Image 24 of 32
Highway 21 Project for the UNCC Urban Institute
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Nation Ford Crossing on the Catawba River, Norfolk Southern Trestle
This is the Nation Ford Road crossing, a granite shoals which provided firm footing for horses and wagons to cross the Catawba River. This railroad bridge was first built in 1851, burned by Union forces in 1860, rebuilt, wiped out by flood in 1916 and rebuilt again on the original supports. This was the site of the last conflict and treaty between the Cherokee and the Catawba Tribes. Sumter and Cornwallis both camped and crossed here during the Revolutionary War, as did Jefferson Davis during the Civil War. 2 miles south of current US 21, it’s the site of the Nation Ford Chemical Plant.
This is the Nation Ford Road crossing, a granite shoals which provided firm footing for horses and wagons to cross the Catawba River. This railroad bridge was first built in 1851, burned by Union forces in 1860, rebuilt, wiped out by flood in 1916 and rebuilt again on the original supports. This was the site of the last conflict and treaty between the Cherokee and the Catawba Tribes. Sumter and Cornwallis both camped and crossed here during the Revolutionary War, as did Jefferson Davis during the Civil War. 2 miles south of current US 21, it’s the site of the Nation Ford Chemical Plant.
