Misplaced Pages

#628371

29-485: McDowell County is the name of two counties in the United States: McDowell County, North Carolina McDowell County, West Virginia [REDACTED] Topics referred to by the same term This disambiguation page lists articles about distinct geographical locations with the same name. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change

58-589: A household in the county was $ 32,396, and the median income for a family was $ 37,789. Males had a median income of $ 26,609 versus $ 21,640 for females. The per capita income for the county was $ 16,109. About 9.00% of families and 11.60% of the population were below the poverty line , including 15.10% of those under age 18 and 15.70% of those age 65 or over. McDowell County is a member of the Isothermal Planning and Development Commission regional council of governments. McDowell County voted Republican in

87-647: A lush, green valley with thousands upon thousands of acres of virgin forest. During that time, a custom when settling a dispute was to engage in a "friendly" wrestling match. McDowell came out the winner. After establishing residence along the Catawba River area of Pleasant Gardens, McDowell raised his family, and subsequently received two land grants. He is noted in Max Dixon's book The Wataugans as being instrumental in Jacob Brown's Purchase of one of

116-603: Is Pinnacle—at 5,665 feet above sea level the second-highest mountain (after Grandfather Mountain ) in the Blue Ridge, and also considered the southernmost tip of the Black Mountains , the highest ridge in eastern America. Much of the county lies in the Foothills (North Carolina) region of Western North Carolina . As of the 2020 census , there were 44,578 people, 18,173 households, and 13,065 families residing in

145-543: Is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina . As of the 2020 census , the population was 44,578. Its county seat is Marion . McDowell County comprises the Marion, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area , which is also included in the Charlotte - Concord , NC Combined Statistical Area . Archaeological excavations performed by Dr. David Moore during the early 1980s, revealed artifacts and other evidence that

174-659: Is a list of schools located in McDowell County: McDowell County has one community college: McDowell Technical Community College Pleasant Gardens (North Carolina) The land for the Pleasant Gardens estate was purchased by Hunting John McDowell, Joseph McDowell's father, in 1768. The land was originally located in Anson County until 1753, when it became Rowan County and became part of Burke County in 1777. Joseph McDowell

203-483: Is accessible to the public. Other waterfalls can be found in the county, such as Toms Creek Falls . Almost half of the county, including the two aforementioned waterfalls, is located inside the Pisgah National Forest . Linville Caverns , North Carolina's only limestone cavern system open to the public, is located in the far northern part of the county. Geologically, McDowell County is located within

232-471: Is given in the McDowell County article , but it is unreferenced. In 1748, "Hunting" John McDowell received a land grant for property known today as Pleasant Gardens, including acreage originally located from Swan's Pond (Catawba County) up the Catawba River west to present-day Marion and into the region known as Buck Creek. During a hunting expedition with his friend Henry Weidner, the two came upon

261-615: Is known as the historic Carson House . He also operated gold mines in the southern part of the county. Colonel Carson had contributed to the Patriot cause in the American Revolutionary War . Marion, the county seat of McDowell County, was planned and built on land selected by the first McDowell County Commissioners when they met on March 14, 1844, at the Carson House. It was not until 1845, however, that Marion

290-672: Is noted in Max Dixon's book, The Wataugans, as being instrumental in Jacob Brown's purchase of one of the last remaining pieces of acreage along the Nolichucky River in eastern Tennessee. McDowell hosted negotiations with the Cherokee from that area on his farm in North Carolina. His son, Joseph McDowell, fought in the Battle of Kings Mountain . McDowell County is named in his honor. Today, McDowell's home survives, one of

319-542: Is rich in American Civil War History. According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 445.35 square miles (1,153.5 km ), of which 439.95 square miles (1,139.5 km ) is land and 5.40 square miles (14.0 km ) (1.21%) is water. Numerous small creeks and streams flow through the county. The Catawba River originates in and crosses the county and empties into Lake James . It flows over Catawba Falls on its way, which

SECTION 10

#1732775839629

348-664: The Carolina Gold Rush period of the early 19th century, the south county area was known for its gold production. The banks of the Muddy Creek and mines at Vein Mountain were productive areas. Many mines and thriving gold rush towns such as Brackettown no longer exist; scattered ruins and abandoned cemeteries mark once-active sites of the gold rush period. An old mine in Woodlawn is from this period. McDowell County

377-466: The 20th century. In the 1790 Census in Burke County, North Carolina, Joseph McDowell, Jr. is listed as head of household with two white males under the age of 16, one female, and nine slaves. After Joseph McDowell's death, his wife, Mary Moffett McDowell, married John Carson . Mary inherited part of the Pleasant Gardens estate on which John Carson built Carson House . The following account

406-624: The Appalachians connected to a range there, where they had established silver mines. Pardo also hoped to find precious metals during his expedition, in which he stopped at several Native American villages. Pardo and his men built a log blockhouse, Fort San Juan, at a Mississippian chiefdom known as Joara at the headwaters of the Catawba River , a site north of present-day Morganton, North Carolina . They wintered over at Joara. Pardo directed his forces to establish five more forts in

435-511: The Catawba River west to present-day Marion and into the region known as Buck Creek. McDowell went hunting with his friend Henry Weidner, and the two came upon a lush green valley with thousands of acres of what they thought was virgin forest. They were both interested in the land, and McDowell won a wrestling match to decide who should apply for it. McDowell settled here with his family, and received two more land grants. established residence here family, and subsequently received two land grants. He

464-674: The Spanish Juan Pardo 's 1566 expedition to the interior region from the Atlantic coast. In the next two years, Pardo traveled from the Spanish colony on an island, through what are now South Carolina and Western North Carolina and into southeastern Tennessee. His expedition traveled through the area that is now McDowell County. His purpose was to acquire territory for Spain and establish forts for an alternative interior route to central Mexico. The Spanish mistakenly believed that

493-529: The county. At the 2000 census , there were 42,151 people, 16,604 households, and 11,954 families residing in the county. The population density was 95 people per square mile (37 people/km ). There were 18,377 housing units at an average density of 42 units per square mile (16 units/km ). The racial makeup of the county was 92.18% White , 4.16% Black or African American , 0.29% Native American , 0.92% Asian , 0.01% Pacific Islander , 1.61% from other races , and 0.84% from two or more races. 2.88% of

522-582: The earliest inhabitants of McDowell County lived there from the Woodland period and Mississippian culture era, from 250 to 1500 AD. Dr. Moore discovered this material in an area close to the Catawba River , in and around an unusual topographical site known as Round Hill. Both the historic Cherokee and Catawba Indians were Native American peoples known to live in what is now McDowell County, and they had been there long before any Europeans. These Native Americans were living in this section for centuries before

551-417: The few remaining that was built by its namesake. The settlement of what was known as Old Fort took place nearby; this became for a time the westernmost outpost of colonial society. These early pioneers established a community protected by a series of forts that were used into the early 19th century. In 1793, Colonel John Carson built a plantation house near Buck Creek in the Pleasant Gardens community. It

580-538: The interior, including one at Chiaha , in present-day southeastern Tennessee. The Native Americans raided the Spanish newcomers and killed all but one of the soldiers in the garrisons, burning all six forts in 1568. Pardo had already left for Spain by then. The Spanish gave up their efforts to settle the interior. In 1748, "Hunting" John McDowell received a land grant from the colony of North Carolina for property known today as Pleasant Gardens , including acreage that originally extended from Swan's Pond (Catawba County) up

609-430: The link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=McDowell_County&oldid=932988962 " Category : United States county name disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages McDowell County, North Carolina McDowell County

SECTION 20

#1732775839629

638-443: The population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 16,604 households, out of which 30.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.50% were married couples living together, 10.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.00% were non-families. 24.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size

667-576: The southern Appalachian Mountains region. The Blue Ridge Parkway closely follows the northwestern boundary of the county. McDowell County rises rapidly from the Piedmont (United States) in its extreme eastern border where elevations average about 1200 feet above sea level, to the Blue Ridge Mountains in the north and west. Its lowest point is 969 feet above sea level along Cane Creek in the county's southeastern corner. Its highest point

696-675: The southern region of the nation. In the 2016 Republican Primary in McDowell County, Donald Trump received 2,552 votes (or 41.2% of the total votes) followed by Ted Cruz , who came in second with 2,422 votes (or 39.1% of the total votes). In the 2016 Democratic Primary , Bernie Sanders received 1,622 votes (49.0%) and Hillary Clinton received 1,353 votes (40.9%). In the 2016 presidential election in McDowell County, Republican Donald Trump received 14,517 votes (74.2%), Democrat Hillary Clinton 4,645 votes (23.8%), and Libertarian Gary Johnson 395 votes (2.0%). The following

725-488: The three elections from 1900 to 1908, but otherwise was solidly Democratic until 1956 , when Dwight D. Eisenhower carried the county. Since then, like other areas of the North Carolina Foothills, it has become predominantly Republican. Since 1956, only two Democratic candidates have won the county's vote in presidential elections: Lyndon Johnson in 1964 and Jimmy Carter in 1976 , both hailing from

754-400: Was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.90. In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.80% under the age of 18, 8.20% from 18 to 24, 29.90% from 25 to 44, 24.90% from 45 to 64, and 14.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 99.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.70 males. The median income for

783-606: Was born on February 25, 1758, before his father purchased the Pleasant Gardens estate. In 1842, the land became part of McDowell County , named for Joseph "Pleasant Gardens" McDowell, who died on May 18, 1795. Recent historical analysis and research on the remaining property indicates that the Pleasant Gardens plantation house was built between 1812 and 1826 by Joseph McDowell's third son James Moffett McDowell (1791-1854). The plantation remained in this McDowell family until 1848. The plantation, currently located on U.S. 70, northwest of Marion, North Carolina, fell into disrepair in

812-542: Was designated as the county seat by the state legislature. The settlement was named after Francis Marion , the American Revolutionary War hero known as the "Swamp Fox." He was the subject of the dramatic movie The Patriot (2000). The historic movie The Last of the Mohicans (1992), based on a novel by James Fenimore Cooper , was set in New York state, but it was filmed along the shores of Lake James . During

841-511: Was first formed in 1842 from parts of Burke County and Rutherford County . It was named for Joseph McDowell , a Revolutionary War leader and hero of the Battle of King's Mountain . He was elected and served one term as a member of the United States House of Representatives , from 1797 to 1799. In 1861, parts of McDowell, Burke, Caldwell , Watauga , and Yancey counties were combined to form Mitchell County . McDowell County

#628371