Mountain Gateway Museum and Heritage Center

10/06/2026

Great news for Fall travels!

OPENINGS ALERT🍂

Just as the region enters its peak fall tourism season, recent openings mark major milestones in Hurricane Helene recovery as well as the conclusion of two historic Great American Outdoors Act projects.

Visitors can now drive uninterrupted from James River (milepost 63.7) in Virginia to Little Switzerland (near milepost 344) in North Carolina, and from Mount Mitchell State Park (milepost 355) to the park's southern end (milepost 469) in Cherokee, NC.

In the past week, these sections reopened:
-Milepost 317.5, south of Linville Falls, to milepost 324.7 (Helene)
-Milepost 333.9 in Little Switzerland to milepost 340.2 at NC-80 (Helene)
-Milepost 297, Julian Price Campground, Loops B and D (Helene)
-Milepost 115 to milepost 121 in Roanoke, VA (GAOA)
-Milepost 276.4, Deep Gap Bridge (Regular Maintenance)

Final Helene road repairs are underway from milepost 344 to 355 and are slated for completion and reopening by the end of 2026. Visitors can find additional information to prepare for their fall Parkway travels on the park’s website, which includes regular road status updates, facility schedules, maps and more at www.nps.gov/blri.

10/04/2026

🐟 Flavors of the Mountain Past 🐟

The history of Southern Appalachian foodways cannot be told without the story of trout. People have been eating the fish that lives in the mountain streams and rivers of Western NC for centuries. The brook trout is the only native trout species in Appalachia. The Cherokee used to harvest it using weirs and baskets. Rainbow trout and brown trout were brought to the state in the 1880s. North Carolina is now the second-largest producer of commercial rainbow trout in the country.

Some popular Southern Appalachian ways of preparing trout are cornmeal-crusted and pan-fried, served with grit cakes or wild leeks. The recipe posted here is a Honey Pecan Mountain Trout dish.

Image: C.B. Carpenter and rainbow trout, Nov 30, 1909. Frank W. Bicknell Photograph Collection, PhC.8. Courtesy of State Archives of North Carolina.

Image: Trout fishing at Davidson River in Pisgah National Forest, 1941, taken by Baker. From the Department of Conservation and Development, Travel Information Division Photograph Collection. Courtesy of State Archives of North Carolina.

Image: Recipe for Honey Pecan Mountain Trout from “Celebrating Southern Appalachian Food: Recipes & Stories from Mountain Kitchens” by Jim Casada and Tipper Pressley.

10/02/2026

on October 2, 1894, the North Carolina state government opened its first school for the deaf in Morganton. Around the 1890s, education leaders started to advocate for separate schools for blind children and deaf children. Edward McKee Goodwin was the main catalyst behind opening a school for deaf children in Morganton, and he served as the school’s first superintendent until 1936—a year before his death. The state school for the blind stayed in Raleigh as The Governor Morehead School. In 2017, four of the school's buildings were transferred to the NC School of Science and Mathematics for a second campus in Morganton.

The School for the Deaf Historical Museum is in the former Superintendent’s home on campus. The museum keeps records of students, publications, photographs, and memorabilia for the school.

Image: Main Building for the North Carolina School for the Deaf. Courtesy of the State Library of North Carolina.

Image: Class in Swimming. Courtesy of the State Library of North Carolina.

09/29/2026

Mark your calendars for October 9th!

The One Day Wonder traveling exhibit is coming from Raleigh with original historical documents—the 1776 and 1868 State Constitutions, 1776 Declaration of Rights and a letter written by John Adams known as "Thoughts on Government."

Staff from the State Archives of North Carolina will be on hand to answer your questions.

Come see us at the Western Office: 176 Riceville Road, Asheville (near the VA).

09/27/2026

Two years ago today, on Friday, September 27, 2024, Hurricane Helene made landfall in Western North Carolina. What followed was devastating; communities across the region were hit with severe flooding, extremely high winds, and destructive landslides. As many of our supporters know, Helene did not spare the Mountain Gateway Museum or its home of Old Fort. The museum temporarily closed to move across the street into 78-C Catawba Ave on December 14—seventy-eight days after the storm. We have been open ever since.

The museum, however, lost its treasured office building, the Mauney House, that had stood across the creek for 120-plus years—even having survived the Flood of 1916. The house was declared unsalvageable and demolished the following February. The museum’s gazebo and fountain were also removed, but the two cabins and amphitheater survived the storm. The town of Old Fort suffered many losses—homes, parks, and streets were flooded and destroyed on that fateful September morning.

Two years later, the Mountain Gateway Museum, Old Fort, and Western North Carolina are still recovering. Businesses, homes, and communities across the region continue to pick up the pieces. The museum’s permanent location is still under reconstruction, and the Mauney House’s grounds are now dedicated as Mauney Memorial Park. The losses our region faced will never be forgotten, but neither will the support we’ve received over the past two years. We thank every single volunteer, community member, and supporter that has helped us recover and continue to rebuild. As we head into our peak tourist season, remember to support local and, of course, come see our museum.

With many thanks,
The Mountain Gateway Museum Team

Link to blog "Remembering the Mauney House" by former Site Manager RoAnn Bishop: https://www.mgmnc.org/blog/2025/05/21/remembering-mauney-house

Image: Mauney Memorial Park Sign at site of old Mauney House
Image: Mountain Gateway Museum permanent location and picnic shelter
Image: Story quilt “Step by Step” by Stephanie Wilds. Graciously donated to the Mountain Gateway Museum collection.

09/25/2026

Congratulations to the winner of our MACA Soup & A Bowl ticket giveaway! Even though the drawing is over, you can still get tickets for the event tomorrow. See details below:

09/24/2026

The Mountain Gateway Museum will be at Fort Dobbs State Historic Site Fall School Day tomorrow with a "Coin of the Realm" presentation. We look forward to seeing all registered students!

Just a reminder that we will not be offering our scheduled tours for our Fall School Day tomorrow, September 25. We look forward to seeing our registered students and chaperones for a fun day of living history! We will return to our regularly scheduled tours on Saturday, September 26.

Photo courtesy of photographer Bill Leach

09/23/2026

📢 The location for MACA's Soup & A Bowl has been changed! See below for details.

***Location Change for Soup & a Bowl this Saturday***

Quick announcement, due to a scheduling mix-up, Soup & a Bowl 2026 will be held at McDowell Arts Council Association (50 S Main St Marion) with seatings at 11am, 12pm, and 1pm.

Tickets are available at our website mcdowellarts.org

09/22/2026

❓❔ Museum Mystery Answer!

Yesterday's artifact is a tennis racket, specifically a wooden racket made by the Draper-Maynard Co., Plymouth, NH. This particular model is called “Princess” (see image for a close-up). Written on the handle are “Norman Mauney” and “Shelby, NC.”

Early tennis rackets evolved from 14th-century wooden hand paddles and real tennis rackets—an early racket game played by the rich and elite in 16th- and 17th- century Europe. Early tennis rackets were made of wood with long handles and a small head. The frame around the head is a racket press, designed to keep the wood from warping in heat and humidity.