In 1858 the Western North Carolina Railway opened with eighty-four miles of tract that ran from Salisbury, N.C to Morganton, NC. In 1869 the railroad reached Old Fort, NC but due to the lack of equipment required to construct an easy grade up the mountain for steam engines, it was not until 1879 that the Swannanoa Tunnel was completed. It was another year before the railroad reached Asheville, NC in 1880. It took eleven years to build the nine miles of tract with the seven hand-dug tunnels across the gap and cost three hundred workers their life. Henry’s Station, located about three miles west of Old Fort, served as a passenger station from1876 to 1879. Passengers and freight were transported by stage coach and wagons to and from Asheville, NC. Old Fort, located at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains, was originally a fort built prior to the Revolutionary War and served as the Western most outpost in the United States. The present passenger station was built by the railroad in1881; renovation was complete in 2005 and was re-opened as a Railroad Museum and Visitors Center. The museum includes artifacts, exhibits, original tools, signal lights, an original caboose, photographs, information related to the history of Old Fort, the depot and the Southern Railway Company. If you are a train and railroad enthusiast, this is the place for you to visit. |
