Be in Three Places at Once Traditional Geocache

This nationally recognized historic building occupies an unusual site – a location where you can Be in Three Places at Once. The rock structure happens to sit on the exact spot where Burke, McDowell, and Avery counties meet. “They join right near the fireplace,” says current owner Shirley Yager.

The story of the building in three counties begins in Civil War times, when the North Carolina legislature was forming new counties from older, larger ones and created this three-county junction. Such intersections are common in North Carolina and elsewhere.

But the fun began in 1936 when C. J. Howell hired Lenoir Franklin, Avery County’s celebrated stone mason, to construct the former “Linville Falls Tavern.” Presumably no one knew at the time that the establishment would sit exactly on the intersection of the three county lines.

The interior of the building has not been significantly altered since its creation, and the large original fireplace on the northwest side of the interior is said to be the point at which Avery, Burke, and McDowell counties meet. There, you can Be in Three Places at Once. Or you can walk all the way around the outside of the building and enjoy a three-county tour!

When replacing the container, please do not push it too far in.