104 N Center St, Suite B Statesville, NC 28677
438 Fort Dobbs Rd.
Statesville, NC 28625
704-873-5882
www.fortdobbs.org
Our mission is to preserve the site of Fort Dobbs and interpret NC's French and Indian War history.
GUARDING THE WESTERN FRONTIER--AGAIN
In 2003, the reincorporated non-profit Friends of Fort Dobbs took up the vision of then-site manager Beth Hill to begin an effort to rebuild. More than a decade of hard work ensued. The Friends undertook a fundraising campaign to fund the effort and co-operated with State officials, historians, historic building specialists, architects, and noted archaeologist Dr. Larry Babits to develop feasible, historically sound plans and the capital needed to make Fort Dobbs stand on the banks of Fourth Creek once again.
Soon after protecting the site of Fort Dobbs in 1909, the Daughters of the American Revolution recognized the need to reconstruct the blockhouse. Following initial archaeological investigations in the 1960's and '70's the site became a State Historic Site, but with several key questions about the original structure still unanswered, no immediate reconstruction effort was planned.
Following several other facility improvements to the site, ground was broken for the new fort in August of 2016. A mix of modern and 18th Century construction techniques have been employed to meet the challenge of building a structure that must simultaneously meet modern building standards while also approximating an entirely hand-build piece of military engineering from 260 years ago.
To learn more about the process of reconstructing Fort Dobbs, please view this award-winning documentary produced by our partners at GL Wilson Construction
Thanks to your support, Fort Dobbs opened as a living history exhibit on a grand scale in September of 2019!
HOURS & DAILY PROGRAMMING
Fort Dobbs is open 9:00 am-5:00 pm each Tuesday-Saturday (except for State government holidays.) *
The reconstructed fort is open for tours every 45 minutes between 9:30am - 11:45am and 1:00pm - 4:00pm. *
Guided fort tour admission is $2 for Adults and $1 for Children 5-12. Grounds and Visitor Center are free.
*Check social media for closing alerts or changes to our daily tour schedule
"A good and Substantial Building of the Dimentions following (that is to say) The Oblong Square fifty three feet by forty, the opposite Angles Twenty four feet and Twenty-two, In height Twenty four and a half feet as by the Plan annexed Appears, The Thickness of the Walls which are made of Oak Logs regularly Diminished from sixteen Inches to Six, it contains three floors and there may be discharged from each floor at one and the same time about one hundred Muskets the same is beautifully scituated in the fork of Fourth Creek a Branch of the Yadkin River."
Fort Dobbs was the only permanent frontier provincial fort in the colony of North Carolina. Construction began in late 1755 and was completed one year later. It served as the military headquarters for the frontier company (approximately fifty men) as well as a safe-haven for settlers.
The fort was attacked on the night of February 27, 1760 when more than sixty Cherokees were repelled. The garrison suffered two men wounded, as well as having one colonial boy killed. The Cherokee were reported to have lost 10-12 men killed and wounded. Waddell described the encounter in a dispatch to Governor Dobbs:
"We had not marched 300 yds from the fort when we were attacked by at least 60 or 70 Indians ... We recd the Indian's fire: When I perceived they had almost all fired, I ordered my party to fire which We did not further than 12 Steps each loaded with a Bullet and 7 Buck shot, they had nothing to cover them as they were advancing either to tomahawk or make us prisoners ... the Indians were soon repulsed with I am sure a considerable Loss, from what I myself saw as well as those I can confide in they cou'd not have less that 10 or 12 killed and wounded ... On my sided I had 2 Men wounded one of whom I am afraid will die as he is scalped, the other is in a way of Recovery, and one boy killed near the fort."
By the end of 1761, the British had essentially won the war and only thirty troops remained at the fort. Colonial leaders disbanded the troops and removed all the supplies of the garrison as settlement moved far west of the fort. The neglected fort was in ruins by 1766.
438 Fort Dobbs Rd.
Statesville, NC 28625
704-873-5882
www.fortdobbs.org
