Andrew's Geyser in Old Fort, NC. The geyser, which is a massive artificial fountain, was created as a dramatic tourist attraction during the early years of the Western North Carolina Railroad around 1885. Passengers of the WNCR thoroughly enjoyed gazing at the man-made geyser as they made their journey crossing the Eastern Continental Divide. However, after a fire destroyed the hotel located next to the fountain in 1903, Andrew's Geyser fell into disrepair. In 1911, New York banker and philanthropist George Fisher Baker rescued it and had it redesigned and moved across Mill Creek. At that time it was named in honor of his friend and Southern Railroad’s vice president, Alexander Boyd Andrews. In 1975, Andrews Geyser was deeded by Southern Railway to the town of Old Fort, which restored and rededicated it a year later. It is now part of a town park.
A friend of mine in Black Mountain used to own another inn/B&B on the gravel road which still follows the stage line between Old Fort and Black Mountain. He said their property had the valve to turn on the geyser, which itself was downhill quite a ways from where their inn was located. That road is still car worthy if you don't mind ruts and bumps...and sometimes cyclists use it...or hikers. I think I've driven it about 3 times, either way. The fun is seeing the times that the railroad (still in use for freight) crosses it, or goes through tunnels.
Another post in 2019, where I shared other (not too good) photos of the old railroad, as well as the geyser, taken at the Swannanoa Valley History Museum. HERE
Lost or forgotten no more: Incarcerated Black laborers that built WNC railroad memorialized
“In many ways states just revamped the slave codes and turned them into what is known now as the Black codes," says Dr. Darin Waters, North Carolina’s state historian.
Today's quote:
Sharing with Sepia Saturday.
...building tracks in the mountains was no small task.
ReplyDeleteIndeed it is amazing. Articles at the time said how great it was that the engineers got the tunnels that were dug from two sides to meet exactly in the middle.
DeleteHow awful things once were, despite the awesome geyser.
ReplyDeleteAnd all through the years, the men had not been recognized who did the actual work!
DeleteNice to see some recognition of this shameful practice. The reality of the Black Code and Jim Crow laws continues to reverberate in our society. This should be a part of school curriculum..
ReplyDeleteTrue, just look at the disparity of Blacks to whites in prisons.
DeleteI've never seen a geyser. I'm glad the forced laborers finally got a memorial. I hope some of family members live close enough to visit.
ReplyDeleteI never thought of that. Those laborers worked a long time ago, and came from all over the state. I didn't notice many Blacks at the dedication, so it seems unlikely that their descendents are close by. It's just a fountain, by the way.
DeleteIt took a long time but finally the laborers got a memorial I never seen a geyser either.
ReplyDeleteI think it goes pretty far up depending on how much water pressure there is uphill from it...since it's basically a gravity fed pipe that is just turned on or off with a valve.
DeleteThe fuller geyser seen in the older B&W photo makes the new geyser look a bit on the thin side. I wonder what the thought was behind creating a geyser? That it would be eye-catching, I suppose, which it obviously was.
ReplyDeleteBack when these mountains attracted people from the cities in the summer, or just for the "cures" of various waters, or perhaps for a religious retreat, there were lots of hotels built along the railroad tracks. Yes, to get people to stay there would have been the marketing angle, but I'm glad they moved it and kept it in operation even today.
DeleteThis water feature is quite a sight.
ReplyDeleteTHanks for commenting. Yes, whether it's called a fountain or a geyser, it's stunning. And when it's turned off, the little park around it has some picnic tables, and a little stream nearby with trees for shade.
DeleteAn excellent post, Barb, and good that the laborers were finally recognized. The work they and other African American laborers were forced to do under the Black Codes should also qualify them for reparations.
ReplyDeleteAndrew's geyser is one of my favorite places to take visitors. My wife and I went there last year and saw the new monument. It's important to find the balance of honoring historic figures while not dishonoring people at the same time. I do wish we could see the Geyser from a train. I think it must have looked very impressive as the train made that great circle.
ReplyDelete