Documenting the American South

Monument Name

Col. Alexander Boyd Andrews Memorial, Old Fort

Type

Bench

Subjects

Historic Civic Figures

Industry

City

Old Fort

County

McDowell

Description

The massive granite monument is a carved stone bench resting on a wide plinth. The rough-hewn granite seat is roughly 5 feet by 10 feet in size and stands on a rough-hewn granite slab measuring approximately 7 feet by 12 feet. A bronze tablet originally mounted on the rear of the bench seat has been removed. The stone bench was once encircled by a hedge that no longer exists.

Images: Rear view of the Col. Andrews Memorial | View of the park with the geyser and other markers and memorials | View of several markers next to Col. Alexander Boyd Andrews Memorial | NC Highway Sign

Inscription

Inscription from missing tablet: THIS GEYSER HAS BEEN RESTORED AND PERPETUATED AS A TRIBUTE TO COLONEL ALEXANDER BOYD ANDREWS OF RALEIGH, N.C. AND IN APPRECIATION OF THE GREAT PUBLIC SERVICE HE HAS RENDERED IN THE DEVELOPMENT AND UPBUILDING OF WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA BY HIS FRIEND GEORGE FISHER BAKER OF NEW YORK. A.D. 1911

Custodian

Town of Old Fort

Dedication Date

1911

Decade

1910s

Geographic Coordinates

35.651300 , -82.241360 View in Geobrowse

Supporting Sources

Conley, Mike. “Old Forts Finest,” The McDowell News (Marion, NC), September 12, 2012

McAfee, Hoyt. “Andrews Geyser, Prime Showplace,” The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, NC), December 12, 1937

Steelman, Bennett L., 1979. “Andrews, Alexander Boyd,” NCpedia.org, (accessed August 28, 2023) Link

“Andrews Geyser Again a Major Scenic Show,” The Asheville Times (Asheville, NC), May 17, 1976

“Andrews Geyser,” Marion Progress (Marion, NC), October 1, 1931

“Andrews Geyser,” The Historical Marker Database, HMdb.org, (accessed August 23, 2023) Link

“Geyser Fountain, Erected at Round Knob, to the Memory of Col. A.B. Andrews,” in Durwood Barbour Collection of North Carolina Postcards (PO77), North Carolina Collection Photographic Archives, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Link

“Historical Structures Survey Report-Andrews Geyser,” North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, June 7, 2023, (accessed October 2, 2023) Link

“Marker: N-37, North Carolina Historical Marker Program, North Carolina Office of Archives & History — Department of Cultural Resources, (accessed August 26, 2023) Link

“Restoration... Famed Andrews Geyser Will Spout Again!” Asheville Citizen-Times (Asheville, NC), April 25, 1976

Public Site

Yes

Materials & Techniques

Granite

Sponsors

George Fisher Baker

Subject Notes

Andrews Geyser is a man-made rather than natural creation first constructed in 1890 (some sources say 1883 or 1885) at a slightly different location as a tourist attraction. It was built on the grounds of Round Knob Lodge and marked the “gateway” to the Blue Ridge Mountains. It was situated adjacent to Southern Railway tracks to be visible from either side of passenger trains as they looped over the mountain. It was created by damming a small stream about two miles away and 200 feet higher in elevation using gravity to generate a waterspout up to 250 feet high. Round Knob Lodge burned in 1903 and the geyser fell into disrepair.

In 1910 a wealthy New York banker, George Fisher Baker began restoring the geyser. He moved the geyser about 75 yards from the original location to land owned by Southern Railway and named it in honor of his friend Alexander Boyd Andrews, then a Southern Railway vice-president. With the decline of passenger rail service the geyser was again allowed to fall into disrepair. In 1975 Southern Railway deeded the geyser and two acres to the town of Old Fort. The town created a restoration fund and the repaired geyser was re-dedicated on May 6, 1976. The 100th anniversary of the completion of George Baker’s restoration was held September 22, 2012 with another geyser re-dedication. The landmark is historically associated with the construction of the railroad and the economic benefits the railroad brought to western North Carolina.

Location

The approximate 10 acre park with the geyser is on Mill Creek Road (County Road 1407) several miles outside of Old Fort, NC.

Landscape

Four other markers and memorials dot the open grass covered landscape near Andrews Geyser. Present are a North Carolina Civil War Trails information plaque about the Swannanoa Gap Engagement in 1865, a memorial to the history of Andrews Geyser, a memorial to Incarcerated Railroad Workers, and a memorial to McDowell County Civil War soldiers.