Two Women Leading the Movement to Preserve the Small Town of Old Fort, NC

By Meg Hale Brunton

As the small town of Old Fort, North Carolina continues to grow, expand and change, a handful of local organizations are determined not to let it lose the qualities that made it special in the first place. Instead, they plan to help it grow in a way that is good for the people who have been calling it home for generations. Two women who are leading this movement are Lisa Jennings and Stephanie Swepson Twitty.

Photo Credit: Halley Burleson

Lisa Jennings

Lisa Jennings is the Outdoor Recreation Manager for the U.S. Forest Services Grandfather Ranger District, a 200,000-acre space spanning from Catawba Falls to Blowing Rock, and including 300 miles of trails. For the past four years, she has also been working with the G5 Trail Collective, a public/private partnership between the Grandfather Ranger District and Camp Grier. The partnership was created as a solution to the lack of funding for trail development and trail maintenance in the area. The name G5 refers to the five counties included in the Grandfather Ranger district (McDowell, Burke, Caldwell, Avery, and Watauga). 

“Old Fort is really at a turning point, getting around the corner of change,” Jennings says, referring to all the new businesses moving into the area. She says one of the critical factors driving the town’s growth is its appeal as an outdoor destination and ‘trail town.’ “We wanted to bring something more accessible and equitable to the Pisgah National Forest. We wanted, not just development, but smart and equitable development.” 

Jennings says the idea for the G5 Trail Collective originated from the camp’s education Executive Director, Jason McDougald, to connect the iconic Heartbreak Ridge trail and the town of Old Fort. From there, it has blossomed into a plan to build 42 miles of trails on public land to connect and improve the existing trail system over the next 5-10 years. Jennings explains her role in the development is that of a project manager for the Forest Service, and a subject matter expert for the public lands and trails.

“I get to do both,” she beams. “The big picture planning, but also go into the woods and see it being built and help with the plans.” Jennings adds that she even enjoys crawling through the rhododendrons to make sure that everything is progressing correctly. 

In order to give the trails the improvements they truly needed, the G5 Trail Collective needed to gather some serious funding and community support. They joined forces with some great partners, like Eagle Market Street Development Corporation, CDC and together they formed the Catawba Vale Collaborative. It is the goal of the Catawba Vale Collaborative to redefine rural development in the area by leveraging its natural resources in a sustainable way, and positioning marginalized communities to benefit from the resulting economic growth. To date, they have raised over $1.5 million to fund the project.

Photo Credit: Andre Daughtery, Pro 16 Studios, LLC

Stephanie Swepson Twitty

As a native McDowell County and resident of Old Fort, Stephanie Swepson Twitty serves as Eagle Market Street Development Corporation, CDC (EMSDC) President and CEO. She is eager to see Old Fort be a thriving rural community. She concurs with Jennings that Old Fort is on the precipice of an economic boom, and wants to prevent those responsible for its economic brightness from being pushed to the outskirts. 

To fight this, Swepson Twitty is championing the cause of creating a more equitably-inclusive Old Fort, equating it to the concept of “a rising tide that lifts all the ships.” She says, “the town benefits from being a strong economy. When we think about equity, it’s not related to a color, race, or ethnicity. I think about equity as being enough resources for all citizens to participate in a thriving community. There are challenges to seeing that inclusiveness is realized, but equity includes all of us.”

EMSDC is a nonprofit, predominantly persons-of-color-managed, community economic development group whose goal is to benefit the community through the development of people, property and businesses to create equitable and socio-economic justice for all. In addition to their work with the G5 Trail Collective, EMSDC offers a variety of programs and services to help emerging nonprofits, grassroots organizations, and fledgling businesses get up and running. 

In July of 2022, EMSDC opened the Catawba Vale Business HUB at 37 East Main Street, making it the first business of color to be represented on Old Fort’s Main Street since 1924. Swepson Twitty describes it as a coffee and coworking space for local and visiting small business owners. They are currently open from 9am-3pm. The following December, EMSDC purchased the 60,000 square-foot warehouse next to the Old Fort Town Hall; the development will become the Catawba Vale Innovation Market, a business accelerator space.

To purchase and renovate that space they have partnered with Mountain BizWorks, Invest Appalachia and Opportunity Appalachia, and all Community Development Financial Institutions working to improve economic conditions in smalltown rural America. Ultimately the project will support a state of the art, virtual film production studio, 20,000 sqft. of creative manufacturing production and retail space, a signature restaurant and a 150-seat meeting and conference space.

Swepson Twitty is unendingly gratified at the success that EMSDC has found through its partnerships with the Catawba Vale Collaborative and its partners. “I cannot say enough. I’m so excited to be doing the work I’m doing. I’m so grateful to be alive at this time,” she says. Jennings is equally pleased with the progress that has been made through the combined work of the Catawba Vale Collaborative and their partners. “I love that other people are going to gain that love and appreciation of public land,” she says.

The first 6-mile section of the G5 Trail Expansion opened last June, and includes a 100-space parking area. Jennings was thrilled to see over 500 people from the community come out to attend the ribbon cutting event. “People are really enjoying the trails,” she says, stating that the new trails are much more welcoming to all types of users, including equestrians, hikers, and mountain bikers. They have also been designed to include signage so people don’t get lost, and are even wheelchair accessible. “It’s different from what people are used to seeing on Pisgah National Forest trails. It’s really easy to get out and enjoy. That’s truly the success that we are excited about.”

In their different, but equally important ways, women like Jennings and Swepson Twitty are helping to make Old Fort an even better place to visit, and a wonderful place to call home. “We aren’t trying to be Asheville, or Marion. We just want to be authentically Old Fort,” Swepson Twitty says. Thanks to these women and the combined efforts of groups like the Catawba Vale Collaborative, and EMSDC, the town of Old Fort and the trails that surround it are in very good hands.