On a sunny, beautiful October afternoon, a memorial was finally dedicated to the thousands of men and women who labored under brutal conditions — and some of whom gave their lives — to build a railroad through the mountains more than 140 years ago.
The new memorial, dedicated Sunday at Andrews Geyser near Old Fort, honors the convict laborers, their work and their sacrifices, during the building of the Western North Carolina Railroad between Old Fort and Ridgecrest during the 1870s.
The vast majority of the convict laborers who built the railroad were African Americans who were convicted to long and harsh sentences in prison for minor offenses. The RAIL Committee was able to find more than 100 names of the convicts who built the railroad and those names are inscribed on the memorial. The committee members hope to find more names.
Ray McKesson, seated, left, president of the McDowell County chapter of the NAACP, was the master of ceremonies for the Sunday dedication, which drew around 100 to 200 people. Marion Mayor Steve Little, standing, right, who has written books about the railroad’s construction, talked about the history of the incarcerated laborers.
The Sunday dedication of the RAIL Memorial at Andrews Geyser drew around 100 to 200 people and numerous regional news media representatives. At one point, a freight train traveled around the geyser and the crowd heard its horn as it echoed through the mountains.
The new memorial, dedicated Sunday at Andrews Geyser near Old Fort, honors the convict laborers, their work and their sacrifices, during the building of the Western North Carolina Railroad between Old Fort and Ridgecrest during the 1870s.
The vast majority of the convict laborers who built the railroad were African Americans who were convicted to long and harsh sentences in prison for minor offenses. The RAIL Committee was able to find more than 100 names of the convicts who built the railroad and those names are inscribed on the memorial. The committee members hope to find more names.
Ray McKesson, seated, left, president of the McDowell County chapter of the NAACP, was the master of ceremonies for the Sunday dedication, which drew around 100 to 200 people. Marion Mayor Steve Little, standing, right, who has written books about the railroad’s construction, talked about the history of the incarcerated laborers.
The Sunday dedication of the RAIL Memorial at Andrews Geyser drew around 100 to 200 people and numerous regional news media representatives. At one point, a freight train traveled around the geyser and the crowd heard its horn as it echoed through the mountains.
