1957- The Old Fort Arrowhead Monument in Downtown Old Fort in McDowell County, North Carolina.

Caplan’s Drug Store was located in the Bradley Building in the background. It would later be occupied by Gibbs Electric. The building was razed in 1971. A parking area is there today.

The Arrowhead Monument is still there today.

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

1957- Downtown Old Fort in McDowell County, North Carolina

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

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.

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.

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.

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.