Arrowhead Monument

Just over the railroad tracks in Old Fort, North Carolina, is the town square defined by a 30 ft arrowhead hand-chiseled in granite. The landmark was unveiled to a crowd of more than 6,000 people on July 27, 1930, by Marie Nesbitt as a symbol of the peace achieved in an earlier century between pioneers and Native Americans.

The train always stopped here. For many years, travelers through these mountains looked for the familiar sight of a tall, hand-carved arrowhead in front of the depot, signaling a stop in the historic town of Old Fort. As one of the oldest towns in the region, it prides itself on its historic roots. Originally a fort built by the colonial militia before the Declaration of Independence, the settlement served for many years as the westernmost outpost of the early United States. In those days, it was also the site of many skirmishes between pioneer settlers and Native Americans. Much of the fighting, in fact, took place on the banks of Mill Creek, which runs through the center of town. Many years later, a monument was built to the peace finally made between the two peoples: the trademark arrowhead, over 25 ft tall, hand-chiseled from a large slab of granite stands next to the Chamber of Commerce.