Effort continues to bring tourist attraction to McDowell House

As work begins on the greenway park for Marion, local officials and trail enthusiasts are still hoping that the nearby McDowell House will become the headquarters and visitor's center for the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail.
The National Park Service's process of picking a new headquarters for the historic trail is far from over. Another public hearing may be held here sometime this fall and a final decision will be announced in the spring of 2011.
Bill Hendley, president of the McDowell Trails Association, said McDowell County still has more work to do in convincing the National Park Service that it wants the trail's headquarters.
The construction of Marion's greenway park will start this spring. City officials and members of the MTA want to use the historic McDowell House as the permanent trailhead for the greenway. It would provide better access and parking for the public. It could also have restrooms. And if the house becomes the national historic trail's headquarters, it could have a visitor's center and museum. That would only add to the greenway park, said Hendley.
Hendley was recently elected to the Overmountain Victory Trail Association's board of directors. The board is made up of representatives from six regions that cover five states: Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.
At that meeting, he heard an update on the selection process for the trail's new headquarters from Paul Carson, superintendent of the trail. The field of candidates has been narrowed down to four.
"Although (Carson) was not at liberty to name the sites that are in the top running, feasibility and archaeological surveys are being conducted at several sites to help with the selection," said Hendley. "These studies should be completed by early fall at which time the selection of the final four sites will be announced. This will then be followed by another round of four public meetings."
The public meetings may or may not be held at the four sites. The final selection of the winning site will be announced in the spring of 2011.
In the meantime, McDowell residents can still show their support for getting the trail's headquarters. The McDowell House property is scheduled for another archaeological survey sometime this spring and the public can come out for this event, said Hendley.
June 5 is National Trail Day. Carson is using this date to clean up as many sections of the Overmountain Victory Trail as possible. The Park Service is asking McDowell residents to consider cleaning one section of the trail that runs for a mile and a half near the Black Bear section of Lake James. In return for their work, the Park Service will provide a light lunch and drinks for the volunteers.
Hendley said he hopes enough people show up on June 5 to clean that section. He also hopes that a strong showing would remind Carson and other Park Service officials that McDowell still wants the trail's headquarters.
Finally, Hendley said he hopes that another large crowd will show up for the final public meeting to be held sometime in September or October.
Last November, hundreds of people crowded into the MACA building to show their support for getting the new headquarters established here.
In 1780, the Overmountain Men left their homes in the Southern Appalachians and marched along this trail to fight the forces of British Maj. Patrick Ferguson. The Overmountain Men won a major victory at the Battle of Kings Mountain. Joseph McDowell was one of their leaders.
The county purchased his home in February 2008 to save it from possible demolition. It is believed to be the only surviving home of a county's namesake in North Carolina.
Since the MTA wants the McDowell House property as the permanent trailhead for the greenway park, Hendley is encouraging the association's members and others to show their support for getting the historic trail's headquarters here.
"We need to blow away the competition as we did in rounds one and two," said Hendley.