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Bringing people to the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail

A REPORT ON THE

NATIONAL PARKS FOUNDATION

2009 ACTIVE TRAILS GRANT

NOVEMBER, 2009

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The Executive Summary page 3

Part 1, the Overview Introduction page 4 Narrative Page 5

Part 2, the Methodology

Implementing the Grant Page 8

The Active Trails Grant Funded Events Page 10

Part 3, the Grant Results

Grant results Page 32

The Appendix

Grant Disbursements page 35

Event Attendance page 37

Testimonials page 39

DVD Event Photos and Electronic Report Files page 42

2 The Executive Summary

The Overmountian Victory National Historic Trail, which is managed by the National Park Service, is designated as having 330 miles running through Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina. Of that, some 70 miles are currently available for public access and use. Some of those miles are on public forest lands, some in urban areas on Greenways; some are in a “wilderness” settings on original road bed remnants.

The National Parks Foundation 2009 $50,000 Active Trail Grant was awarded to the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail in July 2009.

The Superintendent of the National Historic Trail partnered with the Overmountain Victory Trail Association to implement the grant.

A total of $38,938.78 of the Active Trails Grant has been disbursed as of October 26, 2009.

A total of $3,700.35 has been spent by OVTA on administrative costs for the grant as of October 26, 2009.

A total of $4,200 has been raised as of October 26, 2009 towards matching funds. There has been NO concerted effort to raise matching funds yet.

A total of $27,326.43 of the $50,000 Active Trails Grant (54.6%) was placed with 13 local communities to plan and conduct events that would bring visitors to the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail during the 2009 Annual reenactment of the Campaign of the Overmountain Men to the Battle of King’s Mountain.

Six thousand dollars were used to contract with East Tennessee State University which offers the only graduate level story telling degree in the country. A grad student working on his master’s degree in Story Telling has been “hired” to do story telling along the Trail and train volunteers for two semesters at 20 hours a week. An OVTA member is working with the student on scheduling and monitoring his activities.

During the 2009 OVTA March 51 programs were conducted in 14 of the 15 counties the Trail passes through. This was up from 33 programs in 2008 (a 64.7% increase). 24 of the 51 programs were funded by the Active Trails Grant (47%).

A total of 11,123 people attended those 51 programs. This was up from 6,986 in 2008 (a 62.8% increase).

6,145 of the total 11,123 people were programmed with Active Trails Grant funding (55.2% of the total attendance) for an average of $4.89 per person to visit the Trail.

There were 8,237 school children programmed during 2009. 4,484 of them were programmed with Active Trails Grant funding (54.4%) for an average of $3.36 per student to visit the Trail.

There were 2,886 general public visitors programmed in 2009. 1,661 of them were programmed with Active Trails Grant Funding (57.5%)

3 A total of 6,077.9 miles were walked on the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail in 2009 for an average of 0.96 miles per individual who walked. Of that, 5,368 miles were walked at Active Trails Grant funded events (90.4%) for an average of 0.87 miles per individual.

Every community put a portion of their Active Trails Grant funding with local school systems to cover the cost of bus transportation to get school children to the events.

A new chapter of OVTA, the Carolina Foothills Chapter based in the Rutherford County area of North Carolina, was formed as a direct result of placing the grant money in that community.

As of November 18, 2009 there is $17,600.41 of Active Trails Grant money remaining. Donations totaling $4,200 have been received and will be used to match funds from the National Parks Foundation. With the pledge of $3,000 the city of Abingdon has made the total will be $7,200. That match will bring the grant funding to be used for National Trails Day events on June 5, 2010 to $24,811.41.

Part 1, The Overview

Introduction This report is intended to describe the process used to implement the National Parks Foundation 2009 Active Trails Grant and report on the successes and benefits the grant brought to the Trail.

The implementation of the 2009 Active Trails Grant has two phases. Phase 1, reported on in this report, covers how the grant monies were applied to the Overmountain Victory Trail Association’s annual March running from September 21 through October 10, 2009 and covering portions of all 330 miles of the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail. Phase 2 of the grant will be activities planned for National Trails Day on June 5, 2010. Those activities will be reported on after National Trails Day.

This report was prepared in October and November 2009 by Mike Dahl of OVTA.

The key partners in the Active Trails Grant were: The National Parks Foundation The National Park Service, Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail The Overmountain Victory Trail Association

The key players in the planning, administration and implementation of the grant are: Ivan Levin, National Parks Foundation. Paul Carson, Superintendent Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail Alan Bowen, President, Overmountain Victory Trail Association Marc Bowen, board member, Overmountain Victory Trail Association, is “grant administrator” for this project. Mike Dahl, Overmountain Victory Trail Association, is “grant manager” for this project.

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Some commonly used abbreviations in this report are: OVNHT the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail OVTA the Overmountain Victory Trail Association ATG the 2009 Active Trails Grant MTC Model Trail Community Strategy

The Narrative Upon notification by the National Parks Foundation in May 2009 that the OVNHT was a candidate to receive the 2009 $50,000 Active Trails Grant, Superintendent Paul Carson spoke with OVTA president Alan Bowen suggesting the NPS and OVTA partner together to implement this grant if received. That partnership would be based on the entire grant being passed through to OVTA to plan, implement, manage and report on all aspects of the grant. A “grant team” was put together and met on May 21, 2009 in Rutherfordton, North Carolina. The grant team was comprised of Paul Carson, Superintendent of the OVNHT, Alan Bowen, OVTA president, R.G. Absher, OVTA vice-president, Fran Dahl, OVTA secretary, Mike Dahl, OVTA treasurer and Marc Bowen OVTA board member. During that meeting a conference call was held with Ivan Levin of the National Parks Foundation to get a better understanding of the grant and the requirements and criteria the grant team must meet to qualify to receive the grant.

Marc Bowen, OVTA board member was appointed by the team to be the “grant administrator”. Marc had served as the lead grant writer for Sun Microsystems for several years and had the experience and knowledge to serve well in this job. With input from the grant team, Marc prepared and submitted OVTA’s plan on how the grant would be implemented to the National Parks Foundation on June 19, 2009.

The responsibility to implement the grant was assigned to Mike Dahl through a contract with the Overmountain Victory Trail Association signed on June 13, 2009. Mike would serve as the “grant manager” and work with the communities to plan and conduct activities that would bring people to the Trail through high quality events and programming. The contract called for two payments totaling $5,000. Payment for phase 1 was $3,000 and the second payment for planning and implementing phase 2 was $2,000.

In mid July 2009, official word was received that our plan had been approved and the OVNHT would be awarded the $50,000 2009 Active Trails Grant.

Once the official word was received, Mike prepared to identify the leaders and initiate contact with the Trail communities informing them that they would be candidates to receive ATG funding to conduct events and activities that would bring people to the Trail during the 2009 OVTA March running from September 21 through October 10, 2009 (National Trails Day activities are not a part of this report).

It was at this point it was recognized that the grant could bring really new opportunities to the Trail and its communities. The question became, “could the grant be applied in a way to become the pivotal inspiration in empowering communities to complete their part of the Trail”? This one vision would satisfy all the criteria of the grant as well as leave a lasting legacy for the Trail and the communities. Here are the goals the set to meet this vision and some observations that resulted.

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Goal 1: To place grant money in the communities along the trail to plan and conduct events during the 2009 OVTA March. This encouraged the community leaders to recruit volunteers and start building the constituency it would take to be able to conduct the programs. Most of the communities formed a committee to make their event happen.

Goal 2: To place the grant money with the communities to empower them to develop the foundation they need to build the support, ownership, passion, expertise and sustainability to be able to continue these events in the future without outside financial support. Here is a comment from Anne Swann, community leader at the Joseph McDowell House events in Marion, NC. “For many years we have wanted to find some way to make this program work in McDowell County. Seems that we were always "on the edge", but never could quite make it happen. Thanks to you, this year's event will be the biggest and best that we have ever hosted! We expect an enthusiastic crowd of fourth-graders, 16 demonstrators!! and a lot of tired, but happy, volunteers!”

Achieving goals 1 and 2 accomplished a very important thing--it showed the communities that they had the power and the ability to do this job. All they needed was the inspiration. It was amazing at how well some of the communities planned and conducted their events. From that success comes

Goal 3: To use the grant money to start the process to develop a volunteer base to work on developing the Trail and that can conduct programming on the trail on a year-round basis rather than just the one day a year OVTA comes through during the March.

Goal 4: Based on the previous three goals, to empower the communities to begin the process of protecting, preserving and completing the Trail in their community.

Goal 5: And most important of all, we placed the grant money in communities to empower them to be able to demonstrate locally that the Trail, its story and its volunteers are "worth investing in". OVTA’s experiences have shown that this is by far the most important goal to be accomplished because all else grows out of demonstrating the value and worth of the Trail and its story on a local grass roots level.

A further tool was placed with the communities to help them refine their own goals in planning the grant funded activities and to gauge their progress in achieving them. The Model Trail Community Strategy (MTC) was built on the same goals listed above and was adopted by the OVTA board of Directors in August 2009. The strategy is based on the things that Abingdon, Virginia has done to complete their part of the Trail. The MTC strategy is simply a check-list of things to accomplish that can lead to completing the Trail—the “check-list of success” if you will. The check-list is divided into four categories:

Building a constituency Partnering with the National Park Service Bringing people to the Trail Protection and Preservation

6 As we move through this report it is important to understand what is mean by “telling the Story”. The story is the history of the events that led up to the forming of the all volunteer army that pursued their British led antagonist for two weeks before catching this superior numbered army at King’s Mountain in South Carolina on October 7, 1780. This is one of the most compelling stories in American history—hence the designation by Congress in 1980 to commemorate the route of the “Overmountain Men” to the battle site as a National Historic Trail. It is the story of how 900 untrained, starving, exhausted volunteers stopped and forced the retreat of the most feared and powerful army in the entire world completely wiping out that army in just a one hour battle. OVTA tells this story in two ways. When programming school children stations are set up with each station telling a piece of the story—war comes to the south, the threat, the army is built, the army grows, Ferguson is lost, Ferguson is Found, the Battle. For audiences that are static—sitting in one place, OVTA tells the story through a “drama” where different speakers step up to tell the parts of the story. There are several “scenarios” within the story where people are drawn from the crowd to help in the presentation playing parts of the actual people in the Story. Through this style of story-telling OVTA has gained national recognition for its sheer charisma and power. It is a very compelling story told in a most compelling way. The storytelling is the very heart of what has led to OVTA successes and a dramatically increased constituency for the Trail.

This concludes the Introduction and Narrative.

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A contact letter was sent to the selected communities the first week of August, 2009 informing them of the Active Trails Grant, inviting them to participate and requesting that they submit a one page proposal for an event or activity that would be conducted on the Day the OVTA Marchers came through. A listing of the grant criteria was included. Each of the communities contacted responded with a proposal and the following costs estimates.

Community Contact Proposal Funding Request Bluff City Middle School $4,500 Rocky Mount Historic Site $3,523* Sycamore Shoals State Historic Site $1,000 The Shelving Rock Campsite (Roan Mountain Citizen’s Club) $1,150* Robert Sevier Gravesite, the Orchard at Altapass $1,000 McDowell County NC Schools $500 Joseph McDowell House, Marion, NC $2,800 Historic Burke—Charles McDowell House, Catawba River Grnwy $2,000 OVTA Wilkes Surry Chapter, Elkin City Park Program $1,900 OVTA Wilkes Surry Chapter, W. Kerr Scott Reservoir $1,800 OVTA Carolina Foothills chapter, two events at Gilbert Town $3,290 Polk County Schools $1,000* Cowpens National Battlefield Education Days $2,863 Total = $27,107

* Rocky Mount Historic Site returned $1,023.87 in unused funds on November 12, 2009. * Roan Mountain Citizens Club returned $403.32 in unused funds on October 27, 2009. Polk County Schools returned all $1,000 on November 8, 2009.

Additionally, two individuals, Steve Ricker of Greeneville, Tennessee and Richard Luce of Crestwood, Kentucky submitted proposals that were accepted to assist in programming— especially at venues where the local communities were not able to recruit enough demonstrators to conduct the event. Each was awarded a payment of $1,000 from the grant. Mr. Ricker is a well know and accomplished folk artist who works in 18 century mediums including rifle and knife making, powder horn making, Cherokee gourd carvings and art, etc. Mr. Richard Luce is one of the top historic artists in the country. Richard is doing a series of painting on the Trail. His first in the series, called the Backwater Man, has been sold as well as a print being raffled off as a fundraiser. Mr. Luce brought all the sketches and drawings from the Backwater Men painting and presented to Trail visitors how art can be used to tell the story of history. One of the criteria of the Active Trails Grant was to bring people to the Trail to walk. Since there is only a limited amount of Trail existing that is open to the public, this was accomplished by planning events at the Trail’s related historic sites (most of which have been certified by the National Park Service) where “stations” were set up with demonstrators for the visitors to rotate through. Mike Dahl used a GPS and measured the distance around those stations. That mileage figure was used to determine the number of miles walked on the Trail.

8 The Active Trails Grant Funded Events

Here are the grant funded events, the number of visitors that attended and the mileage walked on the Trail. Following the table is the narrative on each program that was conducted with the grant money.

Date Site Visitation Miles Walked 9/24 Bluff City Middle School 659 230.7

9/24 Rocky Mount Education Days 409 102.3

9/24 Rocky Mount Historic Site evening program 62 15.5

9/25 Sycamore Shoals Education Days 178 76.5

9/25 Sycamore Shoals Public Program 235

9/26 the Shelving Rock Campsite 72

9/28 Robert Sevier Gravesite 629 2,138.6

9/28 the Orchard at Altapass Supper 42

9/29 the Orchard at Altapass Education Days 179 153.9

9/29 Joseph McDowell House Education Days 286 108.7

9/29 Joseph McDowell House Supper 86

9/29 Joseph McDowell House Evening Program 48

9/30 Historic Burke—Charles McDowell House 92

10/1 Historic Burke—Catawba River Greenway 563 589.2

10/2 Gilbert Town Education Days 832 424.3

10/4 Gilbert Town Public Program 102

10/5 Polk County Schools 230

10/6 Cowpens National Battlefield Education Day 536 353.8

10/6 Cowpens Evening Program 63

10/8 Elkin City Park public program 12

10/9 Elkin City Park Education Days 288 1,074.2

10/10 W. Kerr Scott Reservoir 542 100.0 Totals 6,145 5,368

9 Bluff City Middle School Thursday, September 24, 10AM – 2PM”

Bluff City Middle School is located in Sullivan County in upper east Tennessee. This is the third year that the site has been visited by OVTA during the annual March. The National Park Service has certified the Trail through Bluff City. The route of the National Historic Trail runs right through the middle of the school. The children have stenciled the NPS logo for the OVNHT in the hallways and along the streets that run through the town. Under the leadership of Ambre Torbett, planner for Sullivan County, a committee was formed to plan the event at the school. In addition to the 500 plus children in the school, children from two other schools were invited to participate as well. Funded at $4,500 (the largest community disbursement) the grant money was used to pay for a wide range of demonstrators to come and set up stations for the children to walk through, including traditional crafts such as butter making, weaving, Native American dancing, and others. Other grant expenditures included the cost of bus transportation, T-shirts for each school child, water, tent rental, and prizes for the art contest. Rotating through the stations which totaled 0.35 miles, 613 students and 46 teachers and schools administrators walked a total of 230.7 miles on the Trail. For the art contest, all the classes in each grade made posters related to the Trail. Richard Luce, who was contracted with grant money, judged those posters and selected the winners. The winners were recognized by Richard in a ceremony in the school’s gymnasium.

A side note: Imagine the pride for a school-aged child to be able to say that one of the top historic artists in the whole country picked them as the winner. That is a very special touch having Richard on the March added.

After the stations were run by all the children, they were all gathered together on the football field under three large tents where the story of the Trail was told. There were some problems with this venue with the tents sheltering the children being too far apart (the tents spanned well over a hundred yards from left to right) and OVTA’s PA system did not function well enough to cover all the kids.

10 Total attendance for the grant funded event was 659 visitors with a total 230.7 miles walked on the Trail. This breaks down to an average of $6.83 in grant money per visitor attending the event.

In summary, this event was well planned with a large group of very excited volunteers working together to get everything organized to put on a high quality program. The community is encouraged to continue and expand their activities and events year round as well as during the annual celebration of the Trail. High kudos to all involved.

Rocky Mount State Historic Site Thursday, September 24, 9AM – 2PM, and 5:00PM to 8:00PM:

Rocky Mount State Historic Site is located in Sullivan County 5 miles north of Johnson City, Tennessee. The site is owned by the Tennessee Historic Commission and managed under contract by the non-profit Rocky Mount Historical Association. Rocky Mount was the home of William Cobb, one of the wealthiest people in the Overmountain Settlements in the era of the Trail’s significance (1780). Rocky Mount served as the capital of the newly formed Territory Southwest of the River Ohio from 1790 to 1792. Rocky Mount is on the National Register of Historic Places, and has been certified as a part of the OVNHT by the National Park Service. Two events were funded by the Active Trails grant totaling $3,523.00. On November 12, 2009, $1,023.87 was returned to OVTA in unused grant money making the total expenditure $2,499.13. The events included a day- time program for school children where grant money was used to pay demonstrators to set up stations that the children rotated through, cover the cost of school bus transportation, lunch and supper for the demonstrators and other costs associated with the event. An evening program for the general public was also funded. Rocky Mount is to be commended on their selection of schools to fund with the Active Trails Grant by covering their transportation costs to the education programming on the Trail. The schools were from low-income sections of the community that generally do not have the resources to take many field trips.

During the education day’s event 308 school children plus 101 teachers, adults and “walk-in” visitors attended. The stations that were laid out totaled 0.25 miles giving a total of 102.3 miles that were walked on the trail at that event. The evening program was a campfire telling of the Story of the Trail and attended by 62 people who after the program walked the stations around the site for a total of 15.5 miles.

11 Total attendance for the grant funded events was 471 people with a total of 117.8 miles walked on the Trail. This breaks down to an average of $5.31 in grant money per person attending the two events.

In summary, the events at Rocky Mount were well-planned and well attended. The staff at Rocky Mount, working through their executive director Gary Walrath, is very professional and well-experienced in conducting these types of events and programs. We offer nothing but praise to them for a job well done!

Sycamore Shoals State Historic Site Friday, September 25, 9AM – 1:00PM, 1:00PM - 2PM.

Sycamore Shoals State Historic Site is located in Elizabethton, Carter County, Tennessee. The site is owned and operated by Tennessee State Parks. Sycamore Shoals is one of the single most significant historic sites in all of America serving as the ground where the treaty to open up the west for settlement was signed with the Cherokee Indians in 1775. You can trace virtually all of the western migration and ultimate settlement of America through this one site. The community that grew up around the Shoals (on the Watauga River) in the early 1770’s was called the Watauga Settlement and was the first permanent settlement outside the original 13 colonies. It was at this site on September 25, 1780 that the volunteer forces from Southwest Virginia and (what is now) upper east Tennessee mustered to form the army that would pursue and defeat Major Patrick Ferguson and his Loyalist Army at the Battle of King’s Mountain. Sycamore Shoals State Historic Site is on the National Register of historic places and has been certified by the National Park Service as a part of the Overmountian Victory National Historic Trail. The volunteer support group for the park—the Friends of Sycamore Shoals—received $1,000 in Active Trail Grant money to put on two events at the park including covering the cost of bus transportation, lunches for the demonstrators and payments to the demonstrators.

The first program was “education days” with several schools being invited to come and go through stations that had been set in and around the replica fort that stands in the middle of the park. The stations were manned by park volunteers. During the school activities, 160 students and 18 teachers and chaperones walked the 0.43 miles around the stations covering 76.5 miles.

12 It has been a tradition that OVTA cross the Watauga River at the Sycamore Shoals at 2PM on September 25 each year (as the Virginians did in 1780). This year we moved it to 1:00PM to accommodate the school children. Unfortunately, heavy rains raised the river too high to cross safely so we excluded it from the Program. The remainder of the program was held in the park’s 600 seat amphitheater The amphitheatre is the site where the park’s annual outdoor drama, “Liberty”, is held year. The drama is the official State of Tennessee Outdoor Drama and tells the story of the Watauga Settlement including the Story of the Overmountain Men.

Total attendance for the grant funded events was 413 people with a total of 76.5 miles walked on the Trail. This breaks down to an average of $2.42 in grant money per person attending the two events.

Sherry Hyder, Jenny Kilgore and park manager Jennifer Bauer are to be commended. Sycamore Shoals was added to the funding list much later than the others. These three people got everything together and organized the events in just a couple of weeks. High praise indeed is earned by them.

13 The Shelving Rock Campsite Saturday, September 26, 2:00PM, 7:00PM

The Shelving Rock Campsite is located in Carter County, Tennessee between the Village of Roan Mountain and Roan Mountain State Park. It is the site where the Overmountain Men camped their first night on the Campaign after leaving the muster ground at Sycamore Shoals. The property is privately owned by Tom Burleson and his son. Tom has offered to sell the 9 acre site to OVTA to preserve it as part of the Trail. Mr. Burleson applied for and received National Register of Historic Site status this summer. An Archeological report submitted by Dr. Ken Robinson, director of public archeology at Wake Forest University in October, 2009, states that the artifacts found on the site date back over 8,000 years. The Roan Mountain Citizen’s Club, which has been active since the 1950’s, received $1,150 to put on a public event to bring people to the site. The club returned $403.32 to OVTA on October 27, 2009. That brings their total grant funding that was spent to $746.70

The grant money would be used to host an event to demonstrate that the site was worth protecting. A total of 72 people including Congressman Phil Roe of the First Congressional District in Tennessee, State Senator Rusty Crow, former state Senator Bob Burleson and a host of local civic and community leaders joined the visitors who just live nearby.

And then the rain started. It started early in the morning. All day long the rains came.

During the day, OVTA set up their full camp to meet and greet the visitors. The Guilford Fife and Drum Corp were in attendance as well as several local craftspeople plying their trade. That was followed by speechifying by the dignitaries and Mr. Burleson did a formal dedication of the National Register designation and then OVTA told the story so that everyone there knew they were standing someplace special and that it was worth investing in.

14 A total of 72 people attended the event for an average cost in Active Trails Grant money of $10.37. There is little doubt that the steady rains kept more folks from coming. But, while the numbers were lower than expected, the impact was not lessened in the least.

This was one of only two grant-funded events that targets civic and community leaders to gain their support of the Trail. I applaud Mr. Burleson for his work in demonstrating that his property has historical significance that is worth preserving.

Robert Sevier’s Grave Site Trail Walking Monday, September 28, 9:00AM, 2:00PM

Captain Robert Sevier was wounded during the Battle of King’s Mountain. He tried to make it home but his wounds became too much for him to endure. It was at this place where he died being attended by his nephew (Colonel John Sevier’s son James) and three others. The National Park Service has certified the gravesite and the adjacent Davenport Springs on September 27, 2000. The Robert Sevier Gravesite is located on Unimin Mining Company land in southern Avery County along US 19-E about 5 miles north of Spruce Pine, North Carolina. Because of the company’s contract restrictions, public access to Robert Sevier’s Grave site is limited to just one day a year— September 28th –the day of the historic passage in 1780. Long time OVTA supporter Dennis Voelker works for Unimin and makes all the arrangements for the visit.

This is one of the best walks on the Trail. It’s a hike through wide open meadows with mountains all around you in the background. And then there’s the river sliding by on your left. And then you see the line of school kids walking out there along the old roadbed. Riverside Elementary School, which is located just a few miles north of Unimin, hosted the Marchers on Sunday night, September 27th. After a breakfast in the cafeteria we boarded the buses with the children for the ride to the grave site. The principal of the school, Ricky, even drove one of the buses wearing an 18th century hat and shirt we loaned him.

15 At Unimin we were joined by three other schools--a veritable sea of 4th graders--583 of them plus 46 teachers and parents for a total of 629. The school kids were broken into four groups. OVTA story tellers joined with each group to lead them. The groups headed out one at a time along the roadbed towards the grave. The leaders would stop their group for a telling a part of the Story. Each of the groups heard the same story. As everyone approached the gravesite we brought everyone together and the Battle of King’ Mountain was played out on the hillside above the children. Then, the children were marched single file up the knob to Davenport Cemetery where Robert Sevier is buried. The cemetery is in the woods and has been cleared and maintained by a local Boy Scout troop. Our “resident preacher” George Cobb of Alabama, who is a retired minister, speaks words to the children as they file by.

The day’s walking is 3.4 miles round trip. The 629 people participating walked a total of 2,138.6 miles on the Trail.

16 Orchard at Altapass Monday, September 28, 5:30PM

“The best night for story telling!” We say that every year. We’re inside the store at the Orchard at Altapass just a good stones throw below the Blue Ridge Parkway. The view from the orchard looks out into North Cove with Linville Mountain in the background. In front, to the left some is Jackson Knob. The historic route comes around Jackson Knob and then down Hunnicutt Ridge to the flat where it drops off to the left towards the valley floor. And inside the smells of apples and of warm fudge, of mulled cider and the soaps and all the other things in there that lend their sights and sounds and aromas to the store.

Invited adults and some children take seats. Bill Carson, our host, introduces the evening’s festivities. A moment together with heads bowed. Then we eat. BBQ stretched out in a long line. After supper the “Drama” begins when the OVTA storytellers take the stage. A total of 42 people attended the evening program.

Orchard at Altapass Tuesday, September 29, 9:00AM The OVTA Marchers are coming down the gravel road (paralleling the Trail and the Blue Ridge Parkway) towards the Orchard. Classes of school children are marching out to meet them. A bend in the road. Around the bend, here lies the Marchers in ambush. At the right moment Alan Bowen steps up and commands, “who goes there?” A kid yells out, “Don’t shoot, we’re Americans”. A cloud of dust as hundreds of small feet race back up the road. Yup. Welcome to the Orchard at Altapass.

17 Stations are set up inside and around the Orchard Store for children to rotate through. Steve Ricker sets up his station scrimshawing a powder horn. Richard Luce set up his station showing how a painting is built starting with stick men and adding “balloons” to fill out the human figure and building in the background.

School children numbered 160 plus 19 teachers and chaperones for a total of 179 visitors to the program. The stations that were set up comprised a walking distance of 0.86 miles for a total of 153.9 miles walked during the event.

All three programs in this community were funded with the same Active Trails Grant disbursement of $1,000. Bill Carson of the Orchard at Altapass made all the arrangements for the three events being funded in this community. Bill is one of the premier supporters on the Trail. The grant covered bus transportation to Robert Sevier’s grave and to the Orchard at Altapass. The average cost in grant money for all three programs was $1.18 per person—the lowest of any venue funded by the ATG grant during the March. The average cost in grant money per trail mile walked was forty-four cents—substantially lower than any other venue.

18 Joseph McDowell House, Marion, North Carolina Joseph McDowell served as a Major during the Campaign of the Overmountain Men and the Victory at King’s Mountain. Reportedly, his home is the last home standing of a county’s namesake in North Carolina. The house is completed surrounded by development—a Sonic and Taco Bell on one side and a Kentucky Fried Chicken on the other with a Comfort Inn at the rear left corner of the property. The two acre rectangular tract backs up to the Catawba River. A partnership of local government and supporters purchased the house 2008. It is currently being managed by a committee under the Director of the McDowell County Economic Development and Tourism Bureau. The Joseph McDowell House Committee is leading an effort to renovate the house to meet the standards for designation on the National Register. Historically, the day before, September 29, 1780, the Overmountain Men had split their forces to follow the two roads that dropped off the Blue Ridge to ensure the British did not get in behind them. The Virginians as one group under Colonel William Campbell took a southerly route while the men from what is now upper East Tennessee under Colonels Isaac Shelby and John Sevier took a more northerly route. While the Joseph McDowell House is some 15 miles south of the southerly leg of the actual Trail, it is listed in the OVNHT Comprehensive Master Plan of 1982 as a related historic site and was certified by the National Park Service in 2008 as an official site on the OVNHT. The northern leg of the Trail taken by Shelby and Sevier up the North Cove Valley from the House drops off the Blue Ridge a couple of miles north of the Orchard at Altapass crossing several parcels of private land before reaching the valley floor. An easement was secured by the Conservation Trust of North Carolina in October 2009 on lands owned by the CSX Railroad. OVTA participated in the funding of this easement. Original roadbed remnants still remain along this segment of the Trail and the easement covers some of those remnants. During the Trail’s first GIS project in 2002 (that was contracted by OVTA), it was determined that of the 330 miles in the Trail, only some 30 or so miles of original roadbed remnant remains today. The Trail segments in McDowell County include the longest continuous sections of original roadbed remnants on the entire Trail.

On the morning of September 30, 1780, Shelby and Sevier crossed up over Silver Mountain and Linville Mountain some 25 miles to where they rendezvoused with Campbell and his men at the confluence of Paddy’s Creek and the Catawba River. The property on Silver Mountain and Linville Mountain is owned by the U. S. Forest Service and has been recognized as an “initial component” of the OVNHT (as prescribed in the National Trails System Act). Original roadbed remnants are evident on this section. The Southerly route followed by the Virginians followed the North Fork of the Catawba River downstream to the confluence with the Catawba River and on to rejoin the army. The portions of this Trail route dropping off the Blue Ridge Parkway and running along the North Fork of the Catawba are in private ownership. Once the Trail route leaves the river it is on Crescent Land Company property—the lands management group of Duke Power which had developed Lake James in the 1930’s. The lower segments of both routes of the Historic Trail are inundated by the Lake’s waters. Trail segments at Lake James State Park were certified in 2006. Much of the Trail on Crescent Land Company along Bear Creek was certified by the National Park Service in 2007. There are original road bed remnants on Crescent Land Company property. All of this background has been offered to make the following statement: “The Joseph McDowell House has the potential to be the core of most exciting possibilities. The potential lies here for both an urban and a wilderness Trail experience—cultural tourism at the Joseph McDowell House and walking on trail to follow the actual footsteps.” By virtue of purchasing the house and the infusion of the Active Trails Grant this year, the volunteer led preservation effort is now at its highest level. Add to that the newly formed

19 McDowell County Trails Association and that McDowell County offers the opportunity to have as much as 20 miles of public accessible Trail most of which will be in a completely wilderness setting on or adjacent to original roadbed remnants “all the pieces to complete the Trail” are now in place.

With that said, here is what the Joseph McDowell House Committee did with the Active Trails Grant funding.

Joseph McDowell House, Marion, North Carolina Tuesday, September 29, 9:00AM – 1:30PM

An initial disbursement of $1,800 was made to the Joseph McDowell House Committee. An additional disbursement of $500 was made to the McDowell County School System to cover the cost of bus transportation. A $1,000 donation was secured by the committee and was matched immediately bringing the total disbursement of $3,300 to the Joseph McDowell House. Sixteen stations were set up on the open space behind the House. The Model Trail Community Strategy that had been circulated to the communities receiving the Active Trails Grant funding included a catalog of highly skilled professional level 18th century demonstrators. The committee brought in several of those demonstrators for their event. There were 263 fifth graders plus 23 teachers and chaperones for a total of 286 visitors who walked the 0.38 miles around the grants for a total of 108.7 miles of Trail walked.

Joseph McDowell House, Marion, North Carolina Tuesday, September 29, 6:00 PM

Active Trails Grant funding was used to sponsor an invitation only supper for Federal, State and local community leaders including a staff person from Representative Heath Shuler’s office, State Senator Joe Sam Queen (who is a member of OVTA and a force for historic preservation and resource conservation in western North Carolina), the Mayor of Marion, the chair of the county commission and the leadership of local non-profit groups including the McDowell County Trails Association. There were 86 people attending the supper.

20

Each speaker pledged their support to the Joseph McDowell House and the OVNHT in general. The last speaker was Mike Dahl of OVTA who inspired the group with the vision of what we can achieve by working together. The supper was a pivotal moment in getting all the decision making leaders in that community together at one time to gain a better understanding of the Trail, the role the Joseph McDowell House plays and how we can all work together to begin the process of completing the Trail. This would not have happened without the funding from the Active Trails Grant.

Joseph McDowell House, Marion, North Carolina Tuesday, September 29, 7:30PM

The supper was followed by an evening presentation of the Story of the Trail by the OTVA. Whatever doubts might have existed in people’s mind after the supper were dashed beyond all question that this Story, this Trail are worth investing in. There were 48 people attending the program.

All three events at the Joseph McDowell House venue brought 420 people to the Trail this day. The average cost in Active Trails Grant money was $7.86 per person attending the three events.

21 Charles McDowell House, Morganton, NC. Wednesday, September 30, 5:30PM.

Colonel Charles McDowell commanded all the militias in western North Carolina including Shelby and Sevier from the Overmountain settlements. His plantation in what is now Morganton (called Burke’s Courthouse in 1780) encompassed hundreds of acres of bottomland along the Catawba River and was called Quaker Meadows. It was at Quaker Meadows where the army from over the mountains was joined by an additional 350 men from the Wilkes and Surry county militias under Benjamin Cleveland and Joseph Winston. Today the land of Quaker Meadows has been developed with a golf course and shopping centers. The Charles McDowell House, which was built in the early 1800’s is owned and managed by the non-profit group Historic Burke, Inc. A disbursement of $2,000 in Active Trails Grant funding was put with Historic Burke to plan and conduct two events. The funds were used to cover the cost of bus transportation and to pay demonstrators for their time.

The Charles McDowell House has served as a stopping point on the Trail since the March began in 1975. It has become a tradition in recent years for programs to be held telling the story. This year’s evening program drew 92 people.

Catawba River Greenway, Morganton, NC Thursday, October 1, 9:00AM

Historic Burke recruited nearly 20 demonstrators ranging from a hammer dulcimer player to a black smith, to a spinner, to Richard Luce and Steve Ricker, to a fiddle player in stations around a 1.20 mile loop on the Catawba River Greenway. The Greenway is within the one mile wide corridor of the historic route specified by the NPS and was first certified in 1998. It was the first urban greenway certified as part of the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail. There were 430 fourth grade students plus 61 teachers and chaperones who visited the site for

22 this program for a total of 491. Walking the 1.20 mile course through the demonstration circuit gave a total of 589.2 miles of Trail that were walked during the program.

Habersham Elementary School had bus problems and was not able to get to the Greenway, so a group of OVTA members went to that school and gave them presentations on the Story. This school accounted for 68 children and 4 adults for a total of 72.

Total attendance at the 3 programs was 655 for an average cost of $3.05 per person in Active Trails Grant money expended.

Staff and volunteers from Historic Burke, Inc. did all the planning and organizing for the events in Morganton. They drew in volunteers from Crescent Land Company to help with the programs. Scott Coley and Diane Register are to be commended for their job well done.

Time for a Note. Paul Carson had hired a part-time Conservation Assistant name Paula Messing in July, 2009. One of Paula’s tasks was to make an advance visit the schools on the southern part of the Trail that would be participating in Active Trails Grant funded programs. Paula would visit the classes that would be participating in the programs and tell them a bit about the Story of the Trail and what they would see when they got to the program. This was a very effective strategy. Since the kids were “briefed” on the story we didn’t have to spend the time on explaining the background history, we could get right into the story and make the most out of the time we had with them. It got the kids excited about coming. That was evident in every child I saw step off a school bus. Paula also served as the liaison with Cowpens National Battlefield. In disbursing the grant money we required that the check be written to a non-profit group—not individuals. However, Cowpens does not have a formal volunteer support group so OVTA wrote the individual checks to each school and vendor. Paula provided the names and addresses for those checks.

23

Gilbert Town, Rutherfordton, NC Friday, October 2, 9:00AM

Gilbert Town lies in Rutherford County, NC along Rock Road about one mile north of the city of Rutherfordton. Gilbert Town was the first county seat in Rutherford County. It is the site where Ferguson quartered his army and occupied the surrounding region for two weeks in mid- September 1780. It is the only site on the entire Trail where the Loyalist and the Patriot armies both camped. Based on the information the Patriot Army had, Ferguson was at Gilbert Town when they arrived there on October 4, 1780 expecting to do battle. When the Patriots rode into Gilbert Town, they found the meadows of empty. Ferguson was gone. Based on his own information coming in from spies, he had left Gilbert Town on September 28 withdrawing towards Charlotte (NC) where General Cornwallis and the entire Southern British Army ware headquartered.

All the Trail related lands of Gilbert Town are open pasture with hay mowing being the only activity. Ten privately owned tracts were certified by NPS in 1998 and became part of the OVNHT. That certification started a preservation effort for Gilbert Town. For almost 10 years there has been the threat of a four-lane divided highway coming through the middle of the site. In recent months, NCDOT has finally pulled that option off the table. There has been archeological surveys done on the property as well as a preservation plan (OVTA secured a grant to complete this plan).

A committee of community leaders, which included the chairman of the Rutherford County Commission (who is stepping down to take on historic site preservation projects) was put together to plan the events at Gilbert Town. That group quickly galvanized and applied for chapter status in OVTA. The new chapter, called the Carolina Foothills Chapter, was authorized by the OVTA board on August 29, 2009 and includes some 20 members. A check for $3,290 was sent to the Carolina Foothills Chapter to conduct two events at Gilbert Town.

Friday, October 2, 2009 saw every single eighth grader in Rutherford County—784 students plus 48 adults for a total of 832—come to Gilbert Town. This was the very first time students had come here to hear the Site’s story.

24 The school children were bussed to Gilbert Town with some 200 hundred students scheduled to arrive at two hour intervals. Two hundred is about the maximum group that can be managed at one time with the program format we were using.

The event started with a telling of the Story of the Trail. After the storytelling was done the students rotated through stations around the site that covered 0.51 miles. A total of 424.3 miles of Trail was walked during the day.

With 832 visitors to the program, this was the single largest venue for the 2009 March-- including all the sites that were funded by the Active Trails Grant.

Gilbert Town, Rutherfordton, NC Sunday, October 4, 1:00PM – 5:00PM.

This was a public event scheduled for Sunday afternoon after church. A few of the demonstrators from Friday’s school tours returned for the afternoon. The program saw 102 people from the local community come to hear the Story.

Total visits to Gilbert Town for the two Active Trails Grant programs was 934 people—the largest site visitation during the March. A total of 424.3 miles were walked on the Trail. The Carolina Foothills Chapter of OVTA received $3,290 in Active Trails Grant funding. The average grant cost per person was $3.52. This compares with the average funding of $4.89 per person.

25

Kim Conner and Chivous Bradley led the effort in Rutherford County including establishing the new chapter. Like the Joseph McDowell House committee, this new chapter holds great promise for the future.

Alexander’s Ford, Polk County, NC Monday, October 5, 9:00AM – 1:00PM.

This was the only event cancellation to occur during the march. The plan was to walk several hundred fourth graders 1.3 miles down to the open fields along the Green River where the Overmountain Army camped on the night of October 5, 1780. There would be stations along the way. This was the pivotal point in the 1780 Campaign. The Patriot’s had lost Ferguson and were heading in the wrong direction. A messenger came into camp the evening of October 5th with information on where Ferguson was heading. The decision was made to select 700 of the strongest men and horses (about one half the army) and ride to the Cowpens the next day to join with the Militias of South Carolina. The chase was on and we would defeat Ferguson at the Battle of King’s Mountain in just two days. Polk County purchased 168 acres of the river bottom in 2008. The county is in the early stages of developing a preservation and use plan for the property. The site has not been certified by the National Park Service yet.

A check for $1,000 in Active Trails Grant funding had been sent to the Polk County School system to cover the cost of transporting children to the Alexander’s Ford site.

26 Heavy persistent rains cancelled the planned walk. OVTA instead went to the Polk County Middle school and programmed 230 school children and teachers.

The school system returned the Grant money on November 8, 2009 because it had not been used.

Dr. Mary Margaret Ingles is the assistant superintendent at the Polk County School System. She has high regard for this history and will continue to support the field trips to the Trail in the future.

Cowpens National Battlefield, Spartanburg County, SC Tuesday, October 6, 9:00AM – 1:00PM.

Cowpens National Battlefield was established in the 1960’s to commemorate the Revolutionary War—Battle of Cowpens—that occurred on January 17, 1781. It was the next major victory for the Patriots following three months after King’s Mountain. The Battle of Cowpens further weakened the British Army’s ability to wage war. In 1780 Cowpens was a well known cattle operation. The loyalist owner would purchase cattle from the country-side and drive it up to Philadelphia to be slaughtered, preserved and shipped to England. Cowpens laid at the intersection of the two major roads in this portion of South Carolina. It was those along roads that Ferguson made is retreat and the Patriot army pursued.

Traditionally, Cowpens “Education Days” had been held on the anniversary of the Battle, January 17th. Two years ago the park staff made the decision to move Education Days to October 6th to avoid the cold weather and other winter issues. The new date would capitalize on the March being there on that day.

There were 486 Fourth graders and 58 teachers and chaperones for a total of 536 visitors from seven area elementary schools brought to the program at Cowpens with Active Trails Grant money.

27

Stations were set up around the grounds behind the park’s visitor center and out along the edge of the Battlefield on remnants of the old Green River Road. The distance around the stations was 0.66 miles. A total of 353.8 miles were walked on the Trail during the program.

Cowpens National Battlefield, Spartanburg County, SC Tuesday, October 6, 6:00 – 7:00PM.

An evening program at Cowpens is a recent addition to the March programming. The focus of the program is to feature the events that happened there—the joining of the South Carolina militias and the launching of the final pursuit of Ferguson.

This is the last program, the last chance for OVTA to tell the Story during this year’s March. It is also our last night together. The March ends tomorrow for most of us.

Knowing that brings the very best out in us to truly make the history come alive. This night was perhaps the single best performance of the Story of the Overmountain Men in OVTA’s history. Very powerful, indeed.

There were 63 people attending the evening program.

The grant disbursements for the two programs at Cowpens totaled $2,863. With 599 visitors to the two programs, the average grant cost per visitor was $4.78 (compares with $4.89 average for all the sites).

The park staff and Paula Messing are to be complimented on their hospitality and efforts to put on quality programs.

28 Note: The OVTA March has always ended on October 7th with the conclusion of the program at Kings Mountain National Military Park. This year the Wilkes/Surry Chapter of OVTA celebrated, for the very first time, the march of the prisoners from the Battle of King’s Mountain to the Moravian towns near present day Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Mike Dahl, Jerry Mustin, Richard Luce and Steve Ricker continued on to Elkin and W. Kerr Scott Reservoir to support these new events.

Elkin City Park, Elkin, North Carolina Thursday, October 8, 7:30PM. Elkin, the seat of Surry County in north central North Carolina, is the Eastern Trailhead of the OVNHT. The Elkin City Park was the site of the mustering of the Wilkes County militia under Colonel Benjamin Cleveland and Surry County militia under Major Joseph Winston. The city of Winston-Salem, Winston brand cigarettes and the Winston 500 are all named for him. This new army under Colonel Cleveland rode 72 miles in four days arriving at the Quaker Meadows on September 30, 1780 to rendezvous with the men from over the mountains.

Elkin City Park is located on Hwy 268 on the western edge of town. The highway is the designated Motor Route for the Trail. The park encompasses several hundred acres and offers a number of recreation facilities including a walking track, basketball and tennis courts, picnic pavilions and a large gym with meeting rooms, etc.

During a visit to Elkin In May of 2002 no one in the Chamber of Commerce office had ever heard of the Trail. Today, under the leadership of Town Planner Teresa Howell with assistance from members of the local OVTA Chapter the community is one of the leaders in developing and designating the muster ground, the motor route and the Trail itself.

Two programs were planned for Elkin City Park. The first was an evening cookout followed by a telling of the Story. Twelve people attended the cookout.

Elkin City Park, Elkin, North Carolina Friday, October 9, 9:00 – 1:30PM.

This event was by far the most ambitious drawing fourth and eighth graders from nearby schools to walk the 3.73 miles around the stations. The route of the stations started at the Elkin City Park and followed the Historic Trail down to and along the Yadkin River. Several stations were set up along the route including 18th century musket drilling, Cherokee Indians, weaving, candle making, the “work of a spy”, the overview of the Story, 18th century music, capturing an escaped prisoner, using art to preserve history, and many more.

29 There were a total 260 students plus 28 teachers and chaperones for a total of 288 visitors who walked a total of 1,074.2 miles on the designated Trail.

The superintendent of Elkin City Schools and two of his assistants came out to walk the stations observe the event. They were most engaged by Richard Luce’s art station. Former Senator James Broyhill was the “keynote” speaker during the lunch break. Senator Broyhill introduced the bill designating the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail in 1980. To this day he still follows the news of the Trail and is still committed to preserving this piece of American’s history. The two events at Elkin City Park were funded with $1,800 of the Active Trails Grant, plus $100 in matching funds for a total of $1,900. The average cost per visitor was $7.31. The event was planned by OVTA members Donna Absher and Teresa Howell. Teresa is the planner for the city of Elkin. This was the most difficult event to coordinate because of the long distance of the station route. Donna and Teresa deserve high praise for the job they did. It was a well-conducted event.

National Public Lands Day W. Kerr Scott Reservoir, Wilkesboro, North Carolina Saturday, October 10, 9:00 – 2:30PM.

W. Kerr Scott Reservoir is managed by the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers. The earthen dam impounds the Yadkin River about 5 miles west of Wilkesboro, NC. The reservoir has inundated the Historic Trail that ran along next to the river. OVTA vice president R.G. Absher is the assistant superintendent of the reservoir and has led the effort of having several miles of Trail built on the reservoir lands. Being within the one mile wide corridor, the National Park Service has certified trail the park staff and volunteers have built in three different use areas of the reservoir. The staff at W. Kerr Scott decided to combine the celebration of National Public Lands Day along with a program on the Overmountain Victory Trail. The four of us camped at the park and playground at the north end of the big earthen dam. We were up early. Before sunrise. Ground fresh coffee beans and put the pot on.

30 Getting a little lighter now, but no sun yet. And then...as we just happen to be looking up the reservoir a rainbow appeared at the far end of the lake. No sun yet. Oh, but a rainbow!

A number of Boy Scout Troops camped the night before down on the flat below us at lake level. Exhibitors and demonstrators including a working blacksmith, music, candle making, live displays from Grandfather Mountain, set up on a 0.2 mile circuit of stations atop the Dam. OVTA set up our full “store” with displays, brochures and Richard’s artwork. There were a total of 500 visitors on site including the Boy Scouts and day-use visitors who toured the stations during the event.

A new segment of the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail at the Dam was certified during a ceremony at 1:00PM. Senator James Broyhill was one of the speakers.

OVTA conducted a short telling of the Story and then Paul Carson certified the new Trail as part of the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail. There were 42 people at the ceremony.

Former Senator James Broyhill opens the Certification ceremony

Total attendance at the two events was 542 people. The Wilkes/Surry Chapter of OVTA received $1,800 in Active Trail Grant funding to put the event on. The cost per visitor in grant money was $3.32. A total of 100.0 miles was walked on the Trail.

The superintendent and staff of W. Kerr Scott Reservoir have been a long-time partner with the Trail. They have served their task as stewards of the Trail and Story quite well. They have developed the most new foot trail.

This concludes the event descriptions.

31 Part 3, The Active Trails Grant Results

Results, benefits Yes. I have listed them below. But before you read them, I want to give you the picture of what this Trail looks like now. It is nothing less than remarkable. Remember the goals listed in the introduction? Putting this grant money in the communities woke this whole Trail corridor up. It astonishes me to think what the communities did with just a couple of thousand dollars. Read through these and you will see how much work was accomplished on the goals.

It is now Tuesday morning; November 17, 2009 here is what the grant has led to.

We have continued talking to each other on email—all the communities leaders and OVTA. That talking led to the idea that it is time to build this Trail. To get it developed, on the ground where we can and to tell the whole world about it. This is going to happen! We heard from Anne Swann in Marion, NC whose working on an idea for a Revolutionary War Trail through four or five counties in her area. OVTA’s been waiting for something like to happen. We’ve thought about the Overmountain Victory Culture and Arts Corridor to really let the communities focus in on their own cultural tourism. This is going to happen! We’ve getting ideas from the communities. That’s the most important place for them to come from. That’s where it has to come from to work. There is simply more energy and excitement coming from more places along the Trail than ever before. The city of Abingdon has committed to a $3,000 donation to support National Trails Day. That donation will be used to matching funds with the National Parks Foundation. . We are scheduling a two-day planning session with a facilitator from the Institute for Conservation Leadership (ICL) to help us put all the pieces together and get ready to finish this Trail. OVTA will be hosting a Trail conference next spring. The theme of the conference will be “Follow the Footsteps, completing the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail”.

It is doubtful that anyone could have anticipated the impact this grant would have when it was received. The grant, in the simplest terms, galvanized an entire region all at one time! Here’s what I mean.

1. The thirteen communities that received the grant money learned something important about themselves—that they can work together to make something special happen and have a great time doing it.

2. There is no longer a series of Trail communities; it is now one large community of Trail supporters. Some are local government employees. Some are state and federal legislators. Some are businessmen and women. Some are volunteers. Some are just people who are captivated by what all this represents and means to them. They all share one thing now—a passion for the Trail and its Story!

3. The successes all along the Trail demand that there be a next step to take. No one wants to see this energy die out. No one wants to wait until next year’s March.

4. Plans are being made right now to conduct a planning session facilitated by the Institute for Conservation Leadership (ICL) in the early months of 2010. The planning session will include all the community leaders where grant money was employed, the OVTA board of

32 directors and other guests. The purpose of the planning session is to determine what we need to do to complete the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail—what it will take to get it done!

5. This idea of completing the Trail opens up a whole new arena of opportunities for events that can be planned for National Trails Days next June that did not exist before.

6. The National Parks Foundation’s Active Trails Grant is given to bring people to National Park Service Trails. It is given to help provide a means for people to explore the out-of- doors, to breathe the fresh air and marvel at the wonders of the natural world. But all of that can be done in just one afternoon and the criteria of the grant has been met.

Just think, an average of only $2,100 in grant money per community is building a legacy of new National Historic Trail where none existed before. That place, that moment in time where family, friends and visitors from all parts of the world will be able to come, for all time to come, and stand and walk where the people who would not fail in their pursuit of the American Spirit made history.

This trail, the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail, will be more than just a pathway through the woods or along highways or through towns and communities. It will be a place to visit and walk and enjoy all the benefits that freedom and independence and our country truly represents. It will be a place to cerebrate the American spirit.

And for that, the Active Trails Grant is building this legacy. What better use could there be for your grant? The benefits, this legacy, will last forever.

Mike Dahl, November, 18, 2009

Total contract hours worked on the Active Trails Grant as of November 19, 2009 by Mike Dahl = 381.9 Hours (48.6 days).

33

TThhee AAppppeennddiixx

Appendix 1 Grant Financial Transactions

Appendix 2 Grant Event Attendance

Appendix 3 Grant Site Testimonials

Appendix 4 DVD Event Photos and Electronic Report Files

34

Appendix 1 Grant Disbursements

Following is a table that tracks all Active Trails Grant financial transactions.

Grant Grant Payment Community Administrative Total Donations Funds Amount Date Made To Spending Spending Spending & Matching Returned Remaining Comment/Description

$50,000.00 Travel for meetings with Abingdon 29-Jun-09 Mike Dahl $96.40 $49,903.60 and Elkin

12-Aug-09 Mike Dahl $250.00 $49,653.60 Contact Payment Interpretive Supplies, Pants for 24-Aug-09 Steve Ricker $45.00 $49,608.60 Christian

29-Aug-09 $2,500 $52,108.60 Tim Massey Donation Story Telling Grad Student 1-Sep-09 ETSU $6,000.00 $46,108.60 program.

2-Sep-09 Bluff City $4,500.00 $41,608.60 Bluff City Middle School event Rocky Mount Historical 2-Sep-09 Association $3,523.00 $38,085.60 Rocky Mount Events

2-Sep-09 Friends of Sycamore Shoals $1,000.00 $37,085.60 Education Days. September 26 Shelving Rock 2-Sep-09 Roan Mountain Citizens Club $1,150.00 $35,935.60 Event.

2-Sep-09 Altapass Foundation $1,000.00 $34,935.60 September 28 and 29 events Joseph McDowell House bussing, 2-Sep-09 McDowell County School $500.00 $34,435.60 Sept 29, 2009 Joseph McDowell House Joseph McDowell House events, 2-Sep-09 Committee $1,800.00 $32,635.60 Sept 29, 2009 Catabaw River Greenway October 2-Sep-09 Historic Burke, Morganton $2,000.00 $30,635.60 1, 2009 event

2-Sep-09 OVTA Wilkes Surry Chapter $1,800.00 $28,835.60 October 9 Elkin city Park event Oct 2 and 4 events at Gilbert 2-Sep-09 Carolina Foothills Chapter $3,290.00 $25,545.60 Town.

2-Sep-09 Polk County $1,000.00 $24,545.60 Oct 5 Alexander's Ford event Pat Dale Donation used for 6-Sep-09 $1,000 $25,545.60 matching funds from grant. Joseph McDowell House Pat Dale Donation used for 8-Sep-09 Committee $1,000.00 $24,545.60 matching funds from grant. Payment for professional services 10-Sep-09 Steve Ricker $1,000.00 $23,545.60 during the March Grant Grant Payment Community Administrative Total Donations Funds Amount Date Made To Spending Spending Spending & Matching Returned Remaining Comment/Description Oct 10 W. Kerr Scott Certification 10-Sep-09 OVTA Wilkes Surry Chapter $1,800.00 $21,745.60 and Activities event. Payment for professional services 11-Sep-09 Richard Luce $1,000.00 $20,745.60 during the March Contract Payment, completes 14-Sep-09 Mike Dahl $2,750.00 $17,995.60 phase 1 payments. Cost of lunch at Cowpens, 15-Sep-09 Cowpens, Chelsa Scruggs $300.00 $17,695.60 October 6th. Ck# 1189. Donation by Dwight Harley for 16-Sep-09 $500 $18,195.60 Matching Funds. Cowpens, OP Earle Transportation costs for Cowpens 16-Sep-09 Elementary School $166.90 $18,028.70 Students. Chk# 1190. Donation by Members Credit 17-Sep-09 $100 $18,128.70 Union to W/S Chapter

17-Sep-09 OVTA Wilkes Surry Chapter $100.00 $18,028.70 Cowpens, Pacolet Transportation costs for Cowpens 17-Sep-09 Elementary School $194.28 $17,834.42 Students. Chk# 1191. Cowpens, Chesnee Transportation costs for Cowpens 17-Sep-09 Elementary School $70.50 $17,763.92 Students. Chk# 1192. Cowpensm, Carlisle-Foster's Transportation costs for Cowpens 18-Sep-09 Grove Elem Schol. $201.00 $17,562.92 Students. Chk# 1196. Cowpens, B.D. Lee Transportation costs for Cowpens 18-Sep-09 Elementary School $73.25 $17,489.67 Students. Chk# 1197. Cowpens, Inman Elementary Transportation costs for Cowpens 18-Sep-09 School $465.00 $17,024.67 Students. Chk# 1198. Cowpens, Cannons Transportation costs for Cowpens 18-Sep-09 Elementary School $121.50 $16,903.17 Students. Chk# 1199. Tent rental for Cowpens 6-Oct-09 Event Rentals, Cowpens Tent $1,271.00 $15,632.17 Education Days. Chk# 1202. Trailer towing reimbursement. 14-Oct-09 Mike Dahl $360.00 $15,272.17 Check #1203 Donation by R.G. Absher to cover 21-Oct-09 $100 $15,372.17 unpaid costs For W/s. CD's, DVD, Labels, mailers to 22-Oct-09 Office Max $110.95 $15,261.22 send photos to communities. Roan Mtn Citizens Club, Shelving 29-Oct-09 $403.32 $15,664.54 Rock Event Two rolls of 44 cent stamps for Nov 2, 209 Post Master, Knoxville, TN $88.00 $15,576.54 mailing stuff to communities. Grant money returned from Polk 3-Nov-09 $1,000 $16,576.54 County Schools. Grant money returned from Rocky 12-Nov-09 $1,023.87 $17,600.41 Mount Totals $35,326.43 $3,700.35 $39,026.78 $4,200 $2,427.19 $17,600.41

36 AAppppeennddiixx 22 EEvveenntt AAtttteennddaannccee

Grant Grant Total Grant Distance Visitor Event Funds Students Cost Per Public Program Cost Per Walked Trail Miles Count Date Location Disbursed Attended Student Attended Attendance Person On Trail Walked

1 24-Sep Bluff City $4,500 613 $7.34 46 659 $6.83 0.35 230.7

2 24-Sep Rocky Mount 308 101 409 0.25 102.3

3 24-Sep Rocky Mount 62 62 0.25 15.5

Rocky Mount Total $2,499 308 $8.11 471 $5.31 117.8

4 25-Sep Sycamore Shoals 160 18 178 0.43 76.5

5 25-Sep Sycamore Shoals 160 75 235

Sycamore Shoals Total $1,000 320 $3.13 93 413 $2.42 76.5

6 26-Sep Shelving Rock Cmpste $746.70 72 72 $10.37

7 28-Sep Unimin, Sevier Grave 583 46 629 3.40 2,138.6

8 28-Sep Orchard at Altapass 42 42

9 29-Sep Orchard at Altapass 160 19 179 0.86 153.9

Mitchell County Total $1,000 743 $1.35 850 $1.18 2,292.5

10 29-Sep Joseph McDowell House 263 23 286 0.38 108.7

11 29-Sep Joseph McDowell House 86 86

12 29-Sep Joseph McDowell House 48 48

Joseph McDowell Total $3,300 263 $12.55 420 $7.86 108.7

37 Grant Grant Total Grant Distance Visitor Funds Students Cost Per Public Program Cost Per Walked Trail Miles Count Date Location Disbursed Attended Student Attended Attendance Person On Trail Walked

13 30-Sep Quaker Meadows 92 92 14 1-Oct Catawba River Park 430 61 491 1.20 589.2 15 1-Oct Habersham Elem 68 4 72 Historic Burke Total $2,000 498 $4.02 655 $3.05 589.2

16 2-Oct Gilbert Town 784 48 832 0.51 424.3 17 4-Oct Gilbert Town 102 102 Gilbert Town Total $3,290 784 $4.20 934 $3.52 424.3

18 5-Oct Polk County Middle $1,000 217 $4.61 13 230 $4.35

19 6-Oct Cowpens 478 58 536 0.66 353.8 20 6-Oct Cowpens 63 63 Cowpens Total $2,863 478 $5.99 599 $4.78 353.8

21 8-Oct Elkin City Park 12 12 22 9-Oct Elkin City Park 260 28 288 3.73 1,074.2 Elkin City Park Total $1,900 260 $7.31 300 $6.33 1,074.2

23 10-Oct W. Kerr Scott Reservoir 500 500 0.20 100.0 24 10-Oct W. Kerr Scott Reservoir 42 42 W. Kerr Scott Reservoir Total $1,800 542 $3.32 100.0

Totals $25,899 8,138 1,754 6,145 $4.21 5,367.6 Averages $3.18 $4.89

38

Appendix 3 Grant Site Testimonials

Following are testimonial sent in by some of the Grant funded Communities.

40 From Historic Burke for the Quaker Meadows Greenway event:

“Thank you and all the members of the OVTA for all that you did to make this teaching /celebration possible. We have had excellent feedback from the schools and community. As you and I discussed, there are some changes we would like to make next year to make things run more smoothly and involve more youth and we have been brainstorming these. Overall we were excited and pleased with the results. We have done programs for the schools in the past, but including the Over-mountain Victory Trail venue with the re-enactors, stories and demonstrations was received with more enthusiasm than ever before. They can't wait to do it again next year! You should know that in addition to the grant monies, donations from the city, Historic Burke Board members and individuals would likely total another $2k (+) to fund the events beginning on Saturday at the McDowell house and continuing until Thursday on the OVTA trail. The city provided bleachers, tentage, port-a-johns, golf carts, water containers, tables and chairs, and personnel (3 employees for 1 day). Individuals provided breakfast, lunches (2 days) and dinner(1 day) for all the re-enactors as well as many hours of volunteer labor. As you can see, we had excellent support for this effort. People really extended themselves to make all the events successful. To me it shows the pride our community has in our role in this historic event and our desire to ensure that it is taught and remembered.”

Thanks again for all that you do, Diana Register

41 Appendix 4 DVD and Electronic Files

42