This news item expired on Sunday, October 30, 2016 so the information below could be outdated or incorrect.
The Swannanoa Valley Museum and History Center's 5th Annual Historic Haunted House Tours are back. Costumed tour guides will escort guests to the lodge from one lavishly decorated room to another where they will eavesdrop on costumed actors reenacting historic scenes from before, during, and after the railroad's introduction to the area.
- Friday and Saturday, October 28th and 29th
- 223 W. Slate St., Black Mountain
- Tours begin every 30 minutes from 5:30PM - 8PM
- Tours take approximately 2 hours
- Preregistration is required
- $25 for Members / $35 Non-Members
The Backstory:
Just a few hundred feet beyond where the man-made fountain, known as Andrews Geyser, shoots water 80 feet in the air lies the historic Round Knob Lodge. Built in 1930 by Southern Railroad executives as a rustic mountain retreat, the 6500-square foot lodge replaced the ritzy Round Knob Hotel, which served railroad passengers from the 1880s until it burned in 1903.
In the 1860s, Round Knob was a key witness to the completion of the railroad across the steep mountains between Old Fort and Ridgecrest. The job was done with convict labor, dangerous nitroglycerin, incredible determination, extraordinary engineering, and the loss of many lives. This year's tour will focus on how the railroad was built and the dynamic changes it brought to the valley.
In 2016, the lodge will be the backdrop for the incredible story of North Carolina's quest to lay track up the steep grade from Old Fort to Asheville during the Haunted Tour.
For more information about the haunted tour or to purchase tickets, you can visit history.swannanoavalleymuseum.org/events.