Another Overmountain Victory

The inaugural work of the newly formed Marjorie M. and Lawrence R. Bradley Endowment Fund of Polk County is quite a feat.

The Bradley Fund, run by the Polk County Community Foundation, has agreed to purchase and thus preserve for public use the historic Alexander’s Ford property.

The 164-acre tract features 5,000 feet of frontage on the Green River and “an exceptionally well-preserved section of a colonial road” once trod by the Overmountain Men in 1780. It is a treasure for Polk County.

It is unclear just how the work of creating a park at Alexander’s Ford will be accomplished. The foundation, famously tight-lipped, has indicated that it would like the county to one day buy the property, finding grants for land acquisition and park development.

The list of potential sources of funds for this project, with national park potential, is extensive: the National Park Service, the N.C. State Historic Preservation Office, the Overmountain Victory National Trail Association (OMVNTA), the Clean Water fund, battlefield protection funding, as well as Rutherford County, to name a few.

It appears, for now, small steps may be taken. The actual Overmountain Victory Trail can be studied and certified, permanent easements put in place, and minimal public uses made of the property, such as scout campouts.

But, to take the larger steps, Polk County will likely need the assistance of a dedicated group of citizens. Perhaps another Friends organization will be formed.

Already, the excitement is spreading. National Park Service Supt. Paul Carson is speaking to the Tryon Rotary Club in November and the OMVNTA is holding its national meeting in Polk County next March.

One day, perhaps, Alexander’s Ford will provide residents and visitors a window into our heritage here on what was once the “edge of Western Civilization.” –JB