This feature mines the McDowell News archives for what was going on this week in local history.
Forty-one years ago this week, this was one of the floats in Old Fort’s Independence Day parade.
During the week of July 7, 1985, the American Legion Post 56 presented this flag to the Old Fort Heritage Foundation. This flag was a gift from Robert Lee Conley of Marion and was given to honor his brother William T. Conley, a World War I veteran who died in March 1978. The flag would be flown in the town’s mini park on a flagpole donated by the town. At the presentation were (from left) Mayor Bob Wilson, Post 56 Commander Paul Beachboard, Pat Piercy, Jack Piercy, Brenda Sipperley, Sherm Waters, David Allison and Post 56 First Vice Commander Zelotis Finley.
Donnie Suttles of the Marion Cardinals boys’ T-ball baseball team scored a home run and two singles in the T-ball all-star game at the Recreation Center in Marion as his National League team nipped the American League 11-10. In the girls’ T-ball all-star game, the Americans slipped past the Nationals, 19-17.
Marion City Manager Earl Daniels celebrated America’s independence on the Fourth of July, but he also celebrated the freedom of the TWA hostages who were released that same week. TWA Flight 847, traveling from Cairo to San Diego, was hijacked in June 1985 by terrorists shortly after takeoff from Athens, Greece. Dozens of passengers were held hostage over a two-week period until they were released by their captors. Daniels tied a yellow ribbon given by his neighbor Cindy Reece. She supplied ribbons to all of her neighbors on South Garden Street during the international ordeal.
A worker put the finishing touches on the new Grant’s Museum in Old Fort. This museum displayed all kinds of artifacts about Native Americans and their history and culture.
During the week of July 7, 1985, Dysartsville apple farmer Dale Pierce holds undersized apples that were damaged by the dry weather that summer. Pierce said a drought of four or five years ago was nothing compared to the lack of rain from the previous 60 days. He added he feared the drought could affect the color and volume of his apple crop.
Graphic design student Michael Hunt of Old Fort looked through some slides for his show “Old Fort – A New Beginning.” This was a class project at McDowell Technical Community College. The slide show was presented to the Old Fort Heritage Foundation and during a meeting to save the railroad depot.
The Old Fort Tigers were the county runner-up team in the Pee Wee Baseball Tournament. The members of the team were (front row, from left) Jamie Logan, Scotty Carpenter and J. Paul Brooks; (second row, from left) Quince Burnette, Andy Smith, Bryan Sutton, Shane Reese; and (back row, from left) Brent Effler, Michael Allison, Chris Hoyle and Brad Silvers. Coaches were John Reese and Wayne Hoyle.
Local men from the U.S. Forest Service met with local District Ranger Pat Cook (left) as they prepared to head out for California to fight the forest fires out in the West. At the time, the local U.S. Forest Service Grandfather District office was housed in the basement of the McDowell County Public Library in Marion. In July 1985, almost 40 fires were raging out of control throughout the Western states, with 13 in California alone.
This sign let everyone know that Marion was getting a new Winn-Dixie supermarket. It would be built along the five lane near the entrance to the downtown. Tractor Supply and NAPA Auto Parts Store now occupy this building.
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This feature mines the McDowell news archives for what was going on this week in local history.
This feature mines the McDowell News archives for what was going on this week in local history.
This feature mines our archives for what was going on this week in local history.
