1916 Flood Film Premiere in Old Fort

6 Aug 2016

Mountain Gateway Museum & Heritage Center
24 Water Street, Old Fort, NC 28762
Phone: 828-668-9259 Fax: 828-668-0041
Website: www.mountaingatewaymuseum.org

Date: July 14, 2016 NEWS RELEASE
Press Contacts: For Immediate Release
RoAnn Bishop, 828-668-9259 or 828-668-4591

http://saveculture.org/great-flood-of-1916-1916-flood-great-flood-of-1916-flood-of-1916-asheville-flood/

MOUNTAIN GATEWAY MUSEUM SPONSORS FILM PREMIERE IN OLD FORT

OLD FORT, NC – A new documentary film about the devastating 1916 flood in North Carolina’s mountains will premiere Saturday, August 6, at 7 p.m. in the Old Fort Elementary School’s auditorium.
Hosted by the Mountain Gateway Museum & Heritage Center in Old Fort and co-sponsored by The Center for Cultural Preservation, the North Carolina Humanities Council, and Duke Energy, the premiere of Come Hell or High Water: Remembering the Great Flood will be free and open to the public. But seating will be on a first-come, first-served basis.
A short program featuring the award-winning maker of the film, David Weintraub of The Center for Cultural Preservation in Hendersonville, will follow the premiere and explore how the lessons learned from this past catastrophe can be applied to our future.
The 1916 flood, which marks its 100th anniversary this month, is still likely the worst natural disaster in western North Carolina’s recorded history. Twenty-two inches of rain fell in a 24-hour period, the result of two hurricanes colliding over the mountain region. The French Broad River rose 17 feet above flood stage. At least 50 people died in the flood waters. Mudslides and landslides washed away homes, businesses, even railroad locomotive. And a thick, black sludge covered the ground where crops once stood. Damages totaled in the millions of dollars.
Even today, western North Carolina is a flood-prone area, and concern remains that such a disaster could be repeated, resulting in even greater devastation because of the area’s greater population and ever-increasing number of hillside homes and resort properties. These issues will be the focus of Weintraub’s discussion with the audience following the film.
The Center for Cultural Preservation is a cultural nonprofit organization dedicated to working for mountain heritage continuity through oral history, documentary film, education, and public programs. For more information about the Center, call 828-697-8062 or visit www.saveculture.org.
Mountain Gateway Museum is the westernmost facility in the North Carolina Department of Natural & Cultural Resources’ Division of State History Museums. Nestled at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains along the banks of historic Mill Creek in downtown Old Fort (McDowell County), MGM uses artifacts, exhibitions, educational programs, living history demonstrations, and special events to teach people about the rich history and cultural heritage of the state’s mountain region, from its original inhabitants through early settlement and into the 20th century.

As part of its education outreach mission, MGM also assists non-profit museums and historic sites in 39 western NC counties with exhibit development & fabrication, genealogical research, photography archives, traveling exhibitions, and consultations.

Mountain Gateway Museum is open year round, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. on Monday, and 2 to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is free.