#oldfort

1957- Downtown Old Fort in McDowell County, North Carolina

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

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.

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

1970- A frozen Andrews Geyser in Old Fort in McDowell County, North Carolina

Then and Now- 1925 and 2019.

Catawba Fish and Game Preserve was located off of Orchard Street in Old Fort in McDowell County, NC.

At the peak of Old Fort's development of industry and tourism, Daniel W. Adams initiated this project adjacent to his home in 1925.

I see them bloom for me and you

And I think to myself what a wonderful world…”

•Old Fort, North Carolina