT

By LAVON C. WALKER

Correspondent

Monday, September 17, 2007

The vision for reconstruction of Davidson’s Fort that once existed in Old Fort continues to compel interest on a wider scale.

Officials gathered last Monday on site to discuss proposals that could influence various agencies to provide grants to fund the ongoing project. The property is located in downtown Old Fort and is easily accessible from Interstate 40, which is a strong issue with location. The 26 acres of flat land includes 6 acres to be exclusively for visitor parking and the fort will span approximately one acre in size.

The fourth annual Battle in the Blue Ridge Mountains was held on the premises of Davidson’s Fort on June 2 and 3.

Re-enactors of the War Between the States donned themselves in period clothing and militia equipment. Albert Dale portrayed Joseph McDowell and presented some incredible facts of interest per the period happenings in the immediate area and close thereby. Lee Robinson stresses the importance of providing "living civil war history" to our school children.

Alongside Robinson, re-enactor John D’Innocenzi, who is of the fourth blood lineage of Wesley Allison, portrayed himself with the New York City 79th Regiment. His Grandfather Allison farmed in the Mill Creek section in the northwest area of Old Fort and was buried in the immediate region of the fort site.

"Both Lee and I are affiliated with the school systems and we want the children to have the opportunity to see, feel, and live the war with hands on experience," D’Innocenzi said. "Students from near and far can travel here and return to the classroom with civil war lessons turned into projects at all levels."

The interest is incredible and various stories were shared of how visitors from all over the world would question, "Where is the fort?" The 1776 movement re-enacted will spur tourism as well as authentic efforts that will eventually provide a multitude of possibilities, officials have said. Craftspeople in action with their pioneer talents, an Indian artifact museum and an ideal place for family entertainment, class reunions, church activities, etc. are all on the planning board. It will take time and money for all this to transpire. Locust posts have already been donated and footers have already been built for the first phase of the main fort building. Presently, a U.S. flag waves in the breeze that marks the area where much of the action will take place for years to come.

Mark Hall, president of Davidson’s Fort organization, led the meeting and opened for a question and answer session to those who needed more information to spur advocacy in grant funding via various agencies.

Following the meeting on site, officials met at the depot to view a replica of the proposed fort and to acquire additional information.

A visit to the Web site at www.davidsonsfort.com will give further insight as to what has and continues to take place.

You may become involved by donating monies or your time. All correspondence should be mailed to Davidson’s Fort Historic Park, P.O. Box 1636, Old Fort, NC 28762 or you can phone President Mark Hall at (828) 669-2013 or Manager/Treasurer Tim Lewis at (828) 668-7776.

Your donations are tax-deductible.

Re-enactors keeping history alive

By MIKE CONLEY

nconley@mcdowellnews.com

Tuesday, June 5, 2007

"For the time that I last, I shall live in the past

And remember the world’s fading glories

The battles and heroes and songs that were sung

And the nearly forgotten old stories"

Those words written by the late poet and re-enactor Benjamin Gormley came to mind as I waited upon a hill Saturday afternoon in Old Fort. Around me stood hundreds of other men wearing uniforms of gray and butternut. Our muskets were ready as we looked across the field and saw the blue-clad soldiers slowly approach our line. Behind us, Southern artillery spoke loud and clear.

I am not a poet like Ben Gormley was, but I can understand the devotion he had to bringing history to life and preserving our heritage. I have always loved American history and the history of the War Between the States in particular fascinates me. And for the past two years, I’ve done my best to bring the past to life as a re-enactor.

Folks who don the uncomfortable wool uniforms or hoop skirts do so mainly because they love history and want to share it with others. We also enjoy the hobby because of the friendships forged around the campfire and on the field of battle. Those friendships continue when we put aside our period clothes and return to everyday life.

Many of us have a personal connection to the war because of what our predecessors went through. And when you put on that uniform and walk the grounds of a historic site you can feel that connection to the past.

I have four ancestors who fought in that war, all for the Confederate cause. One of them was 1st Sgt. John Perkins Michaux of the 11th N.C. Troops who was wounded at Gettysburg, suffered as a prisoner of war and died of his wounds in May 1865. Another one of them was my great-grandfather Austin Conley, who belonged to the McDowell County home guard.

This past weekend, McDowell County was defended once again.

The fourth annual Battle in the Blue Ridge Mountains was held Saturday and Sunday at Davidson’s Fort Historical Park. McDowell’s biggest living history event attracted hundreds of re-enactors from all over the Southeast as well as New York and Pennsylvania. It is sponsored by the McDowell Men, Camp 379 of the Sons of Confederate Veterans and the Emma Rankin chapter of the Order of the Confederate Rose.

We’ve held the event for the past three years in Dysartsville. But this year, we fought our battles where a replica of the 1776 frontier fort will soon be located. This place will host future re-enactments of the Revolutionary War and the War Between the States. It should boost tourism and the local economy in Old Fort, which was named after the colonial stockade. The directors of Davidson’s Fort have helped us with our event and like SCV Commander Jeff Cordell said, we are supporting their cause, too.

This past weekend, soldiers for both the Union and the Confederacy faced each other on what was previously just an empty field with a few gopher holes. As a member of the 22nd N.C., Company K, I stood on the hillside and waited for the Yankees to come up the hill. Our cannons boomed as they approached, but they kept coming. Then the Yankee cavalry came forward, but our brave boys on horseback stopped them. The blue-clad infantry kept coming.

We were trying to recreate the Battle of Cold Harbor, which was the final victory won by Gen. Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia. We even held it during the same dates as the actual battle.

Then it was our turn to face the advancing foe. We heard the order: "Ready, aim, fire!" Our guns let loose and their fire and smoke filled the air. We kept shooting and pretty soon the barrels of our muskets got hot. Our commanders told us to keep pouring it on and we didn’t want to let them down.

Even though it is a hobby, you can get caught up in the drama. I have heard of re-enactors who experience a moment when they temporarily forget that they are in the 21st Century and it seems like they are in the 1860s. I haven’t experienced that moment yet, but I’m sure it will happen someday.

Although the Confederates won on Saturday, we were defeated the next day. On Sunday, the re-enactors recreated the fighting at Little Round Top, which was a Union victory.

At dusk, the guns are put aside and the lanterns in camp are lit. We sit around the campfire and sing the old songs and tell the "nearly forgotten stories." We meet up with our fiancés or wives and dance under the stars to the Virginia Reel. We think about heroes of the past, whether they are famous men like Robert E. Lee or a common soldier like John Michaux.

Most of all, we hope we have kept their memory alive and their history preserved for future generations.